Charley Grapewin
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- December 20, 1869
- Died
- February 2, 1956
- Birthplace
- Xenia, Ohio, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Charles Ellsworth Grapewin (December 20, 1869 – February 2, 1956) was an American vaudeville performer, writer and a stage and silent and sound actor, and comedian who was best known for portraying Aunt Em's husband, Uncle Henry in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's The Wizard of Oz (1939) as well as Grandpa Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and Jeeter Lester in Tobacco Road (1941). He usually portrayed elderly folksy-type characters in a rustic setting, in all appearing in over 100 films. He was the oldest cast member of The Wizard of Oz. Born in Xenia, Ohio, Charles Ellsworth Grapewin ran away from home to be a circus acrobat which led him to work as an aerialist and trapeze artist in a traveling circus before turning to acting. He traveled all over the world with the famous P. T. Barnum circus. Grapewin also appeared in the original 1903 Broadway production of The Wizard of Oz, 36 years before he would appear in the famous Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film version. After this he continued in theatre, on and offstage, for the next thirty years, starting with various stock companies, and wrote stage plays as a vehicle for himself. His sole Broadway theatre credit was the short-lived play It's Up to You John Henry in 1905. Grapewin married actress Anna Chance (1875–1943) in 1896, and they remained a devoted couple until her death some 47 years later. Two years after his first wife's death, Grapewin married Loretta McGowan Becker on Jan 10, 1945. Grapewin began in silent films at the turn of the twentieth century. His very first films were two "moving image shorts" made by Frederick S. Armitage and released in November 1900; Chimmie Hicks at the Races (also known as Above the Limit) and Chimmie Hicks and the Rum Omelet, both shot in September and October 1900 and released in November of that year. During his long career, Grapewin appeared in more than one hundred films, including The Good Earth, The Grapes of Wrath, Tobacco Road, and in what is probably his best-remembered role: Uncle Henry in The Wizard of Oz. He also had a recurring role as Inspector Queen in the Ellery Queen film series of the early 1940s. Grapewin died of natural causes in Corona, California at age 86, and his ashes are interred with his wife's in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California, at the Great Mausoleum's Columbarium of Inspiration.
Filmography
The Dark Side of the Rainbow 2000
as Uncle Henry (archive footage)
Going Hollywood: The '30s 1984
as (archive footage)
That's Entertainment, Part II 1976
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Big Parade of Comedy 1964
as Mr. Bane in 'Libeled Lady' (archive footage) (uncredited)
When I Grow Up 1951
as Grandpa Reed
Sand 1949
as Doug
The Enchanted Valley 1948
as Grandpa
Gunfighters 1947
as Rancher Inskip
Atlantic City 1944
as Jake Taylor
The Impatient Years 1944
as Benjamin L. Pidgeon, Bellboy
Follow the Boys 1944
as Nick West
Crash Dive 1943
as Pop
Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen 1942
as Inspector Richard Queen
A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen 1942
as Insp. Queen
A Close Call for Ellery Queen 1942
as Insp. Queen
They Died with Their Boots On 1941
as California Joe
Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring 1941
as Insp. Queen
Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime 1941
as Insp. Queen
Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery 1941
as Insp. Queen
Tobacco Road 1941
as Jeeter Lester
The Texas Rangers Ride Again 1940
as Ben Caldwalder
Ellery Queen, Master Detective 1940
as Insp. Queen
Rhythm on the River 1940
as Uncle Caleb
Earthbound 1940
as Mr. Whimser
Johnny Apollo 1940
as Judge Emmett T. Brennan
The Grapes of Wrath 1940
as Grandpa Joad
Sabotage 1939
as Major Matt Grayson
Hero for a Day 1939
as Uncle Frank "Lucky" Higgins
Dust Be My Destiny 1939
as Pop
The Wizard of Oz 1939
as Uncle Henry
The Man Who Dared 1939
as Ulysses Porterfield
Sudden Money 1939
as Grandpa Casey Patterson
Burn 'Em Up O'Connor 1939
as Doc Heath
Stand Up and Fight 1939
as 'Old Puff'
Artists and Models Abroad 1938
as James Harper
Listen, Darling 1938
as Joe Higgins
Three Loves Has Nancy 1938
as Grandpa Briggs
Three Comrades 1938
as Local Doctor
The Girl of the Golden West 1938
as Uncle Davy
Of Human Hearts 1938
as Jim Meeker
The Bad Man of Brimstone 1937
as Barney Lane
Big City 1937
as Robert, the Mayor
Bad Guy 1937
as Dan Gray
Broadway Melody of 1938 1937
as James K. Blakeley
Between Two Women 1937
as Dr. Webster
Captains Courageous 1937
as Uncle Salters
The Good Earth 1937
as Old Father
A Family Affair 1937
as Frank Redmond
Breakdowns of 1936 1936
as Self
Sinner Take All 1936
as Aaron Lampier
Without Orders 1936
as J.P. Kendrick
Libeled Lady 1936
as Mr. Bane
Small Town Girl 1936
as Dr. Ned Fabre
The Voice of Bugle Ann 1936
as Cal Royster
The Petrified Forest 1936
as Gramp Maple
Ah, Wilderness! 1935
as Dave McComber
Super Speed 1935
as Terry Devlin
Rendezvous 1935
as Prof. Martin
King Solomon of Broadway 1935
as Uncle Winchester
Alice Adams 1935
as J. A. Lamb
Shanghai 1935
as Truesdale
One Frightened Night 1935
as Jasper Whyte
Party Wire 1935
as Will Oliver
Eight Bells 1935
as Grayson
In Spite of Danger 1935
as Pop Sullivan
Caravan 1934
as Notary
Anne of Green Gables 1934
as Dr. Tatum
The President Vanishes 1934
as Richard Norton
Judge Priest 1934
as Sergeant Jimmy Bagby
Return of the Terror 1934
as Jessup
The Loudspeaker 1934
as Pop Calloway
She Made Her Bed 1934
as Joe Olesen
The Quitter 1934
as Ed Tilford
Two Alone 1934
as Sandy Roberts
- Hell and High Water
Hell and High Water 1933
as Peck Wealin
Female 1933
as Drunk at Hamburger Stand (Uncredited)
Wild Boys of the Road 1933
as Mr. Cadman (uncredited)
Torch Singer 1933
as Andrew 'Juddy' Judson
Beauty for Sale 1933
as Freddy Gordon
Turn Back the Clock 1933
as Dr. Henderson (uncredited)
Pilgrimage 1933
as Dad Saunders
Don't Bet on Love 1933
as Patrick McCaffrey
Midnight Mary 1933
as Clerk
Heroes for Sale 1933
as Pa Dennis
The Kiss Before the Mirror 1933
as Schultz
Hello, Everybody! 1933
as Jed
No Man of Her Own 1932
as Clerk
Wild Horse Mesa 1932
as Sam Bass
The Night of June 13 1932
as "Grandpop" Strawn (as Charles Grapewin)
American Madness 1932
as Mr. Jones (uncredited)
The Washington Masquerade 1932
as Senator Simmons (uncredited)
The Woman in Room 13 1932
as Andy
Huddle 1932
as Doctor (uncredited)
Are You Listening? 1932
as Pierce
The Big Timer 1932
as Pop Baldwin
Hell's House 1932
as Henry Clark
- For the Love of Fanny
For the Love of Fanny 1931
as Professor
Heaven on Earth 1931
as Doc Boax
Gold Dust Gertie 1931
as Nicholas Hautrey
The Millionaire 1931
as Ed Powers
Only Saps Work 1930
as Simeon Tanner
The Shannons of Broadway 1929
as Swanzey
- Above the Limit
Above the Limit 1900
as Chimmie Hicks
Credits from TMDB.