Charley Grapewin

Charley Grapewin

Biography: 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. ​

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: December 20, 1869

Deathday: February 02, 1956

Popularity:

4.758

Known For

The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath

1940-03-15

The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz

1939-08-15

Judge Priest
Judge Priest

1934-09-15

Libeled Lady
Libeled Lady

1936-10-09

Dust Be My Destiny
Dust Be My Destiny

1939-09-16

Follow the Boys
Follow the Boys

1944-05-05

No Man of Her Own
No Man of Her Own

1932-12-30

One Frightened Night
One Frightened Night

1935-05-01

The Girl of the Golden West
The Girl of the Golden West

1938-03-18

Broadway Melody of 1938
Broadway Melody of 1938

1937-08-20

Alice Adams
Alice Adams

1935-08-23

Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables

1934-11-23

Return of the Terror
Return of the Terror

1934-07-07

Captains Courageous
Captains Courageous

1937-06-25

They Died with Their Boots On
They Died with Their Boots On

1941-11-20

The Petrified Forest
The Petrified Forest

1936-02-08

Tobacco Road
Tobacco Road

1941-02-20

Heroes for Sale
Heroes for Sale

1933-06-17

Johnny Apollo
Johnny Apollo

1940-04-19

A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen
A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen

1942-05-07

A Close Call for Ellery Queen
A Close Call for Ellery Queen

1942-01-29

Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring
Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring

1941-11-18

Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime
Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime

1941-08-14

Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen
Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen

1942-07-30

Ellery Queen, Master Detective
Ellery Queen, Master Detective

1940-11-30

Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery
Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery

1941-03-24

Midnight Mary
Midnight Mary

1933-06-30

Torch Singer
Torch Singer

1933-09-08

Big City
Big City

1937-09-03

Rendezvous
Rendezvous

1935-10-25

Listen, Darling
Listen, Darling

1938-10-21

Ah, Wilderness!
Ah, Wilderness!

1935-12-25

Small Town Girl
Small Town Girl

1936-04-10

Of Human Hearts
Of Human Hearts

1938-02-11

Turn Back the Clock
Turn Back the Clock

1933-08-25

Party Wire
Party Wire

1935-04-27

Rhythm on the River
Rhythm on the River

1940-08-28

A Family Affair
A Family Affair

1937-03-12

Stand Up and Fight
Stand Up and Fight

1939-01-06

Shanghai
Shanghai

1935-07-19

Hell's House
Hell's House

1932-01-30

Are You Listening?
Are You Listening?

1932-03-21

The Impatient Years
The Impatient Years

1944-09-10

Don't Bet on Love
Don't Bet on Love

1933-06-30

The Voice of Bugle Ann
The Voice of Bugle Ann

1936-02-15

Hello, Everybody!
Hello, Everybody!

1933-02-17

Beauty for Sale
Beauty for Sale

1933-09-01

Atlantic City
Atlantic City

1944-09-15

The Millionaire
The Millionaire

1931-05-01

Between Two Women
Between Two Women

1937-07-09

Gold Dust Gertie
Gold Dust Gertie

1931-06-27

Bad Guy
Bad Guy

1937-08-27

Burn 'Em Up O'Connor
Burn 'Em Up O'Connor

1939-01-13

Artists and Models Abroad
Artists and Models Abroad

1938-12-20

The Big Timer
The Big Timer

1932-03-10

Sudden Money
Sudden Money

1939-03-31

The Texas Rangers Ride Again
The Texas Rangers Ride Again

1940-12-13

Sand
Sand

1949-08-03

Two Alone
Two Alone

1934-01-26

Three Loves Has Nancy
Three Loves Has Nancy

1938-09-02

Going Hollywood: The '30s
Going Hollywood: The '30s

1984-01-01

The Bad Man of Brimstone
The Bad Man of Brimstone

1937-12-31

The Night of June 13
The Night of June 13

1932-09-17

The Washington Masquerade
The Washington Masquerade

1932-07-09

Earthbound
Earthbound

1940-06-06

The Man Who Dared
The Man Who Dared

1939-06-03

American Madness
American Madness

1932-08-15

The President Vanishes
The President Vanishes

1934-11-17

Heaven on Earth
Heaven on Earth

1931-11-27

Without Orders
Without Orders

1936-10-22

Only Saps Work
Only Saps Work

1930-12-05

For the Love of Fanny
For the Love of Fanny

1931-12-27

Eight Bells
Eight Bells

1935-04-10

Caravan
Caravan

1934-12-30

The Kiss Before the Mirror
The Kiss Before the Mirror

1933-05-04

Sabotage
Sabotage

1939-10-13

Hell and High Water
Hell and High Water

1933-12-16

The Quitter
The Quitter

1934-02-05

Breakdowns of 1936
Breakdowns of 1936

1936-12-30

The Woman in Room 13
The Woman in Room 13

1932-05-15

Gunfighters
Gunfighters

1947-07-15

Huddle
Huddle

1932-05-14

The Good Earth
The Good Earth

1937-06-02

King Solomon of Broadway
King Solomon of Broadway

1935-09-30

The Loudspeaker
The Loudspeaker

1934-06-01

The Dark Side of the Rainbow
The Dark Side of the Rainbow

2000-07-01

Sinner Take All
Sinner Take All

1936-12-18

Above the Limit
Above the Limit

1900-11-21

Wild Horse Mesa
Wild Horse Mesa

1932-11-25

Wild Boys of the Road
Wild Boys of the Road

1933-10-07

Three Comrades
Three Comrades

1938-06-02

When I Grow Up
When I Grow Up

1951-04-19

Female
Female

1933-11-11

That's Entertainment, Part II
That's Entertainment, Part II

1976-05-16

Crash Dive
Crash Dive

1943-04-22

The Big Parade of Comedy
The Big Parade of Comedy

1964-09-02

The Enchanted Valley
The Enchanted Valley

1948-03-24

In Spite of Danger
In Spite of Danger

1935-03-08

Hero for a Day
Hero for a Day

1939-10-06

She Made Her Bed
She Made Her Bed

1934-04-26

Pilgrimage
Pilgrimage

1933-07-12

The Dark Side of Oz
The Dark Side of Oz

1995-08-15

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