Fred Gavin Gordon (April 7, 1901 – April 6, 1983)[1] was an American film, television, and radio actor.
Gavin Gordon | |
|---|---|
 Gordon in 1950 | |
| Born | April 7, 1901 Chicora, Wayne County, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | April 6, 1983 (aged 81)[1] Canoga Park, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Magnolia Cemetery (Mobile, Alabama) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1929–1968 |
Life and career
editGordon landed his first part on stage at the age of nineteen. He began getting small roles at studios including at Fox and Paramount in 1927. After a film test, Gordon starred as Greta Garbo's leading man in Romance (1930). Garbo biographer Robert Dance called Gordon "the least remembered of all the men who supported Garbo. ...Gordon was good-looking, rather than handsome, and had a strong, rich speaking voice. But he was either utterly miscast or appallingly directed: it is hard to say even after ninety years."[2]
An automobile accident that injured Gordon as he was to have begun shooting almost resulted in his being replaced. Although he went to set, he was too injured to work and was hospitalized for two weeks. Garbo insisted that he not be replaced and shooting continued until he could resume work.[citation needed]
Dance noted that Gordon's film career largely consisted of small and/or uncredited roles. With his distinctive voice, Gordon acted in numerous radio dramas. Gordon's final film appearance was in 1963's The Nutty Professor.
He died on the day before his 82nd birthday. He is interred in Magnolia Cemetery, Mobile, Alabama.[1]
Personal life
editIn the 1980s, Gordon donated a horse sculpture he had owned and never authenticated to the Mobile Museum of Art. It was later determined to be from the Tang Dynasty.[3]
Partial filmography
edit- The Medicine Men (1929; short)
- Chasing Through Europe (1929) - Don Merrill
- His First Command (1929) - Lieutenant Freddie Allen
- Romance (1930) - Tom Armstrong
- The Silver Horde (1930) - Fred Marsh
- The Great Meadow (1931) - Evan Muir
- Shipmates (1931) - Mike
- Secret Service (1931) - Mr. Arlesford
- American Madness (1932) - Cyril Cluett
- Two Against the World (1932) - Victor H. 'Vic' Linley
- The Phantom of Crestwood (1932) - Will Jones
- The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932) - Bob
- Man Against Woman (1932) - George Perry
- Hard to Handle (1933) - John Hayden (uncredited)
- Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) - George Winton
- Black Beauty (1933) - Captain Jordan
- I Adore You (1933) - Alphonso Bouillaboise
- Female (1933) - Briggs
- Lone Cowboy (1933) - Jim Weston
- The Scarlet Empress (1934) - Captain Gregori Orloff
- Wake Up and Dream (1934) - Seabrook
- Happiness Ahead (1934) - 'Jellie' Travis
- Bordertown (1935) - Brook Manville
- Grand Old Girl (1935) - The President
- The Good Fairy (1935) - Meredith, on-screen actor (uncredited)
- Women Must Dress (1935) - Philip Howard
- Red Hot Tires (1935) - Robert Griffin
- Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - Lord Byron
- Stranded (1935) - Jack
- Love Me Forever (1935) - Mitchell (uncredited)
- Page Miss Glory (1935) - Reporter Metz
- The Leavenworth Case (1936) - Henry Clavering
- Ticket to Paradise (1936) - Tony Bates
- High Hat (1937) - Gregory Dupont
- They Gave Him a Gun (1937) - Army Captain (uncredited)
- The Toast of New York (1937) - Southern Major (uncredited)
- Windjammer (1937) - J. Montague Forsythe
- I See Ice (1938) - Night Club Singer
- Paper Bullets (1941) - Kurt Parrish
- Murder by Invitation (1941) - Garson Denham
- Mr. Celebrity (1941) - Travers
- Suspicion (1941) - Dr. Bertram Sedbusk (uncredited)
- I Killed That Man (1941) - J. Reed
- The Lone Star Vigilantes (1942) - Major Halland Clark, aka Keller
- Centennial Summer (1946) - Trowbridge (uncredited)
- Notorious (1946) - Ernest Weylin (uncredited)
- Three on a Ticket (1947) - Pearson - aka Barton
- Philo Vance's Gamble (1947) - Oliver Tennant
- Knock on Wood (1954) - Car Salesman
- White Christmas (1954) - General Harold G. Carlton (uncredited)
- There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) - Geoffrey (uncredited)
- High Society (1955) - Frisbie the Butler
- A Life at Stake (1955) - Sam Pearson
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) (Season 1 Episode 8: "Our Cook's a Treasure") - George Brooks
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956) (Season 2 Episode 9: "Crack of Doom") - Card Player
- Pardners (1956) - Businessman (uncredited)
- The Vagabond King (1956) - Majordomo
- The Ten Commandments (1956) - Trojan Ambassador (uncredited)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1957) (Season 3 Episode 3: "The Perfect Crime") - Ernest West
- Johnny Tremain (1957) - Colonel Smith
- Chicago Confidential (1957) - Alan Dixon
- King Creole (1958) - Mr. Primont - Druggist (uncredited)
- The Matchmaker (1958) - Rudolph
- The Bat (1959) - Lieutenant Andy Anderson
- All in a Night's Work (1961) - Mr. Carruthers (uncredited)
- Pocketful of Miracles (1961) - Mr. Cole
- Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) - Mr. Peabody - Hat Shop Manager (uncredited)
- The Nutty Professor (1963) - Clothing Salesman (uncredited)
- The Patsy (1964) - Executive on Golf Course
- Sylvia (1965) - Butler (uncredited)
TV roles
editGordon also appeared on such television programs as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Perry Mason, Playhouse 90, The Real McCoys, The Red Skelton Show, Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Petticoat Junction.
References
edit- ^ a b c Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons (3rd ed.). McFarland. p. 287. ISBN 978-1-4766-2599-7.
- ^ Dance, Robert (November 30, 2021). The Savvy Sphinx: How Garbo Conquered Hollywood. Univ Press of Mississippi. p. 134. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ "MMofA's Tang Horse is More than 1,000 Years Old". Mobile Museum of Art. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- Film Star Who's Who on the Screen, 1938
External links
edit- Gavin Gordon at IMDb