Harry Gribbon

Harry Peter Gribbon (June 9, 1885 – July 28, 1961) was an American film actor, comedian and director known for The Cameraman (1928), Show People (1928) and Art Trouble (1934). He appeared in more than 140 films between 1915 and 1938. Many of his films from this era have been lost.[1]

Harry Gribbon
Gribbon in 1923
Born
Harry Peter Gribbon

(1885-06-09)June 9, 1885
New York City, U.S.
DiedJuly 28, 1961(1961-07-28) (aged 76)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California
Other namesRubber Face Harry
Silk Hat Harry
OccupationActor
Years active1915–1938
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1918; died 1948)​
RelativesEddie Gribbon (brother)

Early life

Harry Peter Gribbon was born on June 9, 1885, in New York City.[1] He was the brother of actor Eddie Gribbon.[2]

Career

Gribbon started in vaudeville, performing on the Keith, Orpheum, and Pantages circuits,[2] and in 1913 he became the leading man[1] in the Ziegfeld Follies.[3] He performed on stage in approximately 200 productions, including Buster Brown, The Man Who Owned Broadway, and The Red Widow, after which Mack Sennett signed him to make films.[4] Gribbon's Broadway credits included Meet a Body (1944), Mr. Big (1941), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Delicate Story (1940), and Alley Cat (1934).[5]

Gribbon worked for the L-KO Kompany. From 1915, Gribbon worked in silent cinema, first at Lubin under the sobriquet 'Rubber-faced Harry', which became 'Silk Hat Harry', when he joined Keystone later that year as top-hatted, amply moustachioed comic villain. During the sound era, acted in several RKO/Pathe short comediesar.

Personal life and death

Gribbon was married to actress May Emory. He died on July 28, 1961, in Los Angeles, California[2] at the Motion Picture Country Home.[3] He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California next to his wife.[6]

Selected filmography
Gribbon (in top hat pointing) in 1916 in A Dash of Courage. Wallace Beery to his left.
Myrtle Lind and Harry Gribbon in Rip & Stitch: Tailors (1919)

References
  1. "Movie, Stage Actor Harry Gribbon Dies". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Associated Press. July 31, 1961. p. 19. Retrieved August 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Harry Gribbon, 75, early film comic". The New York Times. August 1, 1961. p. 31. Retrieved August 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Song and dance man, Harry Gribbon, dies". Chattanooga Daily Times. July 31, 1961. p. 9. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  4. "Triple Show Opens At Hoyt's Theatre". The Long Beach Daily Telegram. July 10, 1922. p. 4. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  5. "Harry Gribbon". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on December 12, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  6. Wilson, Scott (August 22, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 383. ISBN 9780786479924 – via Google Books.
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