Gertrude Howard
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Gertrude Howard | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Howard in Peck's Bad Boy (1934) | |
| Born | October 13, 1892 Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | September 30, 1934 (aged 41) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1925–1934 |
Gertrude Howard (October 13, 1892 – September 30, 1934)[1] was an American actress of the silent and early sound film eras.
Born in 1892, Howard performed in the chorus of The Wife Hunters (1911) on Broadway.[2] She broke into films in 1925, appearing in The Circus Cyclone, directed by Albert Rogell.[3] In 1927, she played the wife of Uncle Tom in Uncle Tom's Cabin.[4] In 1927, The Pittsburgh Courier stated that she was the "highest salaried colored actress in Hollywood".[5] She appeared mostly in minor or supporting film roles, such as Queenie in the original version of Show Boat (1929),[6] and Martha in Christy Cabanne's Conspiracy.[7]
Her appearance as Beulah Thorndyke in I'm No Angel (1933), led to her being forever linked to Mae West with the famous line, "Beulah, peel me a grape".[8]
In Howard's short career she would appear in twenty-two films. That career was cut short by her untimely death in 1934 at the age of 41. Mae West helped raise funds for her funeral.[citation needed]
