Billy Gilbert

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

William "Billy" Gilbert , actually William Gilbert Baron , (born September 12, 1894 in Louisville , Kentucky , † September 23, 1971 in Hollywood , California ) was an American comedian and actor . His trademarks, which he featured in countless films, were loud outbursts of anger and an unusual sneeze. He is not to be confused with the lesser-known silent film comedian of the same name from Mack Sennett's team .

Life

Billy Gilbert's father worked as a singer at the Metropolitan Opera . Billy also moved into show business at an early age, Gilbert junior appeared as a vaudeville artist at the age of twelve and later on Broadway . He was discovered at a screening by Stan Laurel , who introduced him to comedy producer Hal Roach . Roach initially only signed Gilbert as a gag writer and director; he made his film debut as an actor in 1929 at the age of 35. The corpulent actor quickly specialized in portraying sometimes stupid, sometimes self-important, even violent characters, who were always easy to throw off the mark. In some cases, Gilbert also appeared as a Dutch character , that is, with a “German” influence in language and behavior. His trademark, which was used in numerous films, was a slowly building, then violent sneezing.

Gilbert was best known as an opponent of Laurel and Hardy in a total of nine films (he contributed his voice to another). Among other things, he appeared in the Oscar-winning short film Der grubende Klaviertransport (1932) as a choleric professor Dr. Schwabendrescher (in the English-language original: Professor Theodore von Schwarzenhoffen ) who uses an ax to destroy the piano, which the comedian duo has laboriously carried up a long flight of stairs. At the end of Blockheads, he suspects Hardy, in the role of a quick-tempered big game hunter, of having an affair with his wife and starts the hunt for him. Gilbert has also appeared in the short films of other Roach comedians such as Todd & Pitts , The Little Rascals and Charley Chase . Roach's attempts to develop the mime as a celebrity comedian failed in 1932/33, however: Gilbert first appeared at Ben Blue's side in eight short films in the Taxi Boys series (in another he played a jealous husband) and then was seen twice with Billy Bletcher as the Schmaltz Brothers .

Outside of Roach Studios, Billy Gilbert starred alongside comedians like the Three Stooges , the Marx Brothers , Wheeler & Woolsey, and the East Side Kids . One of his best-known roles was that of War Minister Herring in Charles Chaplin's masterpiece The Great Dictator , a parody of Hermann Göring , in 1940 . Other well-known films in which the comedian took part included the western comedy The Great Bluff (1939), the screwball comedy His Girl for Special Cases (1940) and the love drama The House of Seven Sins (1940). Gilbert's distinctive voice was also used in cartoons: in 1937, he lent the dwarf Hatschi his characteristic sneeze in Walt Disney's cartoon classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs . Ten years later he also spoke the giant Willie in the Mickey segment and the climbing bean of Happy, Free, Fun . In the 1950s, the comedian increasingly turned away from the film business and worked in television or on Broadway. He made his last film appearance in 1962 in Irwin Allen's Jules Verne film adaptation of Five Weeks in the Ballon , in which he can be seen in a double role as sultan and auctioneer.

Billy Gilbert was married to the actress Ella McKenzie (1911-1987) in his second marriage from 1937 until his death. He died of a stroke in 1971 at the age of 77 and was buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Los Angeles. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (6263 Hollywood Blvd.).

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Billy Gilbert in the Find a Grave database . Retrieved March 3, 2016.
personal data
SURNAME Gilbert, Billy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Baron, William Gilbert (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH September 12, 1894
PLACE OF BIRTH Louisville
DATE OF DEATH 23rd September 1971
Place of death Hollywood , California