Etienne Girardot

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Etienne Girardot (around 1905)

Etienne Girardot (born February 22, 1856 in London , England , † November 10, 1939 in Hollywood , California ) was a British film and theater actor who played mainly comic character roles in the course of his over 60-year acting career.

life and career

Etienne Girardot was born as the son of the painter Ernest Gustave Girardot (1840–1904), who was still young when he was born. His family was of Anglo-French origin. At first Giradot wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become a painter too, but he dropped out of his art studies and instead became an actor. After initially playing in provincial theaters, he eventually made his London theatrical debut at the Theater Royal Haymarket . By the end of the 19th century, Giradot had firmly established himself as a performer of mostly comic character roles, his portrayal of Lord Fancourt Babberly in Charley's Aunt was particularly popular . In 1893 Girardot moved to the United States, where he appeared in over two dozen productions on Broadway between 1893 and 1933.

Etienne Girardot was involved in many silent films at Vitagraph as early as the 1910s , especially short films. After making only one film in the 1920s, Girardot moved to Hollywood in 1933. There he was one of the oldest as well as one of the smallest and skinny actors in the film industry. Girardot mainly focused on distinctive supporting roles, often eccentric doctors, judges, professors or uncles. In the comedy Napoleon on Broadway (1934), for example, he played a harmless lunatic disguised as a millionaire. In three Philo Vance detective films with William Powell , Girardot also played the role of the grouchy coroner Dr. Doremus. In the year he died, Girardot played alongside Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the film musical The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle and also as the senile personal physician of the French king in The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Hara . In total, Girardot, who worked as an actor for over 60 years, was seen in around 80 film productions.

Etienne Girardot worked as an actor almost until his death and died in November 1939 after a two-day illness at the age of 83. The actor was with the doctor Dr. Violetta Shelton married. He was buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery .

Filmography (selection)

Etienne Girardot in Charley's Aunt (around 1912)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Etienne Girardot | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos | AllMovie. Retrieved September 13, 2018 .
  2. ^ Etienne Girardot | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos | AllMovie. Retrieved September 13, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Etienne Girardot in the Internet Broadway Database (English)
  4. ↑ Article on Etienne Girardot from 1938
  5. ^ Etienne Girardot in the Find a Grave database . Retrieved January 31, 2018.
personal data
SURNAME Girardot, Etienne
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British film and stage actor
DATE OF BIRTH February 22, 1856
PLACE OF BIRTH London , England
DATE OF DEATH November 10, 1939
Place of death Hollywood , California