Gertrude Hoffman (actress)

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Gertrude W. Hoffman , also Trude Hoffmann and Gertrude Hoffman , actually Eliza Gertrude Wesselhoeft , (born May 17, 1871 in Heidelberg , German Empire , † February 13, 1968 in Santa Barbara , California , United States ) was an actress of German descent who Has played the role of grandmothers, elderly virgins, or elderly wives in a long line of American films.

Life

Her acting career began in Germany in 1917. She only took on film roles in the USA when she was over sixty years old. She had roles in Thelma Jordon 's criminal case and Women's Prison , both of which appeared in theaters in 1950. She also starred in the 1953 film Battle of the Worlds . She also had a role in the American television series My Little Margie , in which she played an older neighbor.

She gained brief fame during the shark attacks on the New Jersey coast in 1916 , when the New York Times reported on her encounter with a shark on Coney Island Beach . Hoffman boasted at the time that he had hit the water with his presence of mind, thus driving the shark away.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Hoffman, Gertrude
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hoffman, Gertrude W .; Hoffmann, Trude; Wesselhoeft, Eliza Gertrude (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Actress of German descent
DATE OF BIRTH May 17, 1871
PLACE OF BIRTH Heidelberg , German Empire
DATE OF DEATH February 13, 1968
Place of death Santa Barbara , California , United States