Granville Bates (January 7, 1882 – July 8, 1940) was an American character actor and bit player, appearing in over ninety films.
Biography
Bates was born in Chicago in 1882. He began his film career in the 1910s with Essanay Studios of the Chicago film industry. He appeared on Broadway in the late 1920s and early 1930s, notably in the original production of Merrily We Roll Along (1934) by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. He was also the Conductor in the original production of Twentieth Century (1932).
From the 1930s, he appeared in a number of classic films, although sometimes uncredited. He received favorable notice for his character roles, such as in My Favorite Wife (1940), where he played an irascible judge – The New York Times critic Bosley Crowther wrote “Mr. Bates deserves a separate mention for his masterpiece of comic creation.” Another New York Times reviewer noted that “Edward Ellis and Granville Bates provoked an early audience yesterday to gentle laughter in a brief but quietly amusing sequence” in Chatterbox (1936), while Crowther praised his work in Men Against the Sky (1940): “The players’ performances are stock and pedestrian, excepting that of Granville Bates as a cynical banker”. Bates died of a heart attack in 1940.
Selected filmography
Young Mother Hubbard (1917) – James
The Kill-Joy (1917) – The Crab
Jealousy (1929) – Lawyer
The Sap from Syracuse (1930) – Nycross
Honor Among Lovers (1931) – Clark
The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) – Bill Collector (uncredited)
The Wiser Sex (1932) – City Editor
Midnight (1934) – Henry McGrath
Woman in the Dark (1934) – Sheriff Grant
Woman Wanted (1935) – Casey (scenes deleted)
Pursuit (1935) – Auto Camp Proprietor
O’Shaughnessy’s Boy (1935) – Doctor
I Live My Life (1935) – Yacht Captain (uncredited)
Chatterbox (1936) – Philip Greene Sr
Here Comes Trouble (1936)
The Music Goes ‘Round (1936) – Political Speaker (uncredited)
13 Hours by Air (1936) – Pop Andrews
Times Square Playboy (1936) – Mr. Mort Calhoun
Hearts Divided (1936) – Robert Livingston (uncredited)
Poppy (1936) – Mayor Farnsworth
The Captain’s Kid (1936) – Sheriff Pengast
The Plainsman (1936) – Van Ellyn
Sing Me a Love Song (1936) – Mr. Goodrich (uncredited)
Beloved Enemy (1936) – Ryan
Larceny on the Air (1937) – Prof. Rexford Sterling
Breezing Home (1937) – Head Politician (uncredited)
Green Light (1937) – Sheriff
The Great O’Malley (1937) – Jake – Bar Proprietor (uncredited)
When’s Your Birthday? (1937) – Judge O’Day
Nancy Steele Is Missing! (1937) – Joseph F.X. Flaherty
Waikiki Wedding (1937) – Uncle Herman
Let’s Get Married (1937) – Hank Keith
The Good Old Soak (1937) – Sam (uncredited)
Mountain Justice (1937) – Judge Crawley at Jeff’s Trial
Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) – Mr. Hunter (uncredited)
Wings over Honolulu (1937) – Grocery Clerk (uncredited)
They Won’t Forget (1937) – Detective Pindar
It Happened in Hollywood (1937) – Sam Bennett
Back in Circulation (1937) – Dr. Evans
The Perfect Specimen (1937) – Hooker – Garage Owner
Under Suspicion (1937) – K.Y. Mitchell
Mannequin (1937) – Mr. Gebhart (uncredited)
Wells Fargo (1937) – Bradford – Banker
The Buccaneer (1938) – Gentleman Wanting to Surrender (uncredited)
The Jury’s Secret (1938) – Judge Pendegast
Gold Is Where You Find It (1938) – Nixon (scenes deleted)
The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938) – Venetian Business Man (uncredited)
Go Chase Yourself (1938) – Halliday
Romance on the Run (1938) – Phelps
Cowboy from Brooklyn (1938) – Pop Hardy
Mr. Chump (1938) – Abner Sprague
The Affairs of Annabel (1938) – Mr. Fletcher
Youth Takes a Fling (1938) – Mr. Judd
Garden of the Moon (1938) – Angus McGillicuddy
A Man to Remember (1938) – George Sykes
Young Dr. Kildare (1938) – Harry Cook (uncredited)
The Sisters (1938) – Taft Election Announcer (uncredited)
Hard to Get (1938) – Judge Harkness
The Shining Hour (1938) – Second Man on Plane (uncredited)
Next Time I Marry (1938) – H.E. Crocker
The Great Man Votes (1939) – The Mayor
Blackwell’s Island (1939) – Prison Warden Stuart ‘Stu’ Granger
Twelve Crowded Hours (1939) – James McEwen
Sweepstakes Winner (1939) – Pop Reynolds
Naughty but Nice (1939) – Judge Kennith B. Walters, Superior Court
At the Circus (1939) – (uncredited)
Indianapolis Speedway (1939) – Mr. Greer
Espionage Agent (1939) – Phineas T. O’Grady
Fast and Furious (1939) – Chief Miller
Pride of the Blue Grass (1939) – Col. Bob Griner
Eternally Yours (1939) – Ship Captain (uncredited)
Our Neighbors – The Carters (1939) – Joseph Laurence
Charlie McCarthy, Detective (1939) – Judge Black (uncredited)
Of Mice and Men (1939) – Carlson
Thou Shalt Not Kill (1939) – Mr. Miller
Internationally Yours (1939)
Brother Rat and a Baby (1940) – First Doctor (uncredited)
Granny Get Your Gun (1940) – Tom Redding
Millionaire Playboy (1940) – Stafford
My Favorite Wife (1940) – Judge Bryson
Brother Orchid (1940) – Pattonsville Superintendent
The Mortal Storm (1940) – Professor Berg
Anne of Windy Poplars (1940) – Dr. Walton (uncredited)
Private Affairs (1940) – Judge Samuel Elmer Hamilton
Flowing Gold (1940) – Charles Hammond / Shylock
Men Against the Sky (1940) – Mr. Burdett (final film role)
External Links
Actor Granville Bates – Wikipedia
