Granville Bates

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 to Granville Bates, Sr., a developer and builder, and Adaline Bates (née Gleason). He grew up in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago on the southeast corner of Evanston (now Broadway) Ave. and Oakdale Ave. in a townhouse that his father later demolished, along with all of the others on the block, to redevelop as a four-story commercial building with apartments above.

Bates began his film career in the 1910s with Essanay Studios of the Chicago film industry, and his World War I draft Registration Card listed him as a travelling actor for Francis Owen & Co. 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 Hollywood on July 9, 1940. He was buried at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago.

Select stage credits RunTitleCharacterPlaywright(s)Theater/Location Nov 12, 1924 - Jan 1925 Silence Dr. Thorpe Max Marcin Oct 06, 1927 - Oct 22, 1927 My Princess Mitchell Edward Sheldon and Dorothy Donnelly Nov 07, 1927 - Nov 1927 The Stairs Gianfranchi Rosso di San Secondo Aug 27, 1928 - Dec 1928 Gentlemen of the Press Braddock Ward Morehouse Jan 08, 1930 - Jan 1930 So Was Napoleon (Sap from Syracuse) Solomon Hycross Jack O'Donnell and John Wray Sep 24, 1930 - Sep 05, 1931 Once in a Lifetime Bishop (replacement) Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman Feb 18, 1932 - Apr 1932 Trick for Trick Lieutenant Jed Dodson Vivian Crosby, Shirley Warde and Harry Wagstaff Gribble Sep 19, 1932 - Oct 1932 Lilly Turner Dave Turner George Abbott and Philip Dunning Dec 29, 1932 - May 20, 1933 Twentieth Century Conductor Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur; Based on a play by Charles Bruce Millholland Sep 21, 1933 - Jan 1934 Double Door Mortimer Neff Elizabeth McFadden May 15, 1934 - Jun 02, 1934 Come What May Dr. Hughes Richard F. Flournoy Sep 29, 1934 - Feb 1935 Merrily We Roll Along Mr. Murney George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart Feb 12, 1935 - Mar 1935 Rain Joe Horn John Colton and Clemence Randolph; from a story by W. Somerset Maugham

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)