Berton Churchill

Berton Churchill (December 9, 1876 – October 10, 1940) was a Canadian stage and film actor.
Early years
Churchill was born in Toronto, Ontario. After his family moved to New York City, he graduated from high school there, studied law at night, and was a weekly participant in the William J. Florence Dramatic Society in Jersey City.
As a young man interested in the theater, he appeared in stock companies as early as 1903 and worked as a newspaper pressman, eventually becoming a foreman and leader of his union. Progressing in his acting, he began performing with the Berkely Lyceum.
Career
Churchill acted for two years with a traveling repertory company, developing skills that eventually took him to Broadway. The death of his father caused him to return home to work as a press foreman. Eventually he returned to acting in small parts. His career received a boost when E. F. Albee saw him perform in Boston. Albee added him to his summer stock company at Pawtucket, where Churchill continued to perform almost every summer for at least two decades.
His first performance on Broadway was in The Barber of New Orleans (1909), and his last was in Five Star Final (1930).
He was one of the earliest members of Actors Equity and sat on the union's Council. In 1919, he was in charge of the New York headquarters during the Equity strike.
Around 1929, Churchill began to perform in motion pictures. Following the use of sound in film, he moved to Hollywood, California. There, he landed numerous supporting roles, usually as the stern or pompous character with such roles as a banker, a state governor, or a land baron. He was much in demand, "establishing what was believed to be a record by appearing in 34 in 1932 alone." In more than 125 films, Churchill worked for some of the great directors such as Otto Preminger, John Ford, and Frank Capra. As well, he performed with many of the most famous stars of the day, such as Bette Davis (The Cabin in the Cotton), Jeanette MacDonald, Tyrone Power, Edward G. Robinson, and Will Rogers. Churchill is perhaps best known for his role as Gatewood, the absconding banker in John Ford's highly acclaimed 1939 film Stagecoach, starring John Wayne.
In 1925, Churchill helped found the Masquers club that led to him and five other actors creating the Screen Actors Guild in 1933.
Death
Churchill died in Medical Arts Center Hospital in New York City, of uremic poisoning. His body was returned to the west coast to be interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
Selected filmography
The Road Called Straight (1919) as Robert Swiftmore
Six Cylinder Love (1923) as George Stapleton
Tongues of Flame (1924) as Boland
Nothing But the Truth (1929) as E.M. Burke
Tarnished Lady (1931) as Stock Speculator (uncredited)
Secrets of a Secretary (1931) as Mr. Merritt
My Sin (1931) as Mr. Osgood (uncredited)
Husband's Holiday (1931) as Gerald Burgess
Air Eagles (1931) as Windy J. Bailey
This Reckless Age (1932) as Banker
Taxi! (1932) as Judge West (uncredited)
Impatient Maiden (1932)
Cheaters at Play (1932)
A Fool's Advice (1932) as Mayor Martin Sloan
The Wet Parade (1932) as Roger's Uncle Dick (uncredited)
Scandal for Sale (1932) as Bunnyweather
It's Tough to Be Famous (1932) as Admiral Blaine (uncredited)
The Mouthpiece (1932) as Judge, Rocco Trial (uncredited)
Two Seconds (1932) as The Warden
The Rich Are Always with Us (1932) as Judge Bradshaw
Forgotten Commandments (1932) as Minor Role (scenes deleted)
The Dark Horse (1932) as William A. Underwood
Week Ends Only (1932) as A.S. Carr
Fast Companions (1932) as Committee Chairman
The Washington Masquerade (1932) as Sen. Bitler
American Madness (1932) as O'Brien (uncredited)
Okay, America! (1932) as Jacob Baron
The Crooked Circle (1932) as Col. Walters
The Cabin in the Cotton (1932) as Lane Norwood
The Big Stampede (1932) as Gov. Wallace
False Faces (1932) as Dr. John B. Parker
Washington Merry-Go-Round (1932) as Speaker
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) as The Judge
Afraid to Talk (1932) as Mayor William 'Billy' Manning
If I Had a Million (1932) as Warden (uncredited)
Madame Butterfly (1932) as American Consul
Frisco Jenny (1932) as Judge Thomas B. Reynolds (uncredited)
The Billion Dollar Scandal (1933) as The Warden
Laughter in Hell (1933) as Mike Slaney
The Mysterious Rider (1933) as Mark King
Employees' Entrance (1933) as Mr. Bradford (uncredited)
Hard to Handle (1933) as Col. H.D.X. Wells (uncredited)
From Hell to Heaven (1933) as Toledo Jones
Private Jones (1933) as Roger Winthrop
The Little Giant (1933) as Donald Hadley Cass
So This Is Africa (1933) as Movie Producer
Elmer, the Great (1933) as Colonel Moffitt
Heroes for Sale (1933) as Mr. Winston
I Love That Man (1933) as Mordant - Casket Buyer
Her First Mate (1933) as Davis
The Big Brain (1933) as Col. Higginbotham
The Avenger (1933) as Forster
Doctor Bull (1933) as Herbert Banning - Janet's Brother
Golden Harvest (1933) as Eben Martin
Ladies Must Love (1933) as Gaskins
Only Yesterday (1933) as Goodheart (uncredited)
College Coach (1933) as Otis
Master of Men (1933) as Mr. Walling
Frontier Marshal (1934) as Ben 'Hiram' Melton
Hi, Nellie! (1934) as Graham
Men in White (1934) as John Hudson (uncredited)
Let's Be Ritzy (1934) as R.M. Pembrook
Strictly Dynamite (1934) as Mr. Rivers
Half a Sinner (1934) as Deacon Caswell (aka Alias the Deacon)
Murder in the Private Car (1934) as Luke Carson
Bachelor Bait (1934) as 'Big' Barney Nolan
Friends of Mr. Sweeney (1934) as Franklyn P. Brumbaugh
Dames (1934) as Harold Ellsworthy Todd
Take the Stand (1934) as Mr. Jerome Burbank
Judge Priest (1934) as Senator Horace Maydew
Redhead (1934) as Mr. Brown
Kid Millions (1934) as Col. Harrison Larrabee
Menace (1934) as Norman Bellamy
Babbitt (1934) as Judge Virgil 'Verge' Thompson
Sing Sing Nights (1934) as Governor Duane
Bachelor of Arts (1934) as Alexander Hamilton Sr.
Life Is Worth Living (1934)
Helldorado (1935) as 'Clarion' Editor
The County Chairman (1935) as Elias Rigby
A Night at the Ritz (1935) as Stephen Vincent
Vagabond Lady (1935) as R.D. Spear
$10 Raise (1935) as Mr. Bates
Dizzy Dames (1935) as Dad Hackett
Page Miss Glory (1935) as Mr. Yates - Assistant Hotel Manager
Steamboat Round the Bend (1935) as New Moses
I Live for Love (1935) as Fabian
The Spanish Cape Mystery (1935) as Judge Macklin
The Rainmakers (1935) as Simon Parker
Coronado (1935) as Walter Marvin
Black Gold (1936) as J.C. Anderson
You May Be Next (1936) as J.J. Held
The Dark Hour (1936) as Paul Bernard
Colleen (1936) as Logan
Three of a Kind (1936) as 'Con' Cornelius
Parole! (1936) as Rex Gavin
Bunker Bean (1936) as Professor Ed Balthazer
Dimples (1936) as Col. Loring
Under Your Spell (1936) as Judge
Racing Lady (1937) as Judge
Parnell (1937) as The O'Gorman Mahon
Sing and Be Happy (1937) as John Mason
You Can't Beat Love (1937) as Police Chief Brennan
The Singing Marine (1937) as J. Montgomery Madison
Public Wedding (1937) as H. Theodore Lane aka Pop
Wild and Woolly (1937) as Edward Ralston
Quick Money (1937) as Bluford H. Smythe
In Old Chicago (1938) as Senator Colby
He Couldn't Say No (1938) as Senator Mabby
Wide Open Faces (1938) as L.D. Crawford
Four Men and a Prayer (1938) as Mr. Martin Cherrington
Kentucky Moonshine (1938) as J.B
Ladies in Distress (1938) as Fred Morgan
Danger on the Air (1938) as Caesar Kluck
Down in 'Arkansaw' (1938) as Judge
The Cowboy and the Lady (1938) as Henderson
Sweethearts (1938) as Sheridan
Stagecoach (1939) as Ellsworth Henry Gatewood
So This Is London (1939) as Hiram Draper
Daughters Courageous (1939) as Judge Henry Hornsby
Should Husbands Work? (1939) as Barnes
The Angels Wash Their Faces (1939) as Mayor Dooley
Hero for a Day (1939) as E. A. Dow
On Your Toes (1939) as Donald Henderson
Brother Rat and a Baby (1940) as Mr. Norman
20 Mule Team (1940) as 'Jackass' Brown
Saturday's Children (1940) as Mr. Norman
Turnabout (1940) as Julian Marlowe
The Way of All Flesh (1940) as Reginald L. Morten
Cross-Country Romance (1940) as Col. Conway
Public Deb No. 1 (1940) as Magistrate
I'm Nobody's Sweetheart Now (1940) as Senator Henry Lowell (final film role)
See also
Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood
References
External links
Canadian male stage actors
Canadian male film actors
Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States
Male actors from Toronto
1876 births
1940 deaths
Deaths from urologic disease
Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
20th-century Canadian male actors