death_date death_place birth_place nationality birth_date yearsactive image article_title name restingplace occupation
10 november 1939 hollywood , california , u.s. london , england , uk english 22 february 1856 1870s-1939 etienne girardot.jpg etienne girardot
 etienne girardot hollywood forever cemetery actor
etienne girardot

etienne girardot -lrb- 22 february 1856 -- 10 november 1939 -rrb- was a diminutive stage and film actor of anglo-french parentage born in london , england .
the son of ernest gustave girardot , he studied at an art school , but left at age seventeen to go on stage .
having played in the provinces , he made his debut on the london stage at the haymarket theatre .
he went to america in 1893 , where he continued his career .
he was a success , with numerous broadway shows to his credit , including the 1893 production of `` charley 's aunt '' , in which he played lord fancourt babberley for three years .
he also worked in film , both silents and talkies , debuting in 1911 in `` intrepid davy '' .
among his film roles were the harmless lunatic who fancies himself a millionaire in the 1934 screwball comedy `` twentieth century '' , with john barrymore and carole lombard , and the harassed coroner in three murder mysteries starring william powell as detective philo vance .
girardot died after a short stay in the hospital .
he was survived by his wife dr. violetta shelton , an `` eye , ear , nose and throat specialist . ''
