Gertrude Claire

Who was Gertrude Claire?

Gertrude Claire was an actress of the American stage and Hollywood silent motion pictures. She was born in Chicago, Illinois and began appearing onstage at the age of 16. She played minor roles in New York, New York. In the coming years she began to play leads. Among the actors of note she played with John Drew Jr., Edwin Booth, and Richard Mansfield.

She began work in films while the industry was still based in New York. Then she moved to Hollywood, where she was part of the first motion picture playing company organized there. Claire had roles in 123 films beginning in 1910 and continuing until 1928. Her last appearance in movies was in the Clara Bow feature film Red Hair.

Gertrude Claire died in Los Angeles in 1928, aged 75, at her home. Her funeral was conducted in the chapel of Hollywood Forever Cemetery. She was interred in the Hollywood Mausoleum.