Gale Sondergaard



































Gale Sondergaard

Gale Sondergaard in Dramatic School trailer.JPG
in the trailer for Dramatic School (1938)

Born
Edith Holm Sondergaard


(1899-02-15)February 15, 1899

Litchfield, Minnesota, U.S.

Died August 14, 1985(1985-08-14) (aged 86)

Woodland Hills, California, U.S.

Resting place
Cremains scattered into the Pacific Ocean
Occupation Actress
Years active 1936–1983
Spouse(s)
Neill O'Malley
(m. 1922; div. 1930)


Herbert J. Biberman
(m. 1930; died 1971)

Children 2

Gale Sondergaard (born Edith Holm Sondergaard; February 15, 1899 – August 14, 1985) was an American actress.


Sondergaard began her acting career in theater, and progressed to films in 1936. She was the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her film debut in Anthony Adverse (1936). She regularly played supporting roles in films during the late 1930s and 1940s, including The Cat and the Canary (1939), The Mark of Zorro (1940) and The Letter (1940). For her role in Anna and the King of Siam (1946), she was nominated for her second Best Supporting Actress Academy Award. After the late 1940s, her screen work came to an abrupt end for the next 20 years.


Married to the director Herbert Biberman, Sondergaard supported him when he was accused of communism and named as one of the Hollywood Ten in the early 1950s. She moved with Biberman to New York City and worked in theatre, and acted in film and television occasionally from the late 1960s. She moved back to Los Angeles where she died from cerebrovascular thrombosis.




Contents






  • 1 Early life


  • 2 Stage and film career


    • 2.1 Until the late-1940s


    • 2.2 House Un-American Activities Committee


    • 2.3 Later career




  • 3 Personal life


  • 4 Acting credits


    • 4.1 Stage


    • 4.2 Film and television




  • 5 References


  • 6 External links





Early life


She was born Edith Holm Sondergaard on February 15, 1899 in Litchfield, Minnesota to Danish-American parents, Hans and Christin (Holm) Sondergaard. Her father taught at University of Minnesota, where she was a drama student.[1]



Stage and film career



Until the late-1940s


She studied acting at the Minneapolis School of Dramatic Arts before joining the John Keller Shakespeare Company. She later toured North America in productions of Hamlet, Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice, and Macbeth. After becoming a member of the Theatre Guild, she began performing on the New York stage.[2]




in the trailer for The Letter (1940)


Sondergaard made her first film appearance in Anthony Adverse (1936) as Faith Paleologue and became the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.[1][3] Her career as an actress flourished during the 1930s, including a role with Paul Muni in The Life of Emile Zola (1937).[4]


During pre-production of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's classic The Wizard of Oz (1939), an early idea was to have the Wicked Witch of the West portrayed as a slinky, glamorous villainess in a black, sequined costume, inspired by the Evil Queen in Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).[1] Sondergaard originally was cast as the witch and was photographed for two wardrobe tests, both of which survive. One was as a glamorous wicked witch, and another as a conventionally ugly wicked witch. After the decision was made to have an ugly wicked witch, Sondergaard, reluctant to wear the disfiguring makeup and fearing it could damage her career, withdrew from the role, and it went to veteran character actress Margaret Hamilton. Sondergaard was, however, cast as the sultry and slinky Tylette (a magically humanized but devious cat) in The Blue Bird (1940).[5]


Around the same time, she played the role of the exotic, sinister wife in The Letter (also 1940), a film starring Bette Davis.[1] She featured in a supporting role in The Spider Woman (aka Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman, 1943),[6] part of the Universal cycle, followed by the non-canonical The Spider Woman Strikes Back (1946), also for Universal.


She received a second Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her role as the king's principal wife in Anna and the King of Siam (1946).[7]



House Un-American Activities Committee


Sondergaard's career suffered irreparable damage during the United States Congressional HUAC Red Scare of the early 1950s when her husband was accused of being a communist and named as one of the Hollywood Ten.[8] (In the 2000 movie One of the Hollywood Ten, Sondergaard was portrayed by actress Greta Scacchi while Jeff Goldblum was cast as Biberman.) With her career stalled, she supported her husband during the production of Salt of the Earth (1954).[9][10]


One of the Hollywood Ten (2000) chronicled Sondergaard's relationship with Biberman and her role in the making of Salt of the Earth. The Bibermans sold their home in Hollywood shortly after they completed Salt of the Earth, and moved to New York where Sondergaard was able to work in theatre.[8]



Later career


In 1969, she appeared in an off-Broadway one-woman show entitled Woman. Sondergaard resumed her career in film and television around the same time.[6] Her revived career extended into the early 1980s.



Personal life


Her younger sister Hester Sondergaard was also an actress who featured in Seeds of Freedom (1943) The Naked City (1948) and Jigsaw (1949) and The Big Break (1953).[11]


Sondergaard first married in 1922 to actor Neill O'Malley; they divorced in 1930. On May 15, 1930, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she married Herbert Biberman, a theater director then associated with the Theatre Guild Acting Company; he became a film director and died in 1971.[12] They had two children, Daniel Hans Biberman and Mrs. Joan Campos.[1]


Following several strokes, she died from cerebral vascular thrombosis in the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, in 1985, aged 86. She had been admitted to the hospital in 1982.[1][6]



Acting credits



Stage



























































































Opening date
Closing date
Title
Role
Theatre
Refs
Oct 08, 1928
Nov 1928

Faust
The Witch
Guild Theatre
[13]
Nov 19, 1928
Jan 1929

Major Barbara
Sarah Undershaft, Lady Britomart's daughter
Guild Theatre
[14]
Oct 7, 1929
Nov 1929

Karl and Anna
Marie's sister
Guild Theatre
[15]
Dec 17, 1929
Feb 1930

Red Rust
Nina

Martin Beck Theatre
[16]
May 11, 1931
May 23, 1931

Alison's House
Elsa - Replacement

Ritz Theatre
[17]
Feb 21, 1933
March 1933

American Dream
Lydia Kimball, The First Play, 1650
Guild Theatre
[18]
May 17, 1934
Jul 1934

Invitation to a Murder
Lorinda Channing
Theatre Masque
[19]
Nov 6, 1933
Nov 1933

Doctor Monica
Anna

Playhouse Theatre
[20]
Dec 19, 1940
Dec 28, 1940

Cue for Passion
Frances Chapman

Royale Theatre
[21]
Apr 02, 1980
April 26, 1980

Goodbye Fidel
Prudencia

Ambassador Theatre
[22]


Film and television






















































































































































































































































































































































































Year
Title
Role
Notes
Refs
1936

Anthony Adverse
Faith Paleologus
First winner of Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
[4]
1937

Maid of Salem
Martha Harding

[4]

Seventh Heaven
Nana, Diane's Sister

[4]

The Life of Emile Zola

Lucie Dreyfus

[4]
1938

Lord Jeff
Doris Clandon

[4]

Dramatic School
Madame Therese Charlot

[4]
1939

Never Say Die
Juno Marko

[4]

Juarez
Empress Eugenie
A historical drama starring Paul Muni and Bette Davis
[4]

Sons of Liberty
Rachel Salomon
Short
[23]

The Cat and the Canary
Miss Lu

[4]

The Llano Kid
Lora Travers

[4]
1940

The Blue Bird
Tylette (the cat)
A Shirley Temple fantasy
[4]

The Mark of Zorro
Inez Quintero

[4]

The Letter
Mrs. Hammond
A Bette Davis drama
[4]
1941

The Black Cat
Abigail Doone

[4]

Paris Calling
Colette

[4]
1942

My Favorite Blonde
Madame Stephanie Runick

[4]

Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen
Mrs. Van Dorn

[4]
1943

A Night to Remember
Mrs. Devoe

[4]

Appointment in Berlin
Gretta Van Leyden

[4]

Isle of Forgotten Sins
Marge Willison

[4]

The Strange Death of Adolf Hitler
Anna Huber

[4]

Crazy House
Herself
Uncredited
[4]
1944

The Spider Woman
Adrea Spedding
aka, Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman
[4]

Follow the Boys
Herself
Uncredited
[4]

The Invisible Man's Revenge
Lady Irene Herrick

[4]

Christmas Holiday
Mrs. Monette

[4]

Gypsy Wildcat
Rhoda

[4]

The Climax
Luise

[4]

Enter Arsène Lupin
Bessie Seagrave

[4]
1946

The Spider Woman Strikes Back
Zenobia Dollard

[4]

Night in Paradise
Queen Attossa

[4]

Anna and the King of Siam
Lady Thiang
nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
[4]

The Time of Their Lives
Emily

[4]
1947

Pirates of Monterey
Señorita De Sola

[4]

Road to Rio
Catherine Vail
A Bob Hope-Bing Crosby-Dorothy Lamour comedy in the Road to ... series
[4]
1949

East Side, West Side
Nora Kernan

[4]
1969

Slaves
New Orleans lady

[4]

It Takes a Thief
Madame Olga Millard
Episode: "The Scorpio Drop"

1970

Get Smart
Hester Van Hooten
Episode: "Rebecca of Funny-Folk Farm"


Tango

TV movie


The Best of Everything
Amanda Key
2 episodes


Savage Intruder
Leslie

[24]
1971

Night Gallery
Abigail Moore
Episode: "The Dark Boy"
[25]

The Bold Ones: The Lawyers
Mrs. Marley
TV, episode "The Letter of the Law"

1973

The Cat Creature
Hester Black
TV movie
[26]
1974

Medical Center
Myra
Episode: "Adults Only"


Nakia
Bert
Episode: "The Quarry"


Police Story
Marge White
Episode: "A World Full of Hurt"

1976

Ryan's Hope

Marguerite Beaulac
6 episodes


The Return of a Man Called Horse
Elk Woman

[4]

Pleasantville
Ora



Hollywood on Trial
Herself
Documentary
[4]
1977

Visions
Ora Drummond
Episode: "Pleasantville"
[27]
1978

Centennial
Aunt Augusta
TV mini series

1981

The Fall Guy
Mrs. Jackson
Episode: "The Human Torch"

1983

Echoes
Mrs. Edmunds
(final film role)
[4]


References





  1. ^ abcdef Axel Nissen (2007). Actresses of a Certain Character: Forty Familiar Hollywood Faces from the Thirties to the Fifties. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 196–202. ISBN 978-0-7864-2746-8..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ "Gale Sondergaard". International Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Retrieved 2 August 2014.


  3. ^ "The 9th Academy Awards". Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 3 August 2014.


  4. ^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiajakalamanao "Gale Sodergaard". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 August 2014.


  5. ^ Peter Lev (15 March 2013). Twentieth Century-Fox: The Zanuck-Skouras Years, 1935–1965. University of Texas Press. pp. 67–68. ISBN 978-0-292-74447-9.


  6. ^ abc Folkart, Burt A. (August 15, 1985). "Gale Sondergaard Dies; Movies' 'Spider Woman'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 September 2017.


  7. ^ "1946 19th Oscar nominees". Oscar.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.


  8. ^ ab David J. Hogan (1 June 2014). The Wizard of Oz FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Life, According to Oz. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. pp. 113–115. ISBN 978-1-4803-9719-4.


  9. ^ Daniel Eagan (26 November 2009). America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 483. ISBN 978-1-4411-1647-5.


  10. ^ Ellen R. Baker (12 March 2007). On Strike and on Film: Mexican American Families and Blacklisted Filmmakers in Cold War America. UNC Press Books. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-4696-0654-5.


  11. ^ "Hester Sodergaard". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved August 3, 2014.


  12. ^ "A Theatre Guild Wedding: Gale Sondergaard, Actress, Bride of H.J. Biberman, Executive", The New York Times, May 16, 1930.


  13. ^ "Faust". IBDB. The Broadway League. Retrieved 3 August 2014.


  14. ^ "MajorBarbara". IBDB. The Broadway League. Retrieved 3 August 2014.


  15. ^ "Karl and Anna". IBDB. The Broadway League. Retrieved 3 August 2014.


  16. ^ "Red Rust". IBDB. The Broadway League. Retrieved 3 August 2014.


  17. ^ "Alison's House". IBDB. The Broadway League. Retrieved 3 August 2014.


  18. ^ "American Dream". IBDB. The Broadway League. Retrieved 3 August 2014.


  19. ^ "Invitation to a Murder". IBDB. The Broadway League. Retrieved 3 August 2014.


  20. ^ "Doctor Monica". IBDB. The Broadway League. Retrieved 3 August 2014.


  21. ^ "Cue for Passion". IBDB. The Broadway League. Retrieved 3 August 2014.


  22. ^ "Goodbye Fidel". IBDB. The Broadway League. Retrieved 3 August 2014.


  23. ^ Deirdre Clancy Steer (2009). Colonial America. Infobase Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-4381-2728-6.


  24. ^ Jeff Lenburg; Joan Howard Maurer; Greg Lenburg (2012). The Three Stooges Scrapbook. Chicago Review Press. p. 353. ISBN 978-1-61374-085-9.


  25. ^ Scott Skelton; Jim Benson (1999). Rod Serling's Night Gallery: An After-hours Tour. Syracuse University Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-8156-2782-1.


  26. ^ Michael McKenna (22 August 2013). The ABC Movie of the Week: Big Movies for the Small Screen. Scarecrow Press. pp. 117–118, 210. ISBN 978-0-8108-9157-9.


  27. ^ Jerry Roberts (5 June 2009). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. pp. 345, 455. ISBN 978-0-8108-6378-1.




External links









  • Gale Sondergaard on IMDb


  • Gale Sondergaard at the Internet Broadway Database Edit this at Wikidata


  • Gale Sondergaard at the Internet Off-Broadway Database


  • Gale Sondergaard at Find a Grave










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