C. Henry Gordon

From New York City, New York, USA • 1884 - 1940

C. Henry Gordon (born Henry Racke; June 17, 1883 – December 3, 1940) was an American stage and film actor. Gordon was born in New York City, New York. He was educated both in New York and abroad in Switzerland and Germany. For some years he owned and ran a silver mine in New Mexico. After failing to succeed in this venture, he became an actor. Gordon's entry into acting came accidentally when he accompanied his sister to a tryout for a play. The director had him read a part and he soon was a member of the troupe. He had a long stage career, on and off Broadway, before entering films. For six years he appeared in the summer stock cast at Elitch Theatre (1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, & 1929.) His Broadway credits included The Shanghai Gesture (1928), Mismates (1925), Puppets (1925), The Saint (1924), Mr. Pitt (1924), The Crooked Square (1923), Thin Ice (1922), Lights Out (1922), and The Drums of Jeopardy (1922). He first worked in films in 1911 with George Beban in New York. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1930 and 1940, frequently as a villain. He often portrayed people of color, such as Surat Khan in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936, opposite Errol Flynn), the Chinese smuggler Sam Kee in Lazy River (1934), and the Sultan of Padaya in Sophie Lang Goes West (1937). On December 3, 1940, Gordon died at Hollywood Hospital in Los Angeles, California, after having his leg amputated the previous day because of a blood clot. (Via Wikipedia)