GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN - BILLY GILBERT: THE SOVEREIGN OF SNEEZY SHENANIGANS

Since the advent of cinema, many well-known actors have faded from the public eye due to the changes reflected in popular culture and the passing of time. Today, we are going to take a look at the life and career of one of these actors, Billy Gilbert, by chronicling his journey through the entertainment industry. Please enjoy.





Full name: William Gilbert Barron / Occupations: Actor and comedian / Born: September 12, 1894, in Louisville, Kentucky, USA / Died: September 23, 1971, in Los Angeles, California, USA (aged 77) / Years active: 1929 to 1962

What do we know about his life before he started his career? Billy's parents, Louis and Anna, were Russian immigrants who came to America and joined the Metropolitan Opera Company. His father was a tenor and his mother was a dancer, and allegedly, she gave birth to him in a dressing room at the Hopkins Opera House in Louisville, Kentucky, prior to them moving to a place in San Francisco. Billy lived there for most of his formative years, but by the age of twelve, he decided to leave school to join a troupe of children who sang in vaudeville.

How did he start his career? In 1929, the English comedian, Stan Laurel, went to a theater and saw Billy performing in the variety show, 'Sensations of 1929'. Stan was so impressed with Billy's performance that he went backstage after the show to meet him in person. This led Stan to introduce him to the head of Hal Roach Studios, Hal Roach, who hired Billy to work for him as a gag writer, actor, and director. But instead of working for Hal straight away, Billy began his cinematic career by starring in films produced by other studios, such as his first credited film, 'The Beauties' (1930), produced by Pathé Exchange, and the Joe Frisco comedy short, 'The Happy Hottentots' (1930), produced by The Vitaphone Corporation, until he eventually joined Hal to star in the Charley Chase comedy short, 'The Panic Is On' (1931).

What happened next? Billy continued to act in a variety of different films, mainly appearing in supporting roles opposite such comedians as ZaSu Pitts and Thelma Todd, Laurel and Hardy, and Charley Chase. He also co-starred in a series of comedy shorts with other performers, including 'The Taxi Boys' series (ten in total, from 1932 to 1933), where he acted opposite Ben Blue, as well as 'The Schmaltz Brothers' series (seven in total, from 1933 to 1934), where he acted opposite Billy Bletcher. Years later, he similarly co-starred in an unofficial series of comedies with Shemp Howard and Maxie Rosenbloom (three in total, from 1944 to 1945), but not before Billy branched out and worked in radio, TV, and once again, theater. He starred in over two hundred films throughout his career, both dramatic and comedic, most notably the Laurel and Hardy wartime comedy, 'Block-Heads' (1938), the Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell screwball comedy, 'His Girl Friday' (1940), and the Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard comedy classic, 'The Great Dictator' (1940).

What was he best known for? Billy was generally known for his portly physique and his ability to play blustery, antagonistic characters, just like he did in the Laurel and Hardy comedy, 'The Music Box' (1932). He was also known for his gruff voice and his imposing demeanor, which he would often use in a routine where he'd progressively get excited or nervous about something, until his speech would break down into facial spasms, culminating in a big, loud sneeze. He performed this routine so often that he was cast as the voice of Sneezy in the Disney animated fairytale, 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' (1937).

Was he married? Yes, on his forty-third birthday, he married the actress, Ella McKenzie. Some sources state that she first met Billy while they were both working in the film industry, and together, they had a rather happy life. Ella was born in Roseburg, Oregon, on April 9, 1911, and died in Los Angeles, California, on April 23, 1987. Other sources claim that he had been married once before, to another actress, Isabell Yamplosky, whom he married in 1915 and divorced in 1936, reportedly due to them both abusing each other.

How did he pass away? Billy retired from acting after starring in the film, 'Five Weeks in a Balloon' (1962), and he spent the rest of his life pursuing his own interests. He died of a stroke on September 23, 1971, in Los Angeles, California.

Additional information:

• Billy was once a female impersonator in vaudeville and also a middleweight prizefighter.
• Before they both started working in the film industry, Billy met the comedian, Bud Abbott, at a theater in Louisville, Kentucky. At the time, Billy was performing there, and Bud was the theater's manager.
• The best man at his wedding was Billy's fellow comedian, Charley Chase.
• In 1941, Billy and his wife, Ella, adopted an eleven-year-old boy named Barry. But two years later, Barry tragically died in a shooting accident.
• Throughout his career, Billy starred in films with many legendary comedians, including Charley Chase, Laurel and Hardy, W. C. Fields, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, The Three Stooges, and The Marx Brothers. He never starred in a film with Harold Lloyd, though. But another actor named Billy Gilbert did direct or co-direct Harold in four comedy shorts.
• After his death, Billy was cremated, and his ashes were scattered in the rose garden of the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

So, there you have it, folks, a quick look at the life and career of the actor, Billy Gilbert. Out of curiosity, have you seen any of the films Billy starred in? And if you have, which one is your favorite and why? Either way, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.