Florence Bates ( Rabe; April 15, 1888 - January 31, 1954), was an American film and stage

character actress A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be ...

who often played

grande dame Grande means "large" or "great" in many of the Romance languages. It may also refer to: Places * Grande, Germany, a municipality in Germany * Grande Communications, a telecommunications firm based in Texas * Grande-Rivière (disambiguation) * Ar ...

characters in supporting roles.

Life and career

Bates was the second child born to Jewish immigrant parents, in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, where her father was the owner of an antique store. She graduated from the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

with a degree in

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

, after which she taught school. In 1909, she met and married her first husband, Joseph Ramer, and gave up her career to raise their daughter. When the marriage ended in divorce, she began to study law and, in 1914 at the age of 26, passed the

bar examination A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associ ...

. She was one of the first female lawyers in her home state and practiced law for four years in San Antonio. After the death of her parents, Bates left the legal profession to help her sister operate their father's antique business. She became a

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all E ...

(

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

—

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

) radio commentator whose program was designed to foster good relations between the United States and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. In 1929, following the

stock market crash A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especia ...

and the death of her sister, Florence closed the antique shop and married a wealthy businessman, William F. Jacoby. When he lost his fortune, the couple moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and opened a bakery, which proved a successful venture. They sold it in the 1940s. Rebecca-Olivier-Bates-Fontaine

In the mid-1930s, Bates auditioned for and won the role of Miss Bates in a

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

adaptation of

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

's '' Emma''. When she decided to continue working with the theater group, she changed her professional name to that of the first character she played on stage. In 1939, she was introduced to

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

, who cast her in her first major screen role, Mrs. Van Hopper, in ''

Rebecca Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...

'' (1940). Bates appeared in more than 60 films over the course of the next 13 years. Among her cinema credits are '' Kitty Foyle'', '' Love Crazy'', ''

The Moon and Sixpence ''The Moon and Sixpence'' is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham, first published on 15 April 1919. It is told in episodic form by a first-person narrator providing a series of glimpses into the mind and soul of the central character, Charles Stric ...

'', '' Mr. Lucky'', '' Heaven Can Wait'', '' Lullaby of Broadway'', '' Mister Big'', ''

Since You Went Away ''Since You Went Away'' is a 1944 American epic drama film directed by John Cromwell for Selznick International Pictures and distributed by United Artists. It is an epic about the American home front during World War II that was adapted and pr ...

'', '' Kismet'', ''

Saratoga Trunk ''Saratoga Trunk'' is a 1945 American Western film (or historical romance film, per the American Film Institute) directed by Sam Wood and starring Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, and Flora Robson. Written by Casey Robinson, based on the novel '' ...

'', ''

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1939) is a short story by James Thurber. The most famous of Thurber's stories, it first appeared in ''The New Yorker'' on March 18, 1939, and was first collected in his book '' My World and Welcome to It'' ( Ha ...

'', ''

Winter Meeting ''Winter Meeting'' is a 1948 American drama film directed by Bretaigne Windust and starring Bette Davis and Jim Davis. The screenplay, based on the novel of the same name by Grace Zaring Stone (under the pseudonym Ethel Vance), was written by ...

'', '' I Remember Mama'', ''

Portrait of Jennie ''Portrait of Jennie'' is a 1948 American fantasy film based on the 1940 novella by Robert Nathan. The film was directed by William Dieterle and produced by David O. Selznick. It stars Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten. At the 21st Academy A ...

'', ''

A Letter to Three Wives ''A Letter to Three Wives'' is a 1949 American romantic comedy-drama which tells the story of a woman who mails a letter to three women, telling them she has left town with the husband of one of them, but not saying which one. It stars Jeanne Cr ...

'', '' On the Town'', and ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

''. In television, Bates had a regular role on ''

The Hank McCune Show ''The Hank McCune Show'' is an American television sitcom. Filmed without a studio audience, the series is notable for being the first television program to incorporate a laugh track. The series began as a local Los Angeles program in 1949. NBC ...

'' and made guest appearances on ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...

'', ''

My Little Margie ''My Little Margie'' is an American television situation comedy starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced in Los Angeles, California, at Hal Ro ...

'', ''

I Married Joan ''I Married Joan'' is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1952 to 1955. It starred actress Joan Davis as the manic, scatterbrained wife of a mild-mannered community judge (Jim Backus). Synopsis The show, whose syndicated ope ...

'' Joan Davis Channel, YouTube, 2 episodes: "Ballet" and "Lost Check" and ''

Our Miss Brooks ''Our Miss Brooks'' is an American sitcom starring Eve Arden as a sardonic high-school English teacher. It began as a radio show broadcast on CBS from 1948 to 1957. When the show was adapted to television (1952–56), it became one of the medi ...

''.

Selected filmography

* '' The Man in Blue'' (1937) - Woman (uncredited) * ''

'' (1940) - Mrs. Van Hopper * ''

Calling All Husbands ''Calling All Husbands'' is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Noel M. Smith and written by Robert E. Kent and based on Martin Flavin's 1929 play "Broken Dishes". The film stars George Tobias, Lucile Fairbanks, Ernest Truex, George Reeves ...

'' (1940) - Emmie Trippe * ''

The Son of Monte Cristo ''The Son of Monte Cristo'' is a 1940 American black-and-white swashbuckling adventure film from United Artists, produced by Edward Small, directed by Rowland V. Lee, that stars Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, and George Sanders. The Small producti ...

'' (1940) - Countess Mathilde Von Braun * '' Kitty Foyle'' (1940) - Customer * '' Hudson's Bay'' (1941) - Duchess (scenes deleted) * '' Road Show'' (1941) - Mrs. Newton * ''

The Devil and Miss Jones ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' is a 1941 comedy film starring Jean Arthur, Robert Cummings, and Charles Coburn. Directed by Sam Wood from a screenplay by Norman Krasna, the film was the product of an independent collaboration between Krasna and p ...

'' (1941) - 'Store Shopper' (store detective) * ''

Strange Alibi ''Strange Alibi'' is a 1941 American crime film directed by D. Ross Lederman, written by Kenneth Gamet, Leslie T. White and Fred Niblo Jr., and starring Arthur Kennedy, Joan Perry, Jonathan Hale, John Ridgely, Florence Bates and Charles Trowbri ...

'' (1941) - Katie * '' Love Crazy'' (1941) - Mrs. Cooper * ''

The Gay Falcon ''The Gay Falcon'' is a 1941 B film, the first in a series of 16 films about a suave detective nicknamed The Falcon. Intended to replace the earlier The Saint detective series, the first film took its title from the lead character, Gay Laurenc ...

'' (1941) - (scenes deleted) * ''

The Chocolate Soldier ''The Chocolate Soldier'' (German: ''Der tapfere Soldat''

he courageous soldier He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

or ''Der Praliné-Soldat'') is an operetta composed in 1908 by Oscar Straus (composer), Oscar Straus based on George Bernard Shaw's 1894 play, ''Arms and the Man' ...

'' (1941) - Madame Helene * '' Kathleen'' (1941) - Woman Customer at Shoner's Store (uncredited) * '' Mexican Spitfire at Sea'' (1942) - Mrs. Baldwin * ''

The Tuttles of Tahiti ''The Tuttles of Tahiti'' is a 1942 American adventure comedy romance film directed by Charles Vidor and starring Charles Laughton and Jon Hall. It was based on the novel ''No More Gas'' by James Norman Hall and Charles Nordhoff. Plot When mer ...

'' (1942) - Emily * ''

We Were Dancing ''We Were Dancing'' is a short comic play in two scenes by Noël Coward. It is one of ten short plays that make up '' Tonight at 8.30'', a cycle written to be performed in groups of three plays across three evenings. The original production, ...

'' (1942) - Mrs. Elsa Vanderlip * ''

'' (1942) - Tiare Johnson * '' My Heart Belongs to Daddy'' (1942) - Mrs. Saunders * ''

They Got Me Covered ''They Got Me Covered'', also known as ''Washington Story'' and ''The Washington Angle'', is a 1943 comedy film directed by David Butler and starring Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. Otto Preminger appears in a supporting role. Plot In mid 1941, a ...

'' (1943) - Gypsy Woman * ''

Slightly Dangerous ''Slightly Dangerous'' is a 1943 American romantic comedy film starring Lana Turner and Robert Young. The screenplay concerns a bored young woman in a dead-end job who runs away to New York City and ends up impersonating the long-lost daughter of ...

'' (1943) - Mrs. Amanda Roanoke-Brooke * '' Mister Big'' (1943) - Mrs. Mary Davis * '' Mr. Lucky'' (1943) - Mrs. Van Every * '' Heaven Can Wait'' (1943) - Mrs. Edna Craig (uncredited) * '' His Butler's Sister'' (1943) - Lady Sloughberry * ''

'' (1944) - Hungry Woman on Train (uncredited) * ''

The Mask of Dimitrios ''The Mask of Dimitrios'' is a 1944 American film noir directed by Jean Negulesco and written by Frank Gruber, based on the 1939 novel of the same title written by Eric Ambler (in the United States, it was published as ''A Coffin for Dimitrios'' ...

'' (1944) - Madame Elise Chavez * '' Kismet'' (1944) - Karsha * ''

Belle of the Yukon ''Belle of the Yukon'' is a 1944 American comedy musical Western film produced and directed by William A. Seiter and starring Randolph Scott, Gypsy Rose Lee, Dinah Shore and Bob Burns. Based on a story by Houston Branch and set in the days of ...

'' (1944) - Viola Chase * ''

Tahiti Nights ''Tahiti Nights'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Will Jason and written by Lillie Hayward. The film stars Jinx Falkenburg, Dave O'Brien, Mary Treen, Florence Bates, Cy Kendall and Eddie Bruce. The film was released on December 28 ...

'' (1944) - Queen Liliha * '' Tonight and Every Night'' (1945) - May Tolliver * '' Out of This World'' (1945) - Harriet Pringle * ''

'' (1945) - Sophie Bellop * ''

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

'' (1945) - Henrietta * ''

Whistle Stop In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a stop or station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, st ...

'' (1946) - Molly Veech * '' The Diary of a Chambermaid'' (1946) - Rose * '' Claudia and David'' (1946) - Nancy Riddle * ''

Cluny Brown ''Cluny Brown'' is a 1946 American romantic comedy made by Twentieth Century-Fox, directed and produced by Ernst Lubitsch. The screenplay was written by Samuel Hoffenstein and Elizabeth Reinhardt based on the 1944 novel by Margery Sharp. The mu ...

'' (1946) - Dowager at Ames' Party * '' The Time, the Place and the Girl'' (1946) - Mme. Lucia Cassel * '' The Man I Love'' (1947) - Mrs. Thorpe (uncredited) * ''

The Brasher Doubloon ''The Brasher Doubloon'' (known in the UK as ''The High Window'') is a 1947 American crime film noir directed by John Brahm and starring George Montgomery and Nancy Guild. It is based on the 1942 novel '' The High Window'' by Raymond Chandler. ...

'' (1947) - Mrs. Elizabeth Murdock * '' Love and Learn'' (1947) - Mrs. Bella Davis - Landlady * ''

'' (1947) - Mrs. Irma Griswold * ''

Desire Me ''Desire Me'' is a 1947 American drama film starring Robert Mitchum and Greer Garson. It had a troubled production that included numerous directors and rewrites, and was ultimately released without a credited director. Plot In Paris, Marise Au ...

'' (1947) - Mrs.Lannie (scenes deleted) * '' The Judge Steps Out'' (1948) - Chita * '' I Remember Mama'' (1948) - Florence Dana Moorhead * '' The Inside Story'' (1948) - Geraldine Atherton * ''

'' (1948) - Mrs. Castle * '' River Lady'' (1948) - Ma Dunnegan * ''

Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven ''Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven'' is a 1948 American black-and-white romantic comedy film directed by William Castle and starring Guy Madison, Diana Lynn, James Dunn, and Florence Bates. A reporter in Dallas, Texas, goes to New York with the dream o ...

'' (1948) - Mandy * ''

My Dear Secretary ''My Dear Secretary'' is a 1948 American comedy film written and directed by Charles Martin (1910-1983) and starring Laraine Day, Kirk Douglas, Keenan Wynn, and Helen Walker. The supporting cast features Rudy Valee, Alan Mowbray and Irene Rya ...

'' (1948) - Horrible Hannah Reeve (the landlady) * ''

'' (1948) - Mrs. Jekes (landlady) * ''

'' (1949) - Mrs. Manleigh * ''

The Girl from Jones Beach ''The Girl from Jones Beach'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by I. A. L. Diamond. The film stars Ronald Reagan, Virginia Mayo, Eddie Bracken, Dona Drake, Henry Travers and Lois Wilson. The film was release ...

'' (1949) - Miss Emma Shoemaker * '' On the Town'' (1949) - Madame Dilyovska * ''

Belle of Old Mexico ''Belle of Old Mexico'' is a 1950 American Trucolor comedy film directed by Robert G. Springsteen starring Estelita Rodriguez, Robert Rockwell and Dorothy Patrick. The film was successful at the box office, impressing the bosses at Republic P ...

'' (1950) - Nellie Chatfield * '' The Second Woman'' (1950) - Amelia Foster * ''

County Fair An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which breeding stock is exhibit ...

'' (1950) - Nora 'Ma' Ryan * '' Lullaby of Broadway'' (1951) - Mrs. Anna Hubbell * ''

Father Takes the Air ''Father Takes the Air'' is a 1951 American comedy film directed by Frank McDonald and written by D.D. Beauchamp. The film stars Raymond Walburn, Walter Catlett, Gary Gray, Florence Bates, Barbara Brown, M'liss McClure and James Brown. The fil ...

'' (1951) - Minerva Bobbin * ''

The Tall Target ''The Tall Target'' is a 1951 American historical crime film directed by Anthony Mann and starring Dick Powell, Paula Raymond and Adolphe Menjou. Powell stars as a police sergeant who tries to stop the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at a train ...

'' (1951) - Mrs. Charlotte Alsop * ''

Havana Rose ''Havana Rose'' is a 1951 American musical comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring Estelita Rodriguez, Bill Williams and Hugh Herbert. It was one of a number of American films set in Havana during the era.Pérez Firmat p.54 Plot T ...

'' (1951) - Mrs. Fillmore * ''

The San Francisco Story ''The San Francisco Story'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Robert Parrish and starring Joel McCrea and Yvonne De Carlo. The rough and tumble Barbary Coast of San Francisco is recreated with attention to detail, including Florence ...

'' (1952) - Sadie * ''

'' (1952) - Madame Bonnet * ''

Main Street to Broadway ''Main Street to Broadway'' is a 1953 American romantic musical comedy-drama film by independent producer Lester Cowan, his final credit, in collaboration with The Council of the Living Theatre, which provided tie-up with a number of well-known ...

'' (1953) - Mrs. Bessmer in Fantasy Sequence * ''

Paris Model ''Paris Model'' is a 1953 American comedy drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Marilyn Maxwell, Paulette Goddard, Eva Gabor and Barbara Lawrence.Wojcik p.235 It is an anthology featuring four separate parts, each focused on on ...

'' (1953) - Mrs. Nora Sullivan

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Florence Actresses from San Antonio American film actresses American television actresses American radio personalities Texas lawyers Jewish American actresses University of Texas at Austin College of Natural Sciences alumni 20th-century American actresses Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American lawyers

Life and career

Selected filmography

References

Further reading

External links