Grant Withers
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Granville Gustavus Withers (January 17, 1905 – March 27, 1959) was an American film actor who acted under the screen name Grant Withers. With early beginnings in the
silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...
, Withers moved into sound films, establishing himself with a list of headlined features as a young and handsome male lead. "As his career progressed ... his importance diminished, but he did manage a 10-year contract with
Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
." His friendships with both
John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...
and
John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...
secured him a spot in nine of Wayne's films, but later roles dwindled to supporting roles, mainly as villains in
B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...
s, serials, and television.


Early life and career

"Born in Pueblo, Colorado, Withers worked as an oil company salesman and newspaper reporter before breaking into films near the end of the silent era." His more-than-30-year acting career took off in the late 1920s. While in his twenties, he was a leading man over rising talent
James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...
in ''
Other Men's Women ''Other Men's Women'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by William A. Wellman and written by Maude Fulton. The film stars Grant Withers, Regis Toomey, Mary Astor, James Cagney and Joan Blondell. It was produced and distributed by ...
'' (1931). The comedy short ''So Long Bill'' (1926) marked Withers's film debut. Withers's early work had him opposite actors such as
W.C. Fields WC or wc may refer to: * Water closet or flush toilet Arts and entertainment * ''W.C.'' (film), an Irish feature film * WC (band), a Polish punk rock band * WC (rapper), a rapper from Los Angeles, California * Westside Connection, former hi ...
,
Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...
,
Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...
,
Mae West Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...
, and
Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...
. Appearing in '' The Red-Haired Alibi'' (1932) with Temple, he played the role of her first on-screen parent. Starring roles in major pictures later dwindled to supporting parts, mainly as villains in
B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...
s and serials. Notable exceptions included a 12-part ''
Jungle Jim Jungle Jim is the fictional hero of a series of jungle adventures in various media. The series began on January 7, 1934, as an American newspaper comic strip chronicling the adventures of Asia-based hunter Jim Bradley, who was nicknamed Jungle ...
'' movie serial (1937), starring Withers and released by
Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
, and the recurring role of the brash police captain Bill Street in the five-film
Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...
series '' Mr. Wong'', starring
Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...
, beginning in 1938. He was under a
Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City an ...
contract from February 1944 through April 1954. Withers's credits at Republic total about 60 films from 1937 to 1957. After 1940, he was a character actor and tough guy in westerns. He took numerous supporting roles in television as his popularity in films waned. He guest-starred as baseball coach Whitey Martin in the 1956 episode "The Comeback" on ''
Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...
''. He was cast as Gus Andrews and Miles Breck, respectively, in two episodes, titled "The time for All Good Men" (1957) and "King of the Frontier" (1958), on ''
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' is the first Western television series written for adults, premiering four days before ''Gunsmoke'' on September 6, 1955. Two weeks later came the Clint Walker western ''Cheyenne''. The series is loosely base ...
'', starring
Hugh O'Brian Hugh O'Brian (born Hugh Charles Krampe; April 19, 1925 – September 5, 2016) was an American actor and humanitarian, best known for his starring roles in the ABC Western television series ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' (1955–196 ...
. In 1956, he played “Jed Lardner” (a callous cowboy who left his injured partner to die) in S2E15, “Pucket’s New Year”, on the TV western ''
Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...
''. In 1958, Withers portrayed wealthy rancher Sam Barton in the episode "The Return of Dr. Thackeray" of '' Have Gun—Will Travel''. He also appeared in two other ''Have Gun—Will Travel'' episodes. That year, he played Charles Stewart Brent, owner of the Brent Building in Los Angeles, where
Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...
had his office, and the defendant in the ''
Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...
'' episode "The Case of the Gilded Lily." In 1959, shortly before his death, Withers was cast in the episode "Feeling His Oats" on the children's western series '' Fury'', starring
Peter Graves Peter Graves (born Peter Duesler Aurness; March 18, 1926 – March 14, 2010) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Jim Phelps in the CBS television series '' Mission: Impossible'' from 1967 to 1973 (original) and from 1988 to ...
and
Bobby Diamond Robert LeRoy Diamond (August 23, 1943May 15, 2019) was an American actor active in the 1950s and 1960s before retiring from the profession and becoming a lawyer. He is best known as the child lead in the television series '' Fury''. Early life ...
. He also appeared that year as Sheriff Charlie Clayton in the episode "A Matter of Friendship" in
John Bromfield John Bromfield (born Farron Bromfield; June 11, 1922 – September 19, 2005) was an American actor and commercial fisherman. Early years Farron Bromfield was born in South Bend, Indiana. He played football and was a boxing champion at Saint Mar ...
's crime drama ''
U.S. Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...
''. His last film role was in the 1959 Roger Corman crime drama ''I Mobster''. His last TV role, also in 1959, was as Ed Martin in "The Ringer" episode of the
Rory Calhoun Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922April 28, 1999) was an American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as ''How to Marry a Millio ...
western series '' The Texan''. In total, Withers appeared in some 200 film and television roles.


Personal life

In 1930, he eloped to Yuma, Arizona, with 17-year-old actress
Loretta Young Loretta Young (born Gretchen Young; January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) was an American actress. Starting as a child, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the fil ...
. The marriage ended in annulment in 1931 just as their second movie together, titled ''
Too Young to Marry ''Too Young to Marry'' is a 2007 romantic comedy-drama television film directed by Michel Poulette and based on a story by Elle Triedman. It involves two 17-year-olds, Max Doyle (Dillon Casey) and Jessica Carpenter (Nina Dobrev), who think that ...
'', was released. He also was married to Gladys Joyce Walsh. Some of Withers's later screen appearances were arranged through the auspices of his friends John Ford and John Wayne. He appeared in nine movies with John Wayne, including '' Fort Apache'' (1948) and ''
Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...
'' (1950). Wayne was best man at Withers's fifth marriage, to 24-year-old Cuban-born actress
Estelita Rodriguez Estelita Rodriguez (July 2, 1928 – March 12, 1966) was a Cuban actress best known for her roles in many Westerns with Roy Rogers for Republic Pictures, as well as her role in Howard Hawks' '' Rio Bravo''. Early life and career Rodriguez's ...
in January 1953 in Reno, Nevada. They resided in the San Fernando Valley on Woodcliff Avenue in Sherman Oaks, California. Estelita began a nightclub singing career at the end of her Republic contract. The marriage was not a happy one, and they divorced in 1955. A noticeable weight gain became apparent in his films as his career progressed. In later years, back problems were among his health issues.


Death

Withers died on March 27, 1959, in his Hollywood apartment at age 54. With failing health, he committed suicide by overdosing on barbiturates. Withers left a suicide note that read: "Please forgive me, my family. I was so unhappy. It's better this way." He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.


Selected filmography


References


External links

* *
Interview
at the ''New York Times''
Photographs and literature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Withers, Grant 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Colorado American male film actors American male silent film actors American male television actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Drug-related suicides in California Male Western (genre) film actors 1905 births 1959 suicides People from Pueblo, Colorado Barbiturates-related deaths