John Gilbert was born into a show-business family - his father was a comic with the Pringle Stock Company. By 1915 John was an extra with 'Thomas H. Ince' , but by then it was too late. He appeared in only one more film and died of a heart attack in January 1936.
Interred at Forest Lawn, Glendale, CA., in the Whispering Pines section near the top of the hill.
Pictured on one of ten 29 US commemorative postage stamps celebrating stars of the silent screen, issued 27 April 1994. Designed by caricaturist Al Hirschfeld , this set of stamps also honored Rudolph Valentino , Clara Bow , Charles Chaplin , Lon Chaney , Zasu Pitts , Harold Lloyd , Theda Bara , Buster Keaton , and the Keystone Kops.
Was left standing at the altar in 1927, after Greta Garbo got cold feet about marrying him.
Is portrayed by Barry Bostwick in The Silent Lovers
Gilbert famously did not get along with Louis B. Mayer , the two men often engaged in loud arguments. There are rumors that Mayer himself, and/or his chief sound engineer, manipulated the knobs of Gilberts first talking films so that a perfectly adequate speaking voice came out on the big screen as ridiculously high pitched. However, this is shown to be false as Gilberts voice in his early talkies is quite serviceable. Rather, Gilbert had difficulty with the corny dialogue he was forced to recite. While his early talkies made profits, the box office returns of his films began to decline steeply. This proved to be the beginning of the end for the decades highest paid matine idol ($250,000 per film).
A one-man play on the life of John Gilbert, entitled Silenced Idol, was announced in August 2006. The two-act theatrical work is by Tony Maietta (who also portrays Gilbert) and Jeffrey Vance.
Father of Leatrice Joy Gilbert.
Son of John Pringle.
John Gilberts paternal grandfather was German-born and actually had the last name of Priegel, which was anglicized to Pringle when he settled in the U.S. Gilbert, who had always used his stepfathers last name, did not know that his birth name was Pringle until his father introduced himself to Gilbert at the set of "The Merry Widow".
He was played by his grandson John Fountain in Sunset .
John Gilbert is the subject of a min-documentary film called "Rediscovering John Gilbert" featuring an on-camera interview with John Gilberts daughter and biographer, Leatrice Gilbert Fountain. The short film, directed and produced by Jeffrey Vance along with producing partner Tony Maietta, has aired on the Turner Classic Movies cable channel and is also available on home video.
Suffered a heart attack in December 1935.
Several sources, including his daughters 1984 biography of her father, give Gilberts birth year as 1899, but according to various official documents, including the 1900, 1920 and 1930 US census results, and his World War Draft card from 1917, Gilbert was born in 1897.
Member: American Cinema Editors (ACE).
Former Professional Bowler. PBA Member from 1981-1985.
Son of director Lewis Gilbert.
