C. Henry Gordon

C. Henry Gordon, born Henry Racke on June 17, 1883, in New York City, was an American stage and film actor whose Broadway appearances spanned from 1922 to 1928.

Gordon received his education in New York as well as abroad in Switzerland and Germany. Before pursuing a career in performance, he owned and operated a silver mine in New Mexico for a period of years. When that venture did not succeed, he turned to acting, entering the profession under circumstances that were largely unplanned. He had accompanied his sister to a theatrical tryout, where a director asked him to read a part, and he subsequently joined the company. A long career in stage work, both on Broadway and in other venues, followed.

His Broadway credits included three productions in 1922 — The Drums of Jeopardy, Lights Out, and Thin Ice — followed by The Crooked Square in 1923. In 1924 he appeared in both Mr. Pitt and The Saint, and in 1925 he took roles in Puppets and Mismates. His final Broadway credit was The Shanghai Gesture in 1928. Alongside his Broadway work, Gordon spent six seasons with the summer stock company at Elitch Theatre, appearing there in 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, and 1929.

Gordon had first worked in films as early as 1911, appearing alongside George Beban in New York. His sustained film career began in 1930, and between that year and 1940 he appeared in more than 70 productions, frequently cast as villains. Among his notable film roles were 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).

Gordon died on December 3, 1940, at Hollywood Hospital in Los Angeles, California, following the amputation of his leg the previous day due to a blood clot. He was 57 years old.