Gertrude Howard

Gertrude Howard was an American actress born on October 13, 1892, who worked across stage, silent film, and early sound film during her career. She died on September 30, 1934, at the age of 41.

Howard's professional career began on Broadway, where she performed in the chorus of the musical The Wife Hunters in 1911. Her transition to film came in 1925 with The Circus Cyclone, directed by Albert Rogell. Two years later, she took on the role of Uncle Tom's wife in the 1927 production of Uncle Tom's Cabin. That same year, The Pittsburgh Courier recognized her standing in the industry by identifying her as the highest-salaried Black actress working in Hollywood.

Throughout her film career, Howard appeared predominantly in supporting and minor roles. Among her credits were the character Queenie in the original 1929 screen adaptation of Show Boat and Martha in Christy Cabanne's Conspiracy. Her most widely remembered performance came in 1933, when she played Beulah Thorndyke opposite Mae West in I'm No Angel. The role attached her name permanently to the line directed at her character: "Beulah, peel me a grape."

Howard completed a total of twenty-two films before her death in 1934. Following her passing, Mae West contributed to raising funds for her funeral.