Granville Bates

Granville Bates (January 7, 1882 – July 8, 1940) was an American actor born in Chicago, Illinois, who built a career spanning stage, film, and early cinema. He was the son of Granville Bates, Sr., a developer and builder, and Adaline Bates, née Gleason. Bates grew up in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, in a townhouse on the southeast corner of Evanston Avenue (later renamed Broadway Avenue) and Oakdale Avenue — a property his father eventually demolished along with neighboring structures to construct a four-story commercial building with apartments above.

Bates began his screen work in the 1910s with Essanay Studios, part of Chicago's early film industry. His World War I draft registration card identified him at that time as a travelling actor for Francis Owen & Co. He went on to appear in more than ninety films over the course of his career, frequently in character roles, and sometimes without screen credit.

His Broadway career ran from 1924 to 1935 and included appearances in productions such as Miss Princess, On the Twentieth Century, and the plays Double Door, Silence, and The Stairs. He played the Conductor in the original 1932 Broadway production of Twentieth Century, and he appeared in the original 1934 production of Merrily We Roll Along, written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart.

In film, Bates drew particular critical attention for his supporting performances. New York Times critic Bosley Crowther singled out his portrayal of an irascible judge in My Favorite Wife (1940), calling it a masterpiece of comic creation. A separate Times reviewer noted that Bates and Edward Ellis drew laughter from an early audience in Chatterbox (1936). Crowther also praised Bates's work in Men Against the Sky (1940), describing his performance as a cynical banker as an exception to an otherwise stock cast.

Bates died of a heart attack in Hollywood on July 8, 1940, and was buried at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago.