CHARLEY GRAPEWIN BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
 
Charley Grapewin was born on December 20th, 1869 in Xenia, Ohio with the birth name Charles Ellsworth Grapewin.  From a young age he became involved in the entertainment industry first as a circus performer and later began working as a stage actor in a number of stock companies.
 
He is most well known for portraying, Uncle Henry in the 1939 film, "The Wizard of Oz" starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Frank Morgan, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Clara Blandick and the Singer Midgets and 'Grandpa Joad' in the John Ford classic film, "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940). 

He began appearing in films in 1900 with roles on the shorts, "Chimmie Hicks and the Rum Omelet" and "Above the Limit", however after those two performances, Grapewin did not return to films again until 1929 with roles in the shorts, "House Cleaning" and "Ladies' Choice".

More successful film roles he added to his resume over the course of his career included, "Judge Priest" (1934) starring Will Rogers, Tom Brown, Anita Louise, Hattie McDaniel, Henry B. Walthall, David Landau, Stepin Fetchit and Rochelle Hudson, "The Petrified Forest" (1936) starring Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Genevieve Tobin, Joe Sawyer, Paul Harvey, Eddie Acuff, John Alexander and Dick Foran, "The Good Earth" (1937) starring Paul Muni, Luise Rainer, Tilly Losch, Jessie Ralph, Keye Luke and Walter Connolly, "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940) starring with Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Shirley Mills, John Qualen, Eddie Quillan, Darryl Hickman and Ward Bond, "They Died with Their Boots On" (1941) starring alongside Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, John Litel, Sydney Greenstreet, Minor Watson, Regis Toomey, Hattie McDaniel, Stanley Ridges, Gene Lockhart, Arthur Kennedy, Joseph Crehan and Anthony Quinn and John Ford's "Tobacco Road" (1941) also starring Marjorie Rambeau, Gene Tierney, William Tracy and Dana Andrews.
 
He married actress, Anna Chance in 1895 and they remained together until she passed away in 1943.  The couple never had any children together and Grapewin did not marry again.  He continued working as an actor with his last appearances being in the films, "Sand" (1949) co-starring Mark Stevens, Coleen Gray, Robert Patten and Rory Calhoun and "When I Grow Up" (1951) with Bobby Driscoll, Robert Preston, Martha Scott, Paul Guilfoyle and Harry Morgan.
 
Charley Grapewin then passed away from natural causes on February 2nd, 1956 in Corona, California and his remains are interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California. 
 

Filmography

1951         When I Grow Up
1949         Sand
1948         The Enchanted Valley
1947         Gunfighters
1944         The Impatient Years
1944         Atlantic City
1944         Follow the Boys
1943         Crash Dive
1942         Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen
1942         A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen
1942         A Close Call for Ellery Queen
1941         They Died with Their Boots On
1941         Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring
1941         Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime
1941         Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery
1941         Tobacco Road
1940         The Texas Rangers Ride Again
1940         Ellery Queen, Master Detective
1940         Rhythm on the River
1940         Earthbound
1940         Johnny Apollo
1940         The Grapes of Wrath
1939         Sabotage
1939         Hero for a Day
1939         Dust Be My Destiny
1939         The Wizard of Oz
1939         The Man Who Dared
1939         Sudden Money
1939         Burn 'Em Up O'Connor
1939         Stand Up and Fight
1938         Artists and Models Abroad
1938         Listen, Darling
1938         Three Loves Has Nancy
1938         The Shopworn Angel
1938         Three Comrades
1938         The Girl of the Golden West
1938         Of Human Heart
1937         The Bad Man of Brimstone
1937         Big City
1937         Bad Guy
1937         Broadway Melody of 1938
1937         Between Two Women
1937         Captains Courageous
1937         A Family Affair
1937         The Good Earth
1936         Sinner Take All
1936         Without Orders
1936         Libeled Lady
1936         Small Town Girl
1936         The Voice of Bugle Ann
1936         The Petrified Forest
1935         Ah, Wilderness!
1935         Super-Speed
1935         Rendezvous
1935         King Solomon of Broadway
1935         Alice Adams
1935         Shanghai
1935         One Frightened Night
1935         Party Wire
1935         Eight Bells
1935         In Spite of Danger
1934         Anne of Green Gables
1934         The President Vanishes
1934         Caravan
1934         Judge Priest
1934         Return of the Terror
1934         The Loudspeaker
1934         She Made Her Bed
1934         No More West 
1934         The Quitter
1934         Two Alone
1933         Hell and High Water
1933         Female
1933         Wild Boys of the Road
1933         Torch Singer
1933         Beauty for Sale
1933         Turn Back the Clock
1933         Pilgrimage
1933         Don't Bet on Love
1933         Midnight Mary
1933         Heroes for Sale
1933         The Kiss Before the Mirror
1933         Hello, Everybody!
1932         No Man of Her Own
1932         Wild Horse Mesa
1932         The Night of June 13th
1932         American Madness
1932         Lady and Gent
1932         The Washington Masquerade
1932         The Woman in Room 13
1932         Huddle
1932         Are You Listening?
1932         Disorderly Conduct
1932         The Big Timer
1932         Hell's House
1931         For the Love of Fanny
1931         Heaven on Earth
1931         Gold Dust Gertie
1931         The Millionaire
1930         Only Saps Work
1930         The Bearded Lady 
1929         That Red-Headed Hussy
1929         The Shannons of Broadway
1929         Ladies' Choice
1929         House Cleaning
1929         Jed's Vacation
1900         Above the Limit 
1900         Chimmie Hicks and the Rum Omelet