C. Henry Gordon (born Henry Racke;[1] June 17, 1883 – December 3, 1940) was an American stage and film actor.

C. Henry Gordon
Gordon in Long Shot (1939)
Born	Henry Racke (1883-06-17)June 17, 1883 New York City, New York
Died	December 3, 1940(1940-12-03) (aged 57) Los Angeles, California
Occupation	Actor
Years active	Before 1922 -1940 (His first Broadway role was in 1922; however, it is likely he had numerous earlier off Broadway, stock, and touring roles.)

Gordon was born in New York City, New York. He was educated both in New York and abroad in Switzerland[2] and Germany.[3] For some years he owned and ran a silver mine in New Mexico but failed to make it pay, so he became an actor.^{[citation needed]}

Gordon's entry into acting came accidentally when he accompanied his sister to a tryout for a play. The director had him read a part and he soon was a member of the troupe.[4] He had a long stage career, on and off Broadway, before entering films. His Broadway credits included The Shanghai Gesture (1928), The Shanghai Gesture (1926), Mismates (1925), Puppets (1925), The Saint (1924), Mr. Pitt (1924), The Crooked Square (1923), Thin Ice (1922), Lights Out (1922), and The Drums of Jeopardy (1922).[5]

He first worked in films in 1911 with George Beban in New York.[1] He appeared in more than 70 films between 1930 and 1940, frequently as a villain. He often played non-white or "exotic" characters, such as 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).

On December 3, 1940, Gordon died at Hollywood Hospital in Los Angeles, California, after having his leg amputated on December 2 because of a blood clot.[6]

Filmography

References

External links

• C. Henry Gordon at IMDb
• C. Henry Gordon at the Internet Broadway Database
• C. Henry Gordon at AllMovie