C. Henry Gordon

C. Henry Gordon, born Henry Racke on June 17, 1883 in New York City, New York, emerged as a versatile American actor whose career spanned both Broadway and the golden age of Hollywood. Educated in both his native city and abroad in Switzerland and Germany, Gordon initially pursued a rather unlikely venture by owning and operating a silver mine in New Mexico; the failure of that enterprise pushed him toward the stage, where a chance accompaniment of his sister to a play audition led to his first reading and an unexpected entry into acting. Over the next decade he cultivated a robust stage presence, appearing in summer stock at the historic Elitch Theatre for six consecutive seasons (1924‑1929) and delivering compelling performances in productions such as The Shanghai Gesture, Mismates, and The Drums of Jeopardy. His Broadway résumé, rich with diverse roles, cemented his reputation as a reliable character actor, priming him for the transition to film where he would become a familiar face in over seventy pictures between 1930 and 1940. Frequently cast as a villain, Gordon possessed a striking ability to portray a wide array of ethnic characters, ranging from the Indian warlord Surat Khan in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) to the Chinese smuggler Sam Kee in Lazy River (1934) and the regal Sultan of Padaya in Sophie Lang Goes West (1937). His filmography includes memorable turns in classic titles like Scarface (1932), Gabriel Over the White House (1933), and several Charlie Chan entries, where his commanding presence and distinctive voice lent gravitas to each antagonist.

Gordon’s personal life remained relatively private; he was married to a woman referred to only as Mrs. Gordon until his untimely death. On December 3, 1940, after a leg amputation forced by a blood clot, he passed away at Hollywood Hospital in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 57. Though his career was cut short, his contributions to both stage and screen endure, reflecting a legacy of dedication to his craft and a remarkable adaptability that allowed him to embody a spectrum of characters during a transformative era in American entertainment.