Wikipedia

Chester Clute

Chester Lamont Clute (February 18, 1891 – April 2, 1956) was an American character actor familiar in scores of Hollywood films from his debut in 1930. Diminutive, bald-pated with a bristling moustache, he appeared in mostly unbilled roles, consisting usually of one or two lines, in nearly 250 films.

Chester Clute
Clute in Navy Blues (1937)
Born
Chester Lamont Clute

(1891-02-18)February 18, 1891
Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedApril 2, 1956(1956-04-02) (aged 65)
Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Resting place
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
OccupationActor
Years active1930–1953

Early years

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Chester Clute was born in Orange, New Jersey. His father played in the orchestra for a minstrel show, and Clute initially encountered show business when his father took him "at a very tender age" on a tour with the show.[1] That experience kindled Clute's life-long interest in entertaining. He was the leading man in his high school's dramatic society, and he worked with amateur theatrical productions after he graduated.[1]

Career

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After Clute finished high school he worked first with a construction company and then with an architectural firm. He left that job to join the Edward Forsberg Players stock company, which was in Newark, New Jersey, at the Orpheum Theater. He went from there to a three-year vaudeville stint in The Coward act. Then he returned to the theater as the leading man in a touring production of The Very Idea.[1] In 1930 Warner Bros.-Vitaphone recorded Clute's Thank You Doctor vaudeville skit for use as a short feature sound film. After that he made the short comedy feature The Jaywalker.[2]

Clute's Broadway credits included Ceiling Zero (1935), Page Miss Glory (1934), Triplets (1932), Oh, Promise Me (1930), The New Yorkers (1927), and She Couldn't Say No (1926).[3]

Clute's experience included acting in Australia.[1] A newspaper's review of his performance in Irene in Perth said, "His work is sound, and without effort he gets every ounce of humour out of the part. His portrayal of Madame Lucy is an outstanding feature of this bright musical frivol."[4]

Death

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Clute died of a heart attack in Woodland Hills, California, aged 65.[citation needed] He is buried at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery.[5]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 "Chester Clute To Star in Play At Majestic". The Houston Post. September 29, 1935. p. 14. Retrieved June 8, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Chester Clute now in sound films". The Springfield Daily News. July 25, 1930. p. 6. Retrieved June 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Chester Clute". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Retrieved September 8, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ↑ "Films, Footlights, Plays and Players". The Mirror. Australia, Western Australia, Perth. June 18, 1921. p. 3. Retrieved June 8, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
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