Zeffie Tilbury
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Zeffie Agnes Lydia Tilbury (November 20, 1863 – July 24, 1950) was an English actress. Tilbury was known first on the London stage and on Broadway in New York City. In 1881, she debuted on stage in Nine Points of the Law at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, England. She is today best known for playing wise or evil older characters in films, such as the distinguished lady gambler at dinner with Garbo in The Single Standard, as the pitiful Grandma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath and Grandma Lester in Tobacco Road. She appeared in over 70 films. Her earliest surviving silent film is the Valentino / Nazimova 1921 production of Camille. Tilbury is probably best remembered as the old lady who is befriended by Spanky and his friends on her birthday and, as a result, is transformed from a lonely, disagreeable recluse to a happy and loving carefree soul in the 1936 Hal Roach Our Gang comedy Second Childhood. In the same year she also portrayed the Gypsy Queen in the Laurel and Hardy film The Bohemian Girl. Tilbury was married twice. First to Arthur Frederick Lewis in June, 1887, and later to L. E. Woodthorpe, who died on April 8, 1915. She died in Los Angeles, California in 1950 at the age of 86.
Filmography
Flying with Music
as Fortune Teller
Flying with Music
as Fortune Teller
Sheriff of Tombstone
as Granny Carson
Sheriff of Tombstone
as Granny Carson
Tobacco Road
as Grandma Lester
Tobacco Road
as Grandma Lester
She Couldn't Say No
as Ma Hawkins
She Couldn't Say No
as Ma Hawkins
Comin' Round the Mountain
as Granny Stokes
Comin' Round the Mountain
as Granny Stokes
The Grapes of Wrath
as Grandma Joad
The Grapes of Wrath
as Grandma Joad
Emergency Squad
as Mrs. Cobb
Emergency Squad
as Mrs. Cobb
The Earl of Chicago
as Miss Nana (uncredited)
The Earl of Chicago
as Miss Nana (uncredited)
Balalaika
as Natalya Petrovna
Balalaika
as Natalya Petrovna
Lady of the Tropics
as Woman Congratulating Manon
Lady of the Tropics
as Woman Congratulating Manon
Tell No Tales
as Miss Mary
Tell No Tales
as Miss Mary
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell
as Mrs. Sanders
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell
as Mrs. Sanders
Boy Trouble
as Mrs. Jepson
Boy Trouble
as Mrs. Jepson
Arrest Bulldog Drummond
as Aunt Meg
Arrest Bulldog Drummond
as Aunt Meg
Marie Antoinette
as Dowager at Birth of Dauphin (uncredited)
Marie Antoinette
as Dowager at Birth of Dauphin (uncredited)
Woman Against Woman
as Grandma
Woman Against Woman
as Grandma
Kidnapped
as Old Woman
Kidnapped
as Old Woman
Hunted Men
as Flower Woman
Hunted Men
as Flower Woman
Bulldog Drummond's Peril
as Mrs. Weevens
Bulldog Drummond's Peril
as Mrs. Weevens
Federal Bullets
as Mrs. Crippen
Federal Bullets
as Mrs. Crippen
The King Without a Crown
as Dying Duchess Marie (uncredited)
The King Without a Crown
as Dying Duchess Marie (uncredited)
Bulldog Drummond Comes Back
as Zeffie
Bulldog Drummond Comes Back
as Zeffie
It Happened in Hollywood
as Miss Gordon
It Happened in Hollywood
as Miss Gordon
Hideaway
as Mrs. Beamish
Hideaway
as Mrs. Beamish
Rhythm in the Clouds
as The Duchess de Lovely
Rhythm in the Clouds
as The Duchess de Lovely
Parnell
as Old Lady
Parnell
as Old Lady
Midnight Taxi
as Mrs. Lane
Midnight Taxi
as Mrs. Lane
Maid of Salem
as Goody Hodgers
Maid of Salem
as Goody Hodgers
Bulldog Drummond Escapes
as Drunk in Jail Cell
Bulldog Drummond Escapes
as Drunk in Jail Cell
Under Cover of Night
as Mrs. Nash
Under Cover of Night
as Mrs. Nash
Camille
as Old Duchess Bidding 3750 Francs
Camille
as Old Duchess Bidding 3750 Francs
After the Thin Man
as Aunt Lucy (uncredited)
After the Thin Man
as Aunt Lucy (uncredited)
Grandma's Buoys
as Grandma
Grandma's Buoys
as Grandma
Old Hutch
as Elderly Woman in Bank
Old Hutch
as Elderly Woman in Bank
Give Me Your Heart
as Esther Warren
Give Me Your Heart
as Esther Warren
The Gorgeous Hussy
as Mrs. Daniel Beall
The Gorgeous Hussy
as Mrs. Daniel Beall
Anthony Adverse
as Old Woman at Chalet
Anthony Adverse
as Old Woman at Chalet
The White Angel
as Woman Donating Sheets (uncredited)
The White Angel
as Woman Donating Sheets (uncredited)
Parole!
as Molly Smith
Parole!
as Molly Smith
Desire
as Aunt Olga
Desire
as Aunt Olga
Second Childhood
as Grandma
Second Childhood
as Grandma
Vamp Till Ready
as Woman
Vamp Till Ready
as Woman
The Bohemian Girl
as Gypsy Queen
The Bohemian Girl
as Gypsy Queen
Bad Boy
as Deaf Woman
Bad Boy
as Deaf Woman
The Last Days of Pompeii
as The Wise Woman (uncredited)
The Last Days of Pompeii
as The Wise Woman (uncredited)
Navy Wife
as Bridge Player
Navy Wife
as Bridge Player
Alice Adams
as Mrs. Dresser (uncredited)
Alice Adams
as Mrs. Dresser (uncredited)
The Farmer Takes a Wife
as Old Townswoman
The Farmer Takes a Wife
as Old Townswoman
Stranded
as Old Hag (uncredited)
Stranded
as Old Hag (uncredited)
Public Hero Number 1
as Deaf Woman in Scottsdale Bar (uncredited)
Public Hero Number 1
as Deaf Woman in Scottsdale Bar (uncredited)
Werewolf of London
as Mrs. Moncaster
Werewolf of London
as Mrs. Moncaster
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
as The Opium Woman
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
as The Opium Woman
Ocean Swells
as Auntie
Ocean Swells
as Auntie
Bachelor Bait
as Miss Turner (uncredited)
Bachelor Bait
as Miss Turner (uncredited)
Mystery Liner
as Granny Plimpton
Mystery Liner
as Granny Plimpton
Two Alone
as Rogers' Neighbor (uncredited)
Two Alone
as Rogers' Neighbor (uncredited)
Blind Adventure
Blind Adventure
Made on Broadway
as Aunt Ada
Made on Broadway
as Aunt Ada
Charlie Chan Carries On
as Mrs. Luce
Charlie Chan Carries On
as Mrs. Luce
The Ship from Shanghai
as Lady Daley
The Ship from Shanghai
as Lady Daley
The Single Standard
as Mrs. Handley
The Single Standard
as Mrs. Handley
Another Scandal
as Brownie
Another Scandal
as Brownie
Big Game
as Aunt Sarah Winthrop
Big Game
as Aunt Sarah Winthrop
The Marriage of William Ashe
as Lady Tranmore
The Marriage of William Ashe
as Lady Tranmore
Clothes
as Mrs. Cathcart
Clothes
as Mrs. Cathcart
Mothers of Men
as Mrs. De La Motte
Mothers of Men
as Mrs. De La Motte
A Society Exile
as Mrs. Stanley Shelby
A Society Exile
as Mrs. Stanley Shelby
The Avalanche
as Mrs. Ruyler
The Avalanche
as Mrs. Ruyler