Occupation Actress Years active 1916–1959 | Name Claire Brey Role Actress | |
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Born August 31, 1892 ( 1892-08-31 ) Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, U.S. (some sources cite Pocatello, Idaho) Spouse(s) Dr. Mark G. Gates, M.D. (m. November 25, 1911–1920s; divorced) Died August 1, 1993, Los Angeles, California, United States Movies The Sin of Nora Moran, Hot Rod Gang, Bells of Capistrano, Lights of Old Santa Fe, South of the Border Similar People George Sherman, James W Horne, Thomas H Ince, Henry King, Joseph M Schenck | ||
Claire Du Brey (August 31, 1892 – August 1, 1993) was an American actress. She appeared in more than 200 films between 1916 and 1959. Her name is sometimes seen as Claire Du Bray or Claire Dubrey.
Contents
Early years
Du Brey was born Clara Violet Dubreyvich in Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, to an ethnic Croat father from Dalmatia (who anglicized his name to Matthew Dubrey before his marriage), and an Irish-American mother, Lilly (née Henry), later Mrs. Richard Fugitt. Her parents married on November 9, 1891 in Pocatello, Bannock County, Idaho. She was raised Catholic and attended a convent school.
Du Brey "had trained as a nurse". She related that in 1897 she traveled west from Idaho in a covered wagon with her mother and her grandfather.
Career
Du Brey's screen career began with Universal Studios and she played at one time or another with almost all the larger companies. More notable films in which she appeared were Anything Once (1917), Social Briars (1918), The Devil's Trail (1919), What Every Woman Wants (1919) and Dangerous Hours (1919). Other films include The Wishing Ring Man, The Spite Bride, The World Aflame, and The Walk Offs. Her career declined with the sound era and she later played mostly small roles.
Du Brey was proficient in athletics, excelling in swimming, riding, golfing, tennis and motoring. She was five feet seven inches high, weighed 130 pounds and had auburn hair and brown eyes, and took a lively interest in horticulture.
Personal life
According to two biographies of Marie Dressler published in the late 1990s, Dressler and Du Brey had a long-term romantic relationship. However other sources indicate that Du Brey, who had trained as a nurse, was the elder actress's assistant and caregiver while Dressler was ill with terminal cancer.
Du Brey was married to, and divorced from, Norman Gates, a doctor in Los Angeles.
Death
On August 1, 1993, Du Brey died in Los Angeles at age 100.
Filmography
Actress
1958
Tales of Wells Fargo (TV Series) as
Ma / Essie Sutton
- The Lobo (1961) - Ma
- The Newspaper (1958) - Essie Sutton
1959
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (TV Series)
- Murder in Gratitude (1959)
- Happy Hill (1959)
1959
The Miracle as
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
1959
Father Knows Best (TV Series) as
Mrs. Laveer
- A Day in the Country (1959) - Mrs. Laveer
1959
Girls Town as
Aunt Morgan (uncredited)
1959
The Californians (TV Series) as
Mrs. Dupres
- The Fugitive (1959) - Mrs. Dupres (as Claire DuBrey)
1959
Escort West as
Mrs. Kate Fenniman
1958
Frontier Gun as
Bess Loveman
1958
Hot Rod Gang as
Agatha (as Claire Dubray)
1957
Broken Arrow (TV Series) as
Indian Mother / Tesalbestinay
- Turncoat (1958) - Indian Mother
- Ghostface (1957) - Tesalbestinay (as Claire DuBrey)
1958
26 Men (TV Series) as
Mrs. Hardy
- Sundown Decision (1958) - Mrs. Hardy (as Claire Dubrey)
1957
Les Girls as
Concierge's Wife (uncredited)
1957
Climax! (TV Series) as
The Landlady
- Trail of Terror (1957) - The Landlady (as Claire DuBrey)
1957
Adventures of Superman (TV Series) as
Mrs. Craig
- The Prince Albert Coat (1957) - Mrs. Craig (as Claire Dubrey)
1957
Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre (TV Series) as
Mama
- Mama Bufano's (1957) - Mama (as Claire Dubrey)
1956
Private Secretary (TV Series) as
Madame Stella
- Dollars and Sense (1956) - Madame Stella
1956
The Adventures of Jim Bowie (TV Series) as
Madame Odin
- The Select Females (1956) - Madame Odin
1956
Lust for Life as
Housekeeper (uncredited)
1956
Dragnet (TV Series)
- The Big Salvage (1956) - (as Claire DuBrey)
1954
Cavalcade of America (TV Series)
- That They Might Live (1955)
- Moonlight Witness (1954)
1955
Your Favorite Story (TV Series)
- The Adoption (1955) - (as Claire Dubray)
1955
The Star and the Story (TV Series) as
Landlady
- Ferry to Fox Island (1955) - Landlady
1954
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (TV Series) as
The Shoplifter
- Shoplifter and the Missing Ruby Clip (1954) - The Shoplifter
1954
Ricochet Romance as
Mrs. Blake (uncredited)
1954
Rocky Jones, Space Ranger (TV Series) as
Theba
- Out of This World: Chapter I (1954) - Theba
1954
Four Star Playhouse (TV Series) as
Mrs. Miggs
- The Book (1954) - Mrs. Miggs (as Claire DuBrey)
1954
Phantom of the Rue Morgue as
Spectator (uncredited)
1953
Where's Raymond? (TV Series) as
Aunt Angela
- The Maid (1954) - Aunt Angela
- Two Tickets (1954) - Aunt Angela
- Susan, the Horse (1954) - Aunt Angela
- Lt. Oglemeyer (1953) - Aunt Angela (as Claire Dubrey)
- Find Tremont (1953) - Aunt Angela
1953
Fireside Theatre (TV Series)
- His Name Is Jason (1953)
1953
Raiders of the Seven Seas as
Señora Salcedo
1952
Schlitz Playhouse (TV Series)
- A Quarter for Your Troubles (1952)
1952
Jack and the Beanstalk as
Villager (uncredited)
1952
Rose of Cimarron as
Townswoman (uncredited)
1952
The Stu Erwin Show (TV Series)
- Stu Has a Baby (1952)
1951
Double Dynamite as
Shirt Shop Manager (uncredited)
1951
The Adventures of Kit Carson (TV Series) as
Lucy, Amos' sister
- The Return of Trigger Dawson (1951) - Lucy, Amos' sister (as Claire Dubrey)
1951
Mask of the Avenger as
Townswoman (uncredited)
1951
Ace in the Hole as
Spinster (uncredited)
1950
Mr. Music as
Receptionist (uncredited)
1950
Destination Big House as
Celia Brooks
1950
Cinderella (as Claire DuBrey, credit only)
1949
Samson and Delilah as
Temple Spectator (uncredited)
1949
Dear Wife as
Woman (uncredited)
1949
Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff as
Mrs. Grimsby
1949
Streets of San Francisco as
Mrs. Partridge
1948
Every Girl Should Be Married as
Mrs. Willoughby (uncredited)
1948
Out of the Storm as
Mrs. Smith
1948
The Loves of Carmen as
Woman with Broom (uncredited)
1948
French Leave as
Mom LaFarge
1948
Who Killed 'Doc' Robbin? as
Housekeeper (as Claire Dubrey)
1948
Lightnin' in the Forest as
Martha (as Claire DuBrey)
1948
Tenth Avenue Angel as
Mrs. Madson (uncredited)
1947
The Bishop's Wife as
Second Lady (as Claire DuBrey)
1947
Unconquered as
Squaw (uncredited)
1947
Ivy as
Shopkeeper (uncredited)
1947
The Homestretch as
Housekeeper (uncredited)
1947
Bells of San Fernando as
Manta
1946
The Best Years of Our Lives as
Mrs. Talburt - Perfume Customer (uncredited)
1946
The Secret of the Whistler as
Laura - Harrison's Servant
1946
Don Ricardo Returns as
Mama Teresa (as Claire DuBrey)
1946
Cloak and Dagger as
Second Nurse (uncredited)
1946
The Invisible Informer as
Martha Baylor
1946
The Catman of Paris as
Servant (uncredited)
1945
Dakota as
Wahtonka
1945
Star in the Night (Short) as
Traveler's Wife (uncredited)
1945
A Song to Remember as
Madame Mercier (uncredited)
1944
Lights of Old Santa Fe as
Rosie McGurk
1944
Oh, What a Night! as
Petrie
1944
Casanova Brown as
Nurse (uncredited)
1944
Dragon Seed as
Hysterical Woman (uncredited)
1943
Heaven Can Wait as
Miss Ralston - Jack's Secretary (uncredited)
1943
No Place for a Lady as
Apartment House Manager (uncredited)
1942
Now, Voyager as
Hilda (uncredited)
1942
Bells of Capistrano as
Melinda (Ma) McCracken
1942
The Gay Sisters as
Matron at Court (uncredited)
1942
The Magnificent Dope as
Secretary
1942
Juke Box Jenny as
Miss Carruthers
1942
A Close Call for Ellery Queen as
Deborah - Housekeeper
1941
Rise and Shine as
Miss Pinkham (as Claire DuBrey)
1941
Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring as
Nurse in Corridor (uncredited)
1941
Private Nurse as
Flower Shop Manager
1941
Blossoms in the Dust as
Nurse at Sammy's Birth (uncredited)
1941
Blondie in Society as
Angry Neighbor With Petition (uncredited)
1941
Shining Victory as
Matron (uncredited)
1940
Youth Will Be Served as
Henrietta McNutt (uncredited)
1940
Brigham Young as
Emma Smith (as Claire DuBrey)
1940
Girl from Avenue A as
Thin-Nosed Woman (uncredited)
1940
Black Diamonds as
Henderson's Secretary
1940
All This, and Heaven Too as
Nun (uncredited)
1940
Sailor's Lady as
Old Maid (uncredited)
1940
Andy Hardy Meets Debutante as
Mrs. Hackett, Daphne's Secretary (uncredited)
1940
Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise as
Mrs. Walters
1940
The Doctor Takes a Wife as
Party Guest (uncredited)
1940
Forty Little Mothers as
Gym Teacher (uncredited)
1940
Virginia City as
Southern Woman with Rifle (uncredited)
1940
High School as
Miss Huggins
1940
The Blue Bird as
Nurse (uncredited)
1940
The Shop Around the Corner as
Customer (uncredited)
1939
Swanee River as
Woman in Cafe (uncredited)
1939
Four Wives as
Nurse Telling Crowley It's a Girl (uncredited)
1939
See Your Doctor (Short) as
Nurse (uncredited)
1939
South of the Border as
Dueña
1939
Chicken Wagon Family as
Mrs. Kelsey (uncredited)
1939
When Tomorrow Comes as
Waitress (uncredited)
1939
Coast Guard as
First Nurse (uncredited)
1939
Hotel for Women (uncredited)
1939
The Forgotten Woman as
Foxie (uncredited)
1939
Tell No Tales as
Miss Arnold (uncredited)
1939
Juarez as
Woman (uncredited)
1939
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell as
Landlady
1939
Everybody's Baby as
Nurse Cordell
1939
Sergeant Madden as
Nurse (uncredited)
1939
Three Smart Girls Grow Up as
Secretary (uncredited)
1939
Within the Law as
Prison Librarian (uncredited)
1939
Never Say Die as
Hotel Guest (uncredited)
1939
Jesse James as
Mrs. Bob Ford
1938
The Strange Case of Dr. Meade as
Mrs. Thurber
1938
Five of a Kind as
Nurse in Hoax (uncredited)
1938
That Certain Age as
Horsewoman
1938
The Affairs of Annabel as
Convict (uncredited)
1938
Little Miss Broadway as
Miss Blodgett (as Claire DuBrey)
1938
Men with Wings as
Edith (uncredited)
1938
Marie Antoinette as
Woman Yelling at Rabblerouser (uncredited)
1938
One Wild Night as
Mrs. Thomas - Secretary (uncredited)
1938
Miracle Money (Short) as
Hazel (uncredited)
1938
Walking Down Broadway as
Claybourne's Secretary (uncredited)
1938
The Baroness and the Butler as
Martha - Kartina's Secretary
1937
Nothing Sacred as
Nurse Rafferty (uncredited)
1937
Blossoms on Broadway as
Fake Nurse (uncredited)
1937
The Wrong Road as
Prison Matron (uncredited)
1937
Dangerously Yours as
Ship Passenger (uncredited)
1937
Wife, Doctor and Nurse as
Miss Farrell
1937
The Lady Escapes as
Woman in Theatre (uncredited)
1937
Topper as
Sales Clerk (uncredited)
1937
Mountain Justice as
Woman with Baby (uncredited)
1937
Outcast as
Dr. Nolan (uncredited)
1937
Man of the People as
Mrs. Sagon (uncredited)
1936
Ramona as
Marda
1936
Yellowstone as
Accident Witness (uncredited)
1936
My American Wife as
Woman at Party (uncredited)
1936
The Devil-Doll as
Mme. Coulvet (as Claire du Brey)
1936
Small Town Girl as
Townswoman (uncredited)
1935
Whipsaw as
Passenger Leaving Appraiser's Office (uncredited)
1935
Vagabond Lady as
R.D.'s Secretary (uncredited)
1935
Life Begins at 40 as
Mrs. T. Watterson Meriwether (uncredited)
1934
Bachelor of Arts as
Hamilton's Secretary (uncredited)
1934
Among the Missing as
Mrs. Alvin Abbott
1934
Jane Eyre as
Bertha Rochester
1934
Blind Date as
Head Saleswoman (uncredited)
1934
Now I'll Tell as
Maid (scenes deleted)
1934
Merry Wives of Reno as
Woman Hoping for a Good Dentist (uncredited)
1934
Viva Villa! as
Banquet Guest with Tiara Next to Sierra (uncredited)
1934
Glamour as
Nurse (uncredited)
1934
Coming Out Party as
Mrs. Winfield (uncredited)
1934
This Side of Heaven as
Miss Blair - Martin's Secretary (uncredited)
1933
The Sin of Nora Moran as
Mrs. Edith Crawford
1933
The Women in His Life as
Mrs. North (uncredited)
1933
Shadows of Sing Sing as
Angela Crane
1933
Ever in My Heart as
Party Guest (uncredited)
1933
Walls of Gold as
Bridge Player (uncredited)
1933
Night Flight as
Santiago Nurse (uncredited)
1933
Beauty for Sale as
Wife (uncredited)
1933
Broadway to Hollywood as
Aunt Clara (uncredited)
1933
Made on Broadway as
Miss Squires - Jeff's Secretary (uncredited)
1933
Gabriel Over the White House as
Nurse (as Claire DuBrey)
1932
Prosperity as
Bank Depositor Spreading Rumor (uncredited)
1932
Divorce in the Family as
Mrs. Smith - Lucile's Mother (uncredited)
1932
Arsène Lupin as
Mother at the Louvre (uncredited)
1931
The Sin of Madelon Claudet as
Pleasant Prison Nun at Gate (uncredited)
1931
The Phantom of Paris as
Governess (uncredited)
1931
Politics as
Rally Leader (uncredited)
1931
Open House (Short)
1930
Renegades as
Eleanore's Maid (uncredited)
1930
For the Love o' Lil as
Mrs. Gardner
1929
Two Sisters as
Rose
1927
The Devil Dancer as
Audrey
1926
Miss Nobody as
Ann Adams
1926
Exquisite Sinner as
Dominique's sister
1925
Infatuation as
Pasha's Wife
1925
Drusilla with a Million as
Daphne Thornton
1925
The Girl of Gold as
Edith Loring
1924
The Sea Hawk as
Siren
1924
Borrowed Husbands as
Peggy Fleurette
1923
Ponjola as
Luchia Luff
1923
The Voice from the Minaret as
Countess La Fontaine
1922
When Love Comes as
Marie Jamison
1922
You Never Know as
Inez
1922
Only a Shop Girl as
Mrs. Watkins
1922
To Have and to Hold as
Patience Worth
1922
The Ordeal as
Elise
1922
Glass Houses as
Mrs. Vicky
1921
The Hole in the Wall as
Cora Thompson
1921
The Bronze Bell as
Nairaini
1921
I Am Guilty as
Trixie
1921
My Lady's Latchkey as
Countess Santiago
1921
That Girl Montana as
Lottie
1920
Perilous Valley
1920
The House of Whispers as
Nettie Kelly
1920
A Light Woman as
Jeanne DuPre
1920
Life's Twist as
Mrs. Helen Sutton (as Claire Dubrey)
1920
The Green Flame as
Lou Tremaine
1920
The Heart of a Child as
Lady Dorothea
1920
The Walk-Offs as
Mrs. Elliott
1919
Dangerous Hours as
Sophia Guerni
1919
The Spite Bride as
Trixie Dennis
1919
The World Aflame as
Emma Reich (as Claire Dubrey)
1919
The Devil's Trail as
Dubec's Wife
1919
When Fate Decides as
Alicia Carteret
1919
The Ghost Girl (Short)
1919
Modern Husbands as
Myrtle Cosgrove
1919
The Sawdust Doll as
Rose Budd
1919
A Man and His Money as
Varda Ropers
1919
The Wishing Ring Man as
Gale Maddox
1919
A Man in the Open as
Polly
1919
The Old Maid's Baby as
Sylvia Deane
1919
What Every Woman Wants as
Sylvia
1918
Border Raiders as
Cleo Dade
1918
Prisoners of the Pines as
Louise
1918
Modern Love as
Myrtle Harris
1918
The Human Target (Short) as
Thelma Von Styne
1918
Up Romance Road as
Hilda
1918
Midnight Madness as
Lola Montez
1918
Social Briars as
Helen Manning
1918
The Risky Road as
Mrs. Miles Kingston
1918
The Magic Eye as
Mrs. Bowman
1918
Brace Up as
Ellen Miles
1918
Madame Spy as
Baroness Von Hulda
1917
The Winged Mystery as
Gerda Anderson
1917
Anything Once as
Señorita Paprika
1917
Triumph as
Lillian Du Pon
1917
Pay Me! as
Nita
1917
The Rescue as
Henriette
1917
Follow the Girl as
Donna
1917
Six-Shooter Justice (Short) as
Mary Gregg - the Prospector's Daughter
1917
The Almost Good Man (Short) as
Kitty Manville
1917
A 44-Calibre Mystery (Short) as
Kitty Flanders
1917
The Honor of an Outlaw (Short) as
The Railroad President's Daughter
1917
Hair-Trigger Burke (Short) as
The Vamp
1917
The Fighting Gringo as
May Smith
1917
The Clash of Steel (Short) as
Princess Seraphina
1917
The Drifter (Short) as
Dora Mason
1917
Perils of the Secret Service as
Princess Seraphina (Episode #2)
1917
The Reward of the Faithless as
Princess Dione
1917
The Honeymoon Surprise (Short) as
Mrs. Hardman
1917
The Piper's Price as
Jessica's Maid
1916
Peggy
1915
Civilization
Miscellaneous
1950
Cinderella (live action model: Fairy Godmother - uncredited)
Soundtrack
1933
Made on Broadway ("My Country 'Tis of Thee" (1832), uncredited)
1931
Politics (performer: "A Hot Time in the Old Town" (1896) - uncredited)
Archive Footage
1962
Kraft Mystery Theater (TV Series)
- Murder in Gratitude (1962)
1956
The Robot of Regalio (TV Movie) as
Theba - Noviandra's Jailer
References
Claire Du Brey Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA