---
name: "Charley Grapewin"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/charley-grapewin"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "20 December 1869"
died: "2 February 1956"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T21:13:44.405016+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Charley Grapewin

Actor. Born 20 December 1869 in Xenia, Ohio, USA. Died 2 February 1956.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 20 December 1869, Xenia, Ohio, USA
- **Died:** 2 February 1956
- **Also known as:** Charles Ellsworth Grapewin, Charles Grapewin

## Biography

Charley Grapewin (1869–1956) was an American actor who appeared in over 100 films across the silent and sound eras. Born Charles Ellsworth Grapewin in Xenia, Ohio, he began his career as a circus acrobat and trapeze artist before moving into vaudeville, stage work and writing plays.

He performed in the original 1903 Broadway production of *The Wizard of Oz* and later became a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player in the 1930s. Grapewin is known for roles including Uncle Henry in *The Wizard of Oz* (1939), Grandpa Joad in *The Grapes of Wrath* (1940), Gramp Maple in *The Petrified Forest* (1936), Uncle Salters in *Captains Courageous* (1937) and Jeeter Lester in *Tobacco Road* (1941). He was married to actress Anna Chance from 1896 until her death in 1943.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Wizard of Oz* (1939), Fi1m 91, as Uncle Henry — [page](https://film.one/film/the-wizard-of-oz.md)

## Also known for

- *The Grapes of Wrath* (1940), Grandpa Joad
- *The Petrified Forest* (1936), Gramp Maple
- *Captains Courageous* (1937), Uncle Salters
- *Libeled Lady* (1936), Mr. Bane
- *They Died with Their Boots On* (1941), California Joe
- *The Good Earth* (1937), Old Father
- *Alice Adams* (1935), J. A. Lamb
- *Tobacco Road* (1941), Jeeter Lester

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/charley-grapewin