Gilchrist Stuart

Gilchrist Stuart (born Derek Grist; 19 January 1919—8 June 1977^[1]) was a British actor. He was probably best known for playing Franz, the butler of Captain Von Trapp in Academy Award winning film The Sound of Music. He was sometimes credited as Gil Stuart.

Gilchrist Stuart
Born	Derek Grist 19 January 1919 London, England
Died	8 June 1977(1977-06-08) (aged 58) Los Angeles, California
Occupation	Actor

Biography

He was born in London as Derek Grist. He studied at Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He came to Hollywood under contract to Metro Goldwyn Meyer.^[2]

Career

Stuart played supporting or minor roles in such films as A Yank in the R.A.F., where he played Wales, Sword in the Desert,^[3] Designing Woman, Assault on a Queen, Morituri, Doctor Dolittle.^[2] He also appeared in films with his The Sound of Music co-stars: he appeared in Forever Amber and The Lost World alongside Richard Haydn, and in Star! alongside Julie Andrews. He also appeared as an actor in episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour titled A Nice Touch, opposite Anne Baxter and George Segal,^[4] as well as in other television shows. He appeared in Red Skelton Show for the period of over 16 years.

His most notable role was in film The Sound of Music, which won five Oscars. He played the butler of captain Georg von Trapp. In the beginning of the film, Maria mistakes him for the captain. He was recommended by another member of the film's team and was a familiar face to director Robert Wise, who offered him the role shortly before start of the filming in March 1964.^[5] In her memoir Forever Liesl: A Memoir of The Sound of Music, Charmian Carr described him as "a marvelous character actor, very reserved", and being part of the "British group" of actors on the set.^[6]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1941	Charley's Aunt	Teammate	Uncredited
1941	A Yank in the R.A.F.	Wales
1947	Forever Amber	Cavalier	Uncredited
1948	Fighter Squadron	English Photographer	Uncredited
1949	Sword in the Desert	Radio Operator
1950	When Willie Comes Marching Home	British Lieutenant	Uncredited
1950	Fancy Pants	Wicket Keeper	Uncredited
1952	Bronco Buster	McDermott	Uncredited
1952	Botany Bay	Sailor	Uncredited
1953	Rogue's March	Andy	Uncredited
1953	The Desert Rats	Captain	Uncredited
1953	East of Sumatra	Mr. Vickers	Uncredited
1953	King of the Khyber Rifles	Officer of the Week	Uncredited
1955	The Sea Chase	Fisherman	Uncredited
1955	The Scarlet Coat	Officer	Uncredited
1955	The King's Thief	Clerk	Uncredited
1957	Designing Woman	Mr. Orvac	Uncredited
1957	Les Girls	English Photographer	Uncredited
1957	The Devil's Hairpin	Salesman	Uncredited
1960	The Lost World	Reporter	Uncredited
1962	Mutiny on the Bounty	Minor Role	Uncredited
1963	The Alfred Hitchcock Hour	Actor	Season 2 Episode 2: "A Nice Touch"
1965	The Alfred Hitchcock Hour	Ralph the Butler	Season 3 Episode 18: "The Trap"
1965	The Alfred Hitchcock Hour	British Man	Season 3 Episode 26: "The Monkey's Paw - A Retelling"
1965	The Sound of Music	Franz
1965	Morituri	Englishman	Uncredited
1965	Do Not Disturb	Man in Cab	Uncredited
1966	Assault on a Queen	Officer #1
1967	Doctor Dolittle	The Vicar	Uncredited
1968	Star!	Footman	Uncredited
1969	Hook, Line & Sinker	Night Manager	Uncredited
1969	Justine	British Army Officer	Uncredited
1970	Which Way to the Front?	Mr. Firestone, the Tailor	Uncredited
1971	The Andromeda Strain	Man	Uncredited
1972	Hickey & Boggs	Farrow
1972	Sanford and Son

References

1. Variety International Showbusiness Reference by Mike Kaplan, page 1132. Garland Pub., 1981
2. Julia Antopol Hirsch (2018). Sound of Music: The Making of America's Favorite Movie. Chicago Review Press. p. 224. ISBN 0912777400.
3. James McKay (2010). Dana Andrews: The Face of Noir. McFarland. p. 256. ISBN 0786446145.
4. Harris M. Lentz (1983). Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits. McFarland. ISBN 0899500714.
5. Tom Santopietro (2015). The Sound of Music Story: How A Beguiling Young Novice, A Handsome Austrian Captain, and Ten Singing von Trapp Children Inspired the Most Beloved Film of All Time. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 1466870591.
6. Carr, Charmian; Strauss, Jean A. S. (March 15, 2001). Forever Liesl: A Memoir of the Sound of Music. New York: Penguin. ISBN 978-0140298406. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2021.

External links

• Gilchrist Stuart at IMDb