Gladys Blake

Gladys Blake (born Gladys Timmons; May 12, 1910 – May 21, 1983) was an American character actress from the 1930s to the 1950s. Biography Blake was born on January 12, 1910, in Luray, Virginia. Her mother, Ada Timmons, died when Gladys was less than a year old. At fourteen, she entered the theater world in a stock company, before moving on to vaudeville. In vaudeville, she met her husband, Lee Gresham, and the two formed an act together. While performing in Los Angeles, they were noticed by producer Edward Small, which led to her beginning in the film industry. Blake made her film debut in a small role in I Have Lived (1933), directed by Richard Thorpe. She had her first featured role later that same year in Rainbow over Broadway, which Thorpe also directed.