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Berton Churchill began his career on the stage in Canada but gravitated first to New York and Broadway and later to Hollywood and the movies when the movies were still silent. His stern manner and imposing stage presence allowed him to be virtually typecast as the overbearing father or loud, tough, boss. He was sometimes credited as Burton Churchill, in 1925 he co-founded the Masquers club and that led to him and five other actors creating the Screen Actors Guild in 1933, just one of many lasting contributions made by Canadians to the art, science and business of making movies. His best role came late in his career when he played the banker who makes off with the money in the 1939 John Ford classic western, Stagecoach, which costarred John Wayne in his breakout role and Claire Trevor. Berton Churchill died of uremic poisoning one year later.
The picture of Berton Churchill above was scanned and cropped from an original publicity still for the 1935 film A Night at the Ritz now in the Northernstars Collection.
Features & TV Movies:
VR indicates Direct-to-Video Release
The Road Called Straight (1919)
Six Cylinder Love (1923)
Tongues of Flame (1924)
Nothing But the Truth (1929)
Five Minutes From the Station (1930)
Secrets of a Secretary (1931)
Air Eagles (1931)
The Wet Parade (1932)
Weekends Only (1932)
Washington Merry-Go-Round (1932)
Washington Masquerade (1932)
Two Seconds (1932)
Taxi! (1932)
Silver Dollar (1932)
Okay, America! (1932)
The Mouthpiece (1932)
Madame Butterfly (1932)
Husband’s Holiday (1932)
Forgotten Commandments (1932)
The Dark Horse (1932)
The Reckless Age (1932)
Impatient Maiden (1932)
Scandal For Sale (1932)
Fast Companions (1932)
The Rich Are Always With Us (1932)
American Madness (1932)
The Crooked Circle (1932)
The Cabin in the Cotton (1932)
The Big Stampede (1932)
False Faces (1932)
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
Afraid to Talk (1932)
If I Had a Million (1932)
So This is Africa (1933)
Private Jones (1933)
Murder in the Private Car (1933)
Master of Men (1933)
The Little Giant (1933)
Heroes For Sale (1933)
Hard to Handle (1933)
Golden Harvest (1933)
Frisco Jenny (1933)
Elmer the Great (1933)
Doctor Bull (1933)
Billion Dollar Scandal (1933)
The Big Brain (1933)
The Mysterious Rider (1933)
From Hell to Heaven (1933)
The Avenger (1933)
Her First Mate (1933)
Ladies Must Love (1933)
Cash (1933)
Only Yesterday (1933)
College Coach (1933)
Laughter in the Hall (1933)
Take The Stand (1934)
Strictly Dynamite (1934)
Redhead (1934)
Menace (1934)
Men in White (1934)
Life is Worth Living (1934)
Judge Priest (1934)
Hi Nellie (1934)
Half a Sinner (1934)
Friends of Mr. Sweeney (1934)
Bachelor of Arts (1934)
Frontier Marshal (1934)
Let’s be Ritzy (1934)
Bachelor Bait (1934)
Dames (1934)
Kid Millions (1934)
Babbitt (1934)
Ten Dollar Raise (1935)
Steamboat ‘Round the Bend (1935)
Speed Devils (1935)
The Spanish Cape Mystery (1935)
Sing Sing Nights (1935)
The Rainmakers (1935)
A Night at the Ritz (1935)
I Live for Love (1935)
Helldorado (1935)
Dizzy Dames (1935)
The County Chairman (1935)
Vagabond Lady (1935)
Page Miss Glory (1935)
Coronado (1935)
You May Be Next (1936)
Under Your Spell (1936)
Three of a Kind (1936)
Racing Lady (1936)
Parole (1936)
Dimples (1936)
Bunker Bean (1936)
Black Gold (1936)
The Dark Hour (1936)
Colleen (1936)
You Can’t Beat Love (1937)
Wild and Woolly (1937)
Sing and Be Happy (1937)
In Old Chicago (1937)
Parnell (1937)
The Singing Marine (1937)
Public Wedding (1937)
Wide Open Faces (1938)
Quick Money (1938)
Meet the Mayor (1938)
Ladies in Distress (1938)
He Couldn’t Say No (1938)
Four Men and a Prayer (1938)
Down in Arkansas (1938)
The Cowboy and the Lady (1938)
Kentucky Moonshine (1938)
Danger in the Air (1938)
Sweethearts (1938)
Stagecoach (1939)
Should Husbands Work (1939)
The Angels Wash Their Faces (1939)
Daughters Courageous (1939)
On Your Toes (1939)
Hero for a Day (1939)
The Way of all Flesh (1940)
So This is London (1940)
Public Deb No.1 (1940)
I’m Nobody’s Sweetheart Now (1940)
Cross Country Romance (1940)
Brother Rat and a Baby (1940)
20 Mule Team (1940)
Saturday’s Children (1940)
Alias the Deacon (1940)
Turnabout (1940)
Northernstars.ca is published by the Canadian Independent Visual
and Digital Media Association – A nonprofit corporation.
Toronto, Ontario, M4X 1X7
First published as Northernstars.net February 1, 1998
ISSN 2563 4895
