{{Short description|American actor (1893–1963)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = William Gaxton | image = William Gaxton in Best Foot Forward trailer.jpg | caption = from the trailer for<br>''Best Foot Forward'' (1943) | birth_name = Arthur Anthony Gaxiola | birth_date = {{Birth date|1893|12|02}} | birth_place = San Francisco, California, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|1963|02|02|1893|12|02}} | death_place = New York City, U.S. | resting_place = Mount Olivet Cemetery, Queens, NY | occupation = Actor, Singer | spouse = {{marriage|Madeline Seitz|1919}} | relatives = Leo Carrillo (cousin) | education = Santa Clara College University of California, Berkeley | known_for = Broadway | office = Shepherd of The Lambs | term_start = 1936-1939 | term_end = 1953-54, 1956-61 | predecessor = Frank Crumit | successor = Fred Waring | signature= }} '''William Gaxton''' (né '''Arthur Anthony Gaxiola'''; December 2, 1893 &ndash; February 2, 1963) was an American actor of vaudeville, film, and theatre.<ref name=obit/> For many years Gaxton was president of The Lambs Club, a theatrical organization in New York City. He and Victor Moore became a popular theatre duo in the 1930s and 1940s; they also appeared in a film together.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hischak|first=Thomas S.|title=Through the Screen Door: What Happened to the Broadway Musical When it Went to Hollywood|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year=2004|isbn=9780810850187|pages=64}}</ref>

==Biography== Gaxton was born as Arthur Anthony Gaxiola,<ref name="Marriage cert–1919">Marriage certificate of Arthur Anthony Gaxiola and Madeline Seitz. Oct. 1919, Certificate No. 0002837. https://a860-historicalvitalrecords.nyc.gov/view/8686933</ref> on December 2, 1893, in San Francisco, California. He was Californio of Spanish ancestry, and a cousin of actor Leo Carrillo. He attended the Boone's Military Academy (or Boone's University School for Boys),<ref>{{cite book |title=Who Was Who in the Theatre: 1912-1976 |date=1978 |publisher=Gale Research Co. |location=Detroit, Michigan |isbn=0-8103-0406-6 |page=915 |edition=Vol. 2, D-H |url=https://archive.org/details/whowaswhointheat02detr/page/914/mode/2up?q=Gaxton |access-date=August 13, 2022}}</ref> and Berkeley High School, in Berkeley, California; and Lowell High School in San Francisco.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Westen |first1=Herb |title=Graduate of Lowell High Is Orpheum Headliner |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19220203.2.46&srpos=1&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-Gaxton+Lowell+High+School-------1 |access-date=August 13, 2022 |work=San Francisco Call |issue=25 |date=February 3, 1922}}</ref><ref name="Soane-1947" />

Gaxton attended Santa Clara College, with classmate Edmund Lowe;<ref>{{cite news |title=Santa Clara College Boys At the Victory |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SJMN19130209.2.142&srpos=2&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22Gaxton+and+Cameron%22-------1 |access-date=August 13, 2022 |work=San Jose Mercury and Herald |issue=40 |date=February 9, 1913}}</ref> and the University of California, Berkeley.<ref name="Soane-1947">{{Cite news |last=Soane |first=Wood |date=August 24, 1947 |title=Interview With Gaxton Stirs Critic's Memory of Bay Area's Good Ol' Days |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune-interview-with-gaxton-st/157136877/ |access-date=March 14, 2022 |work=Oakland Tribune |pages=4C |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He was in the Sigma Phi fraternity at UC Berkeley.<ref name="Soane-1947" />

== Career == [[File:Connecticut-Yankee-Rehearsal-1928.jpg|thumb|Constance Carpenter and Gaxton, principals of the Broadway production of ''A Connecticut Yankee'', at the Vanderbilt Theatre during a mid-run rehearsal of the hit musical (1928). Producer Lew Fields is seen at right, in shirtsleeves.|alt=Constance Carpenter and Gaxton, principals of the Broadway production of A Connecticut Yankee, at the Vanderbilt Theatre during a mid-run rehearsal of the hit musical (1928). Producer Lew Fields is seen at right, in shirtsleeves.]] Gaxton appeared on film and onstage. He debuted on Broadway in the ''Music Box Revue'' on October 23, 1922.<ref name=obit/>

Gaxton was president of The Lambs Club, a theatrical organization in New York City, from 1936 to 1939, 1952 to 1953, and 1957 to 1961.<ref name="obit" />

On radio Gaxton starred in ''Broadway Showtime'', a 30-minute musical drama that ran on CBS from December 27, 1943, to June 26, 1944.<ref name="dunningota">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EwtRbXNca0oC&dq=%22Broadway+Showtime,+musical+drama%22&pg=PA121 |last=Dunning |first=John |author-link=John Dunning (detective fiction author) |title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio |date=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-19-507678-3 |pages=121–122 |edition=Revised |access-date=2019-10-02}}</ref>

In 1961 and 1962, he and Arthur Treacher starred in Guy Lombardo's production of the musical ''Paradise Island'' at Jones Beach Marine Theater.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=olQEAAAAMBAJ&q=paradise+island+musical+jones+beach&pg=PA23|magazine=Life|date=June 16, 1961|page=23|title=Theater: Straw Hat Shows – Marine Theater, Jones Beach, LI}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://jblc.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1387&sid=20dca6eaa8a625c9579739b96296c6c9#p1387|author= Jones Beach Lifeguard Corps|website=JBLC.net|title=Forum pages}}</ref>

He died from cancer on February 2, 1963, in Manhattan.<ref name="obit">{{cite news|date=February 4, 1963|title=Gaxton Dies At 69; Star On Broadway|newspaper=New York Times|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D01E0D8173CEF3BBC4C53DFB4668388679EDE|accessdate=2015-03-02|quote=William Gaxton, star of many Broadway musical comedies, died of cancer on Saturday in St. Vincent's Hospital. He was 73 years old and lived in Stamford, Conn. His best-remembered role was as President John P. Wintergreen in the musical, "Of Thee I Sing."}}</ref> He was survived by his wife, Madeline Cameron Seitz, who was part of The Cameron Sisters dance team.<ref name="Marriage cert–1919" /><ref name="Soane-1947" /><ref>{{cite news |title=William Gaxton, Broadway Star, Rites Tomorrow |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCS19630205.1.18&srpos=7&e=------196-en--20--1--txt-txIN-Gaxton-------1 |access-date=September 18, 2021 |work=Santa Cruz Sentinel |date=February 5, 1963}}</ref>

==Filmography== Gaxton starred in the film version of ''Fifty Million Frenchmen'' (1931), as well as ''The Silent Partner'' (1931), ''Their Big Moment'' (1934), ''Best Foot Forward'' (1943), ''The Heat's On'' (1943), and ''Diamond Horseshoe'' (1945).

==Broadway== He debuted on Broadway in the ''Music Box Revue'' on October 23, 1922, and later starred in Rodgers and Hart's ''A Connecticut Yankee'' (1927), singing "Thou Swell"; Cole Porter's ''Fifty Million Frenchmen'' (1929), singing "You Do Something to Me"; ''Of Thee I Sing'' (1931) with Victor Moore; Cole Porter's ''Anything Goes'' (1934), with Ethel Merman and Victor Moore; ''White Horse Inn'' (1936); ''Leave It to Me!'' (1938) with Victor Moore; ''Louisiana Purchase'' (1940); and ''Hollywood Pinafore'' (1945).

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons}} *{{IBDB name}} *{{IMDb name |name=William Gaxton |id=0310730}} *{{Tcmdb name}} *[http://archives.nypl.org/the/22581 William Gaxton papers, circa 1937-1961], held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaxton, William}} Category:1893 births Category:1963 deaths Category:20th-century American male actors Category:20th-century American male singers Category:20th-century American singers Category:American male film actors Category:American male musical theatre actors Category:American people of Spanish descent Category:American vaudeville performers Category:Californios Category:Male actors from San Francisco Category:The Lambs presidents