Claudia Fargo

Biography

Born in Oregon, Claudia Fargo was reportedly related to the William G. Fargo (1818-1881) family of Wells-Fargo fame (though that may or may not actually be true). Moving with her family to California as a teenager, she quickly began to take an interest in acting. She started performing on stage in small theatrical productions before making her screen debut in 1933. Going on to appear, usually as a chorus girl, in titles such as "The Gay Divorcee" (1934), "Redheads on Parade" (1935), and "The Great Ziegfeld" (1936), Fargo never received screen credit, so it is possible she was part of other motion pictures, as well. Around 1936, she temporarily relocated to Europe where she was reported to have studied and traveled. Returning home the following year, she went on to marry Warner Bros. art director Bert Tuttle (1906-1967). After Tuttle died, she wed retired Army colonel Leo Merle (1911-1986) in 1972. Fargo and Merle remained together until his passing fourteen years later. Claudia Fargo passed away in 2002 at the age of 87.