After his mother's death in 1932, was made guardian to his youngest siblings, Lawrence and Patricia, as well as his nephew Xan Fielding.
[citation needed] He was discovered in France by director Rex Ingram, who saw him as the natural successor to Ramon Novarro and Rudolph Valentino because of his swarthy skin and black hair.
[3] Because of his Armenian heritage and his ability to speak in a convincing Indian accent, he was cast as an Arab in The Garden of Allah (1927).
However, while Gerald Fielding was able to appear in many films for the next two decades, Claude failed to secure any further roles.
"[5] In 1928, he played Bobbie in The Three Passions, which featured Alice Terry (his future lover) and a teenage Merle Oberon as an extra.