Irene Rich
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| Irene Rich | |
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| Born | Irene Luther October 13, 1891 Buffalo, New York |
| Died | April 22, 1988 (aged 96) Hope Ranch, California |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1918-1949 |
Irene Rich (October 13, 1891 - April 22, 1988) was an American actress who worked in both silent pictures and talkies.
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Born Irene Luther in Buffalo, New York, Rich worked for Will Rogers, who used her in eight pictures including Water Water Everywhere (1920), The Strange Boarder (1920), Jes' Call Me Jim (1920), Boys Will Be Boys (1921), and The Ropin' Fool (1921). She commonly played experienced society women. She played this role in the 1925 adaptation of Lady Windermere's Fan and also in Queen of the Yukon (1940).
In two of her last films she played a frontier wife and mother. She was the mother of Gail Russell's character 'Penelope Worth', in John Wayne's Angel and the Badman as well as in John Ford's cavalry story Fort Apache in which she portrayed Mrs. O'Rourke, the wife of Sergeant O'Rourke (played by Ward Bond).
In the 1930s, Rich did much work in radio. From 1933 to 1944, she hosted a nationwide anthology program of serialized mini-dramas entitled Dear John (also called The Irene Rich Show). Her leading man was actor Gale Gordon, who later played Lucille Ball's apoplectic boss "Mr. Mooney" on TV. Rich also dabbled in stage in such productions as Seven Keys to Baldpate (1935) which starred George M. Cohan and As the Girls Go in 1948.
Rich was married four times. She had two daughters-- one of whom, Frances Rich, was a stage and film actress in the 1930s before becoming a sculptor.
On April 22, 1988, Rich died at age 96 of heart failure in Hope Ranch, California. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Irene Rich has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6225 Hollywood Boulevard.
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1918 | A Law Unto Herself | Stephanie | |
| 1919 | The Spite Bride | Eileen Moore | |
| 1920 | Stop Thief | Madge Carr | |
| 1921 | Sunset Jones | Marion Rand | |
| 1922 | The Yosemite Trail | Eve Marsham | |
| 1923 | Rosita | The Queen | |
| 1924 | Behold This Woman | Louise Maurel | |
| 1925 | The Man Without a Conscience | Shirley Graves | |
| 1926 | Silken Shackles | Denise Lake | |
| 1927 | The Desired Woman | Diana Maxwell | |
| 1928 | Ned McCobb's Daughter | Carol | |
| 1929 | The Exalted Flapper | Queen Charlotte of Capra | |
| 1930 | Check and Double Check | Mrs. Blair | |
| 1931 | The Champ | Linda | |
| 1932 | Manhattan Tower | Ann Burns | |
| 1934 | Spitfire | Woman | Uncredited |
| 1938 | That Certain Age | Dorothy Fullerton | |
| 1939 | Everybody's Hobby | Mrs. Myra Leslie | |
| 1940 | The Mortal Storm | Amelie Roth | |
| 1941 | Three Sons o' Guns | Mrs. Margaret Patterson | |
| 1942 | This Time for Keeps | Mrs. Bryant | Alternative title: Over the Waves |
| 1947 | Calendar Girl | Lulu Varden | Alternative title: Star Dust and Sweet Music |
| 1948 | Joan of Arc | Catherine le Royer | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1949 | The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre | 1 episode | |
- Irene Rich at the Internet Movie Database
- Irene Rich at the Internet Broadway Database
- Irene Rich Collection
- Photos of Irene Rich
- Actress Loses Weight By Using Sponsor
- Irene Rich at Find A Grave
| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Rich, Irene |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Luther, Irene |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Actress |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 13, 1891 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Buffalo, New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 22, 1988 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Hope Ranch, California |
