COP11 Posted December 10, 2011 Posted December 10, 2011 Irene Rich (October 13, 1891 - April 22, 1988) was an American actress who worked in both silent films and talkies. Career 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 often portrayed society women, such as 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 (Ward Bond). The Irene Rich Show In the 1930s, Rich did much work in radio. From 1933 to 1944, she hosted a nationwide anthology program of serialized mini-dramas, Dear John (aka 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 appeared in stage productions, including 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. Rich has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for her contribution to the motion picture industry at 6225 Hollywood Boulevard and one for her contributions to the radio industry at 6150 Hollywood Boulevard. Selected filmography 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 Beau Brummel Charlotte, Duchess of York Behold This Woman Louise Maurel Cytherea Fanny Randon 1925 The Man Without a Conscience Shirley Graves 1926 Silken Shackles Denise Lake 1927 Dearie Sylvia Darling/aka "Dearie" The Desired Woman Diana Maxwell 1928 Ned McCobb's Daughter Carol 1929 The Exalted Flapper Queen Charlotte of Capra They Had to See Paris Idy Peters 1930 Check and Double Check Mrs. Blair So This Is London Mrs. Draper 1931 Five and Ten Jenny Rarick 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 Quote
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