Adeline De Walt Reynolds
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Adeline De Walt Reynolds (September 19, 1862 – August 13, 1961) was an American character actress who made her film debut at the age of 78 playing the grandmother of
James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality ...
in '' Come Live with Me'' (1941). She continued to act in films and numerous television series until her death.


Early life and entrance into film

Adeline De Walt was born one of 10 children during the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
. One of her earliest memories was of Union soldiers returning from the war. She had wanted to be an actress since she was five years old, but her father - Jonathan DeWalt, a farmer - was opposed. As a young woman, she lied about her age (claiming 20 when actually 18) to get a rural-area teaching job. It was a difficult teaching assignment, and had been refused by several other teachers, but she eventually gained the support of the children and their families. After learning that her male colleagues earned more money than she did, and the school board refused to pay her the same rate, she left. She married Frank Reynolds, with whom she had four children, after leaving teaching. They initially lived in
Vinton, Iowa Vinton is a city in Benton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,938 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, a decrease from 5,102 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. It is also part of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Cedar Rapids Ceda ...
, their hometown, but moved to
Arcadia, Nebraska Arcadia is a village in Valley County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 311 at the 2010 census. History Arcadia was platted in 1885 when it was certain that the railroad would soon be extended to that point. The name was apparently ch ...
, after a year, and the birth of their first child, Mary in 1885. Reynolds' parents had moved to Arcadia a short time before, and they offered him the father's lumber business. They remained in Arcadia for five years, and had another child, William. After 5 years, the family moved to Boston, and De Walt Reynolds attended and graduated from the Boston Conservatory of Speech. While in Boston, according to some accounts, in 1892, Sir
Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ...
offered De Walt Reynolds a spot in his touring company. She is said to have turned Irving's offer down to raise her children. The family moved to Philadelphia, and several other cities, before eventually moving to San Francisco, where the couple had their final two children, Franklin and Lela. After Reynolds' untimely death in 1905, she was forced to earn a living to raise her four children. She began studies at a San Francisco secretarial school, but the school was destroyed in San Francisco's 1906 earthquake and fire, which she witnessed and survived. She continued to struggle to support her family. When her youngest daughter, Lela, entered college at the
University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, University of Califor ...
, De Walt Reynolds once again focused on her own goals. Encouraged by her daughter, De Walt Reynolds entered Berkeley at the age of 64. She majored in French and graduated with honors at 68. Upon graduation, De Walt Reynolds took acting courses at the university, under the tutelage of Professor von Neumeyer. While she was cast as Hecuba in a school production of ''
The Trojan Women ''The Trojan Women'' ( grc, Τρῳάδες, translit=Trōiades), also translated as ''The Women of Troy'', and also known by its transliterated Greek title ''Troades'', is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced in 415 BC duri ...
'', she made contact with celebrated stage actress
Blanche Yurka Blanche Yurka (born Blanch Jurka, June 19, 1887 – June 6, 1974) was an American stage and film actress and director. She was an opera singer with minor roles at the Metropolitan Opera and later became a stage actress, making her Broadway deb ...
, who had played the same role in a radio production of the play. The following year, she traveled to Los Angeles and contacted Yurka, asking her advice on beginning a career in film. Yurka found an agent willing to take on an older client, and De Walt Reynolds was cast in a role in an
Assistance League Assistance League is a national nonprofit organization in the United States with over 120 chapters dedicated to providing accessibility and fulfillment of community needs at the local level. Each chapter focuses on helping their community with phil ...
production of ''Landslide''.
Clarence Brown Clarence Leon Brown (May 10, 1890 – August 17, 1987) was an American film director. Early life Born in Clinton, Massachusetts, to Larkin Harry Brown, a cotton manufacturer, and Katherine Ann Brown (née Gaw), Brown moved to Tennessee when he ...
saw her in the production and cast her in his upcoming film.


Film career

De Walt Reynolds made her film debut with a supporting role in '' Come Live with Me'' (1941), playing the grandmother of
James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality ...
. When asked if she was tired at the end of her first day on the set, she answered, "If you had waited 70 years to do something, you wouldn't be tired." She received praise for that role.
Clarence Brown Clarence Leon Brown (May 10, 1890 – August 17, 1987) was an American film director. Early life Born in Clinton, Massachusetts, to Larkin Harry Brown, a cotton manufacturer, and Katherine Ann Brown (née Gaw), Brown moved to Tennessee when he ...
called her a "potential star". Although never achieving true film stardom, she played in about two dozen films until 1955, appearing as the mother of
Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future ...
in '' The Tuttles of Tahiti'' (1942) and as the mysterious Madame Zimba in
Robert Siodmak Robert Siodmak (; 8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973) was a German film director who also worked in the United States. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for a series of films noirs he made in the 1940s, such as ''The Killers'' (194 ...
's horror film '' Son of Dracula'' (1943). She was also memorable in the last scene of in '' Going My Way'' (1944) as Mother Fitzgibbon, who travels from Ireland to the United States to see her son. Her last film was ''
The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
'' (1956) where she portrayed a frail old woman in danger. She also appeared in numerous television series between 1950 and 1960. She played her last role at the age of 98 and was the oldest member of the
Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to me ...
at the time. She also made publicity stories and photos which showed her practicing her
fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, ...
or doing
calisthenics Calisthenics (American English) or callisthenics (British English) ( /ˌkælɪsˈθɛnɪks/) is a form of strength training consisting of a variety of movements that exercise large muscle groups (gross motor movements), such as standing, graspi ...
. De Walt Reynolds died on August 13,1961, one month before her 99th birthday. She is buried in Westwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles.


Partial filmography

Reynolds made guest appearances on television between 1950 and 1960. The programs include ''
Have Gun – Will Travel ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Richard Boone was rated number t ...
'', '' Shirley Temple's Storybook'', ''
Zane Grey Theatre ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' is an American Western anthology television series that was broadcast on CBS from October 5, 1956, until September 20, 1962. Format Many episodes were based on novels by Zane Grey, to all of which Four Star F ...
'', and ''
Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, Edie Hart. The series aired on NBC from September 22, 1958, to 1960 and on ABC in 1960–1961. The seri ...
'' * '' Come Live with Me'' (1941) - Grandma * ''
Shadow of the Thin Man ''Shadow of the Thin Man'' is the fourth of six ''The Thin Man'' murder mystery comedy films. It was released by MGM in 1941 and was directed by W. S. Van Dyke. It stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. Also, in this fil ...
'' (1941) - Barrow's Landlady (uncredited) * '' The Tuttles of Tahiti'' (1942) - Mama Ruau * ''
Tales of Manhattan ''Tales of Manhattan'' is a 1942 American anthology film directed by Julien Duvivier. Thirteen writers, including Ben Hecht, Alan Campbell, Ferenc Molnár, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Donald Ogden Stewart, worked on the six stories in this film. Ba ...
'' (1942) - Elsa's Old Mother (Laughton sequence) * ''
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...
'' (1942) - Grandma (uncredited) * '' Street of Chance'' (1942) - Grandma Diedrich * '' The Human Comedy'' (1943) - Librarian * '' Behind the Rising Sun'' (1943) - Grandmother * '' Son of Dracula'' (1943) - Madame Zimba * '' Happy Land'' (1943) - Mrs. Schneider * '' Going My Way'' (1944) - Mrs. Molly Fitzgibbon (uncredited) * ''
Since You Went Away ''Since You Went Away'' is a 1944 American epic drama film directed by John Cromwell for Selznick International Pictures and distributed by United Artists. It is an epic about the American home front during World War II that was adapted and p ...
'' (1944) - Elderly Woman on Train (uncredited) * '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' (1945) - Mrs. Waters (uncredited) * ''
The Corn Is Green ''The Corn Is Green'' is a 1938 semi-autobiographical play by Welsh dramatist and actor Emlyn Williams. The play premiered in London at the Duchess Theatre in September 1938; with Sybil Thorndike as Miss Moffat and Williams himself portraying Mo ...
'' (1945) - Old Woman Reading (uncredited) * ''
Counter-Attack A counterattack is a tactic employed in response to an attack, with the term originating in "war games". The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy during attack, while the specific objectives typically seek ...
'' (1945) - Old Woman (uncredited) * ''
Messenger of Peace ''Messenger of Peace'' is a 1947 American drama film directed by Frank Strayer, which stars John Beal, Peggy Stewart, and Paul Guilfoyle. The screenplay was written by Glenn Tryon from an original story by Henry Rische. It was produced by the ...
'' (1947) - Grandma Frommel * '' The Girl from Manhattan'' (1948) - Old woman * ''
The Sickle or the Cross ''The Sickle or the Cross'' is a 1949 American drama film directed by Frank Strayer, which stars Kent Taylor, Gloria Holden, and Gene Lockhart. The screenplay was written by Jesse L. Lasky Jr. from an original story by T. G. Eggers. Produced ...
'' (1949) - Mrs. Burnside * '' Stars in My Crown'' (1950) - Granny Gailbraith (uncredited) * '' Kim'' (1950) - Old Maharanee (uncredited) * ''
The Du Pont Story ''The Du Pont Story'' is a 1950 American historical drama film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Eduard Franz, Marcel Journet and Sigrid Gurie.Christiansen p.94-95 Plot Cast * Eduard Franz as Éleuthère Irénée du Pont * Marcel Journ ...
'' (1950) - Old Lady in Window (uncredited) * '' Here Comes the Groom'' (1951) - Aunt Amy (uncredited) * '' Lydia Bailey'' (1952) - Mme. Antoinette d'Autremont * ''
Pony Soldier ''Pony Soldier'' is a 1952 American Northern Western film set in Canada, but filmed in Sedona, Arizona. It is based on a 1951 ''Saturday Evening Post'' story "Mounted Patrol" by Garnett Weston. It was retitled ''MacDonald of the Canadian Mount ...
'' (1952) - White Moon * ''
Witness to Murder ''Witness to Murder'' is a 1954 American film noir crime drama directed by Roy Rowland and starring Barbara Stanwyck, George Sanders, and Gary Merrill. While the film received moderately positive reviews, it ended up as an also-ran to Alfred H ...
'' (1954) - The Old Lady - Mental Patient * ''
The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
'' (1956) - Frail Old Lady (uncredited)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:De Walt Reynolds, Adeline 1862 births 1961 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Iowa People from Vinton, Iowa Screen Actors Guild University of California, Berkeley alumni American television actresses