Alice Brady (born Mary Rose Brady; November 2, 1892 – October 28, 1939) was an American actress who began her career in the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

era and survived the transition into talkies. She worked until six months before her death from cancer in 1939. Her films include '' My Man Godfrey'' (1936), in which she plays the flighty mother of

Carole Lombard Carole Lombard (born Jane Alice Peters; October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress, particularly noted for her energetic, often off-beat roles in screwball comedies. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Lombard 2 ...

's character, and ''

In Old Chicago ''In Old Chicago'' is a 1938 American disaster musical drama film directed by Henry King. The screenplay by Sonya Levien and Lamar Trotti was based on the Niven Busch story, "We the O'Learys". The film is a fictionalized account about the G ...

'' (1937) for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1960, Brady received a motion pictures star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

for her contributions to the film industry. Her star is located at 6201 Hollywood Boulevard.

Early life

Mary Rose Brady was born in New York City. Her father, William A. Brady, was an important theatrical producer. Her mother, French actress Rose Marie Rene, died in 1896. She was interested at an early age in becoming an actress. She first went on the stage when she was 14 and got her first job on Broadway in 1911 at the age of 18, in a show with which her father was associated.

Career

Billed as Mary Rose, Brady debuted on stage in 1911 in New Haven in the operetta ''

The Balkan Princess ''The Balkan Princess'' is a musical in three acts by Frederick Lonsdale and Frank Curzon, with lyrics by Paul Rubens and Arthur Wimperis, and music by Paul Rubens. It opened at London's Prince of Wales Theatre on 19 February 1910. The cast in ...

''. In 1913, Brady appeared with

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly att ...

in ''A Thief for a Night'' (adapted by P. G. Wodehouse and playwright John Stapleton from Wodehouse's novel, ''

A Gentleman of Leisure ''A Gentleman of Leisure'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse. The basic plot first appeared in a novella, ''The Gem Collector'', in the December 1909 issue of '' Ainslee's Magazine''. It was substantially revised and expanded for publication as a ...

'') at

McVicker's Theatre McVicker's Theater (1857–1984) was a playhouse in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Built for actor James Hubert McVicker, the theater was the leading stage for comedic plays in Chicago's early years. It often hosted performances by Edwin Booth ...

in Chicago. She continued to perform on Broadway (often in shows her father produced) consistently for the next 22 years. In 1931 she appeared in the premiere of

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earli ...

's ''

Mourning Becomes Electra ''Mourning Becomes Electra'' is a play cycle written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on 26 October 1931 where it ran for 150 performances before closing in March 1932, starring Lee Baker ...

''. Her step-mother was actress Grace George, whom her father married when Alice was a child. Her half-brother was William A. Brady Jr, the son of her father and Grace George. Darkest Russia (1917 film)

Brady's father moved into movie production and presentation in 1913, with his

World Film Company The World Film Company or World Film Corporation was an American film production and distribution company, organized in 1914 in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Short-lived but significant in American film history, World Film was created by financier and fi ...

, and Brady soon followed along after him, making her first silent feature appearance in ''As Ye Sow'' in 1914. She appeared in 53 films in the next 10 years, all while continuing to perform on stage, the film industry at the time being centered in New York. Alice Brady autographed drawing by Manuel Rosenberg, 1920

Alice Brady autographed drawing by Manuel Rosenberg, 1920

In 1923, she stopped appearing in films to concentrate on stage acting, and did not appear on the screen again until 1933, when she made the move to Hollywood and

M-G-M Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

's '' When Ladies Meet'' become her first talking picture. From then on she worked frequently until her death, making another 25 films in seven years. Her final film was '' Young Mr. Lincoln'' (1939).

Personal life and death

Brady was married to actor James Crane from 1919 to 1922, when they divorced. They co-starred in three silent films together: ''His Bridal Night'' (1919), ''Sinners'' (1920) and ''A Dark Lantern'' (1920). The couple had one child, Donald. Brady died from cancer on October 28, 1939, five days before her 47th birthday.

Awards

For her portrayal of Mrs. Molly O'Leary – a fictionalized version of Catherine O'Leary – in 1937's ''

'', Brady won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.Quinlan, David (1996) ''Quinlan's Film Stars'', 4th edn., B.T. Batsford, , p. 63 She had been nominated for the same award the year before as well, for her work in '' My Man Godfrey''. A long-enduring myth states that at the Academy Award presentation dinner, Brady's Oscar Award, a plaque (statuettes were not awarded for the Supporting categories until 1943) was stolen by a man who came onstage to accept the award on the absent actress's behalf and that it was never recovered, and the impostor was never tracked down. The Academy then issued a replacement plaque which was later presented to Brady. However, according to press at the time the film's director, Henry King, accepted on her behalf at the ceremony and friends of Ms. Brady delivered it to her home later that night. Winners were given blank awards at the ceremony and returned them to the Academy to have them engraved afterward. In 2016, the Oscar historian Olivia Rutigliano noted that Miss Brady also followed this practice, which may have led to the story that the Academy was presenting her with a replacement trophy.

Filmography

A sample of her more than 80

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

s includes: Silent Tangled Fates

*'' The Boss'' (1915 World Film) Lost *''A Cup of Chance'' (1915 General Film) *''The Lure of Woman'' (1915 World) (Incomplete; Library of Congress) *'' The Rack'' (1915 World) Lost * '' The Ballet Girl'' (1916 World) Lost *'' The Woman in 47'' (1916 World) (Extant; BFI National Film & TV, London) *'' Then I'll Come Back to You'' (1916 World) Lost *''Tangled Fates'' (1916 World) Lost *'' La Bohème'' (1916 World) ''La vie de Bohème'' (*short) (Extant; Geo. Eastman House) *''Miss Petticoats'' (1916 World) (Extant; Geo. Eastman House) *'' The Gilded Cage'' (1916 World) (*Extant; Library of Congress, Geo. Eastman, BFI, London) * ''

Bought and Paid For ''Bought and Paid For'' is a lost 1922 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by William C. deMille and starred Agnes Ayres. It is based on a play by George Broadhurst ...

'' (1916 World) Lost *'' A Woman Alone'' (1917) Lost *''

A Hungry Heart ''A Hungry Heart'' is a 1917 silent film drama directed by Emile Chautard and starring Alice Brady. It was produced and distributed by World Film Corporation. It is sometimes called The Hungry Heart but shouldn't be confused with the Pauline Fred ...

'' (1917) Lost * ''

The Dancer's Peril ''The Dancer's Peril'' is a 1917 American silent romance film directed by Travers Vale and starring Alice Brady, Philip Hahn and Harry Benham. Its plotline features the Ballets Russes, then appearing in a show by the Shubert Brothers, major bac ...

'' (1917) (*Extant; DVD Grapevine video, Geo. Eastman, Cineteca Del Friuli) *''

Darkest Russia ''Darkest Russia'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Travers Vale and starring Alice Brady, John Bowers and J. Herbert Frank.Goble p.145 Cast * Alice Brady as Ilda Barosky * John Bowers as Alexis Nazimoff * J. Herbert Frank ...

'' (1917) (Incomplete; Library of Congress) * ''

Maternity ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...

'' (1917) Lost *''

The Divorce Game ''The Divorce Game'' is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Travers Vale and starring Alice Brady, John Bowers and Arthur Ashley. The story was adapted from the play ''Mlle. Fifi'' by Leo Ditrichstein. Cast * Alice Brady as Florence ...

'' (1917) Lost *''

A Self-Made Widow ''A Self-Made Widow'' is a lost 1917 silent film comedy drama directed by Travers Vale and starring Alice Brady. Cast *Alice Brady Alice Brady (born Mary Rose Brady; November 2, 1892 – October 28, 1939) was an American actress who began he ...

'' (1917) Lost *'' Betsy Ross'' (1917) (*extant; online, Grapevine DVD) * ''

A Maid of Belgium ''A Maid of Belgium'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by George Archainbaud and starring Alice Brady, Louise de Rigney and George MacQuarrie.Parish & Pitts p.7 Cast * Alice Brady as Adoree * Louise de Rigney as Claire Hudson * ...

'' (1917) *'' Her Silent Sacrifice'' (1917) (*extant; Library of Congress) *''

Woman and Wife ''Woman and Wife'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Edward Jose and starring Alice Brady. It is based on the 1847 novel ''Jane Eyre'' by Charlotte Brontë. The Select Pictures Corporation produced and distributed the film. The fi ...

'' (1918) *''The Knife'' (1918) *''The Spurs of Sybil'' (1918) *''The Trap'' (1918 World) *'' At the Mercy of Men'' (1918 Select) *''

The Ordeal of Rosetta ''The Ordeal of Rosetta'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Emile Chautard and starring Alice Brady, Crauford Kent and Ormi Hawley.Bertellini p.233 Cast * Alice Brady as Rosetta / Lola Gelardi (twins) * Crauford Kent as Aubrey ...

'' (1918 Select) * '' The Whirlpool'' (1918 Select) *'' The Death Dance'' (1918 Select) *''

The Better Half ''The Better Half'' is an American comic strip created by Bob Barnes. It follows the lives of a married couple, Stanley and Harriet Parker, and the usual annoyances couples have with one another after years of marriage. In 1958, the strip won Bar ...

'' (1918 Select) *''

Her Great Chance ''Her Great Chance'' is a lost 1918 silent film drama directed by Charles Maigne and starring Alice Brady. It was produced and released by Select Pictures. Cast *Alice Brady - Lola Gray * David Powell - Charles Cox * Nellie Parker Spaulding - Mrs. ...

'' (1918 Select) *'' In the Hollow of Her Hand'' (1918 Select) * '' The Indestructible Wife'' (1919 Select) *'' The End of the Road'' (1919 Public Health Films) *''The World to Live In'' (1919 Select) *'' Marie Ltd.'' (1919 Select) * '' Redhead'' (1919 Select) *''His Bridal Night'' (1919 Select) *'' The Fear Market'' (1920 Realart) *''

Sinners In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

'' (1920 Realart) *''

A Dark Lantern ''A Dark Lantern'' is a lost 1920 American silent drama film produced and released by Realart Pictures. It is based on a 1905 novel of the same name by Elizabeth Robins. John S. Robertson directed and Alice Brady and her then husband James Cr ...

'' (1920 Realart) *''

The New York Idea Langdon Elwyn Mitchell (February 17, 1862 – October 21, 1935) was an American playwright popular on Broadway in the early twentieth century. He was the son of a noted writer and neurologist, S. Weir Mitchell (inventor of the "rest cure"), an ...

'' (1920 Realart) (*extant; George Eastman House) *''

Out of the Chorus ''Out of the Chorus'' is a lost 1921 American silent drama film starring Alice Brady and directed by Herbert Blache. It was produced and distributed by Paramount offshoot Realart Pictures.''The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 192 ...

'' (1921 Realart) *'' The Land of Hope'' (1921 Realart) Lost *''Little Italy'' (1921 Realart) Lost *''

Dawn of the East ''Dawn of the East'' is a lost film, lost 1921 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Edward H. Griffith and written by E. Lloyd Sheldon. The film stars Alice Brady, Kenneth Harlan, Michio Itō, America Chedister, Betty Carpenter, ...

'' (1921 Paramount-Realart ) Lost *''

Hush Money Hush money is a term for an arrangement in which one person or party offers another an attractive sum of money or other enticement, in exchange for remaining silent about some illegal, stigmatized, or shameful behavior, action, or other fact abo ...

'' (1921 Paramount) Lost *''

A Trip to Paramountown ''A Trip to Paramountown'' is a 1922 American short silent documentary film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released through Paramount Pictures, to celebrate 10 years of Paramount's founding. The film runs about 20 minutes and features ma ...

'' (1922) (*short) *'' Missing Millions'' (1922 Paramount) Lost *'' Anna Ascends'' (1922 Paramount) (*6 min. fragment) *'' The Leopardess'' (1923 Paramount) Lost *''

The Snow Bride ''The Snow Bride'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Henry Kolker, written by Julie Herne and Sonya Levien, and starring Alice Brady, Maurice 'Lefty' Flynn, Mario Majeroni, Nick Thompson, Jack Baston, and Stephen Grattan. It wa ...

'' (1923 Paramount) Lost Sound *'' When Ladies Meet'' (1933 MGM) *'' Beauty for Sale'' (1933 MGM) * '' Stage Mother'' (1933 MGM) * ''

Broadway to Hollywood ''Broadway to Hollywood'' is an American television program broadcast on the now-defunct DuMont Television Network. While the daytime version was mainly a talk show with news, celebrity gossip, and home-viewer quizzes, the quiz portion became a ...

'' (1933 MGM) *'' The Gay Divorcee'' (1934 RKO) *''

Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen ''Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen'' is a 1934 pre-Code American comedy-drama film, starring Dorothea Wieck, Alice Brady, and Baby LeRoy, written by Adela Rogers St. Johns and Jane Storm from a novel and story by Rupert Hughes, and directed by Alexan ...

'' (1934 Paramount) *'' Gold Diggers of 1935'' (1935 Warner Brothers) *'' Let 'Em Have It'' (1935 United Artists) *'' Three Smart Girls'' (1936 Universal) *''

Go West, Young Man Go west, young man may refer to: * " Go West, young man", a quote often attributed to American author Horace Greeley concerning America's expansion westward Film and television * ''Go West, Young Man'' (1918 film), an American comedy western film ...

'' (1936 Paramount) *'' My Man Godfrey'' (1936 Universal) *''

The Harvester ''The Harvester'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Joseph Santley and written by Homer Croy, Robert Lee Johnson, Elizabeth Meehan and Gertrude Orr. It is based on the 1911 novel ''The Harvester'' by Gene Stratton-Porter, which had pr ...

'' (1936 Republic Pictures) *'' Call It a Day'' (1937 Warner Brothers) *'' One Hundred Men and a Girl'' (1937 Universal) *''

'' (1937 20th Century-Fox) *''

Mr. Dodd Takes the Air ''Mr. Dodd Takes the Air'' is a 1937 American musical comedy film. Composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dubin were nominated at the 10th Academy Awards in the category of Best Song for "Remember Me". Plot summary A small town electrician becom ...

'' (1937 Warner Brothers) *''

Goodbye Broadway ''Goodbye Broadway'' is a 1938 American film. The movie is based on the play ''The Shannons of Broadway'' written by actor (and ex-vaudevillian) James Gleason. A previous film had been made of the play entitled ''The Shannons of Broadway''. Pl ...

'' (1938 Universal) *''

Zenobia Septimia Zenobia ( Palmyrene Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; AD 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the cit ...

'' (1939 United Artists) *'' Young Mr. Lincoln'' (1939 20th Century-Fox) La Boheme - Friday the 13th.jpg, ''La Bohème'', 1916 Miss Petticoats.jpg, ''Miss Petticoats'', 1916 'Bought and Paid For'.jpg, ''Bought and Paid For'', 1916 'The Gilded Cage'.jpg, ''The Gilded Cage'', 1916 The Hungry Heart.jpg, ''The Hungry Heart'', 1917 The Dancer's Peril.jpg, ''The Dancer's Peril'', 1917 A Self-Made Widow.jpg, ''A Self-Made Widow'', 1917 Her Silent Sacrifice.jpg, ''Her Silent Sacrifice'', 1917 Alice Brady in Woman and Wife.jpg, ''Woman and Wife'', 1918 Woman and Wife.jpg, ''Woman and Wife'', 1918 The Whirlpool (1918 movie advertisement).jpg, ''The Whirlpool'', 1919 The World To Live In.jpg, ''The World To Live In'', 1919

References

External links

* * * * *
Literature on Alice Brady

Alice Brady portrait 1910s

Alice Brady at the NY Public Library Billy Rose Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brady, Alice 1892 births 1939 deaths American film actresses American silent film actresses American stage actresses Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners Deaths from cancer in New York (state) 20th-century American actresses Actresses from New York City Articles containing video clips Broadway theatre people