Carmelita Geraghty (March 21, 1901 – July 7, 1966) was an American silent-film actress and painter.
Early life
The daughter of screenwriter
Tom Geraghty, she was the sister of writers
Maurice and
Gerald Geraghty. Her father wrote scenarios for
Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and others.
["Carmelita Geraghty Dies at 65; Painter Played in Silent Films", ''The New York Times''. July 8, 196]
Geraghty was born on March 21, 1901,
in
Rushville, Indiana, attended schools in New York,
and graduated from
Hollywood High School. Although her parents wished her to stay at home, she went off to become a movie star.
Her father was slow to approve of his daughter's new employment. Geraghty achieved a measure of success as a
Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American producer, director, actor, and studio head who was known as the "King of Comedy" during his career.
Born in Danville, Quebec, he started acting i ...
featured player.
Career
Geraghty worked as a continuity clerk before she appeared on film.
She started work out as an extra in the early 1920s, using a fictitious name until getting her big break. She was selected as one of the
WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1924. She soon became a leading actress, including a co-starring role with
Virginia Valli in ''
The Pleasure Garden'' (1925), the first film directed by
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
. She played golfer Jordan Baker in the first film version of ''
The Great Gatsby'' (1926).
A ''New York Times'' review of one of her films commented that Geraghty "gives the only performance worth mentioning. She has very pretty eyes and obviously would be able to make her acting count for something in a more dramatic vehicle."
[Hall, Mourdant (June 30, 1925). "The Screen", '']The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', p. 22
When the age of sound dawned, her career began to crumble. Her roles began to be much smaller. Her last film role was in ''Phantom of Santa Fe'' (1936). She then retired from film altogether. Wilson worked on the
Andy Hardy and
Dr. Kildare films.
She became a very accomplished artist about ten years after leaving motion pictures.
Her painting style was reminiscent of
French Impressionism. In the last years of her life, her artwork was put on display at the Weil Gardens in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.
Personal life
She married
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
writer and producer
Carey Wilson on May 6, 1934, in Beverly Hills, and the marriage ended in 1962 upon his death.
Death
On July 7, 1966, Geraghty died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
at the
Lombardy Hotel in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, aged 65.
[ https://www.nytimes.com/1966/07/08/archives/carmelita-geraghty-dies-at-65-painter-played-in-silent-films.html] She is interred in the
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematorium, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries ...
in
Hollywood, California
Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...
.
[''Mack Sennett's Fun Factory''](_blank)
/ref>
Partial filmography
* '' Bag and Baggage'' (1923)
* '' Jealous Husbands'' (1923)
* '' Black Oxen'' (1923)
* '' Discontented Husbands'' (1924)
* '' Through the Dark'' (1924)
* '' Trouble Brewing'' (1924)
* '' Geared to Go'' (1924)
* '' High Speed'' (1924)
* '' The Pleasure Garden'' (1925)
* '' Cyclone Cavalier'' (1925)
* ''Brand of Cowardice
''Brand of Cowardice'' is a 1925 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by John P. McCarthy and starring Bruce Gordon (actor/director), Bruce Gordon, Carmelita Geraghty and Harry Lonsdale (actor), Harry Lonsdale.
C ...
'' (1925)
* '' The Mysterious Stranger'' (1925)
* '' Under the Rouge'' (1925)
* '' Passionate Youth'' (1925)
* '' My Lady of Whims'' (1925)
* '' The Great Gatsby'' (1926)
* '' The Canyon of Light'' (1926)
* '' The Flying Mail'' (1926)
* '' Josselyn' Wife'' (1926)
* '' The Small Bachelor'' (1927)
* '' Venus of Venice'' (1927)
* '' The Girl from Everywhere'' (1927)
* '' The Slaver'' (1927)
* '' The Last Trail'' (1927)
* ''My Best Girl
''My Best Girl'' is a 1927 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Sam Taylor starring Mary Pickford and Charles "Buddy" Rogers that was produced by Pickford. Rogers later married Pickford. Charles Rosher received an Academy Award ...
'' (1927)
* '' What Every Girl Should Know'' (1927)
* '' South of Panama'' (1928)
* '' Object: Alimony'' (1928)
* '' The Mississippi Gambler'' (1929)
* '' Paris Bound'' (1929)
* '' After the Fog'' (1929)
* '' This Thing Called Love'' (1929)
* '' What Men Want'' (1930)
* '' Men Without Law'' (1930)
* '' Rogue of the Rio Grande'' (1930)
* '' Fighting Thru'' (1930)
* '' Brothers'' (1930) (uncredited)
* '' Millie'' (1931)
* '' Forgotten Women'' (1931)
* '' The Devil Plays'' (1931)
* '' Fifty Million Frenchman'' (1931)
* '' Daybreak'' (1931)
* '' The Texas Ranger'' (1931)
* '' Graft'' (1931)
* '' Jungle Mystery'' (1932)
* '' Night Life in Reno'' (1932)
* '' Malay Nights'' (1932)
* ''Prestige
Prestige may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Films
*Prestige (film), ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett: woman travels to French Indochina to meet up with husband
*The Prestige (film), ''The Prestige'' (fi ...
'' (1932)
* '' Escapade'' (1932)
* '' The Flaming Signal'' (1933)
* '' Manhattan Butterfly'' (1935)
* '' The Phantom of Santa Fe'' (1936)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geraghty, Carmelita
1901 births
1966 deaths
20th-century American painters
20th-century American actresses
People from Rushville, Indiana
Actresses from New York City
American film actresses
American silent film actresses
Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Western (genre) film actresses