Ethel Grey Terry (October 2, 1882 – January 6, 1931) was an American actress of the

silent era A silent film is a film without 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, wh ...

. She is best remembered for her role in '' The Penalty'' with Lon Chaney.

Early years

Ethel Grey Terry was born in Oakland, California, the daughter of actress Lillian Lawrence, a single mother. She first appeared on stage, in a supporting role to Wallace Eddinger, when she was 5 years old. Raised in

Roxbury, Massachusetts Roxbury () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Roxbury is a Municipal annexation in the United States, dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for ne ...

, Terry attended Notre Dame Academy for seven years. She had an early interest in art and planned to make her career in that field.

Career

Terry appeared on Broadway for two years in David Belasco's productions and later performed in Shubert productions. Her Broadway credits included ''Honor Be Damned!'' (1927), ''Search Me'' (1915), ''The Smoldering Flame'' (1913), ''The Only Son'' (1911), and ''The Lily'' (1909). Her activities on stage included speaking the first line when the Little Theater opened in Los Angeles with a production of ''The Pigeon''. She also had the female lead in ''Anatole'' at that theater and portrayed the mother in ''Civilian Clothes'' when it was presented in Chicago. Terry operated a stock theater company in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

, and it also presented plays in Boston, Minneapolis, and St. Paul. Terry appeared in 52 films between 1914 and 1928, sometimes as a leading lady but often in supporting roles.

Personal life and death

She married Danish actor Carl Gerard in 1910 and remained with him until her death. On January 6, 1931, following a year's illness, Terry died at her home in Hollywood, aged 48. Her ashes were interred at

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 ...

Selected filmography

* '' The Sign of the Cross'' (1914) * ''

Intolerance Intolerance may refer to: * Hypersensitivity or intolerance, undesirable reactions produced by the immune system * ''Intolerance'' (film), a 1916 film by D. W. Griffith * ''Intolerance'' (album), the first solo album from Grant Hart, formerly ...

'' (1916) * '' The Secret of the Storm Country'' (1917) * '' Vengeance Is Mine'' (1917) * '' Arsene Lupin'' (1917) * ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' (Danish language, Danish and ; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act Play (theatre), play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 De ...

'' (1918) * '' Just for Tonight'' (1918) * '' Phil for Short'' (1919) * '' The Mystery of the Yellow Room'' (1919) * '' Going Some'' (1920) * '' The Penalty'' (1920) * '' Food for Scandal'' (1920) * '' A Thousand to One'' (1920) * ''

Habit A habit (or wont, as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. A 1903 paper in the '' American Journal of Psychology'' defined a "habit, from the standpoint of psychology, ...

'' (1921) * '' The Breaking Point'' (1921) * '' Shattered Idols'' (1922) * '' Too Much Business'' (1922) * '' Travelin' On'' (1922) * '' The Crossroads of New York'' (1922) * '' Oath-Bound'' (1922) * '' The Kickback'' (1922) * '' Under Two Flags'' (1922) * ''

Peg o' My Heart "Peg o' My Heart" is a popular song written by Alfred Bryan (lyricist), Alfred Bryan (words) and Fred Fisher (music). It was published on March 15, 1913 and it featured in the 1913 musical ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The song was first performed publ ...

'' (1922) * ''

Brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

'' (1923) * '' What Wives Want'' (1923) * ''

Why Women Remarry ''Why Women Remarry'' is a 1923 American silent crime drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is ...

'' (1923) * '' Garrison's Finish'' (1923) * '' The Unknown Purple'' (1923) * ''

Wild Bill Hickok James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837August 2, 1876), better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, reconnaissance, scout, lawman, cattle rustler, gunslinger, gambler, s ...

'' (1923) * '' The Self-Made Wife'' (1923) * '' The Fast Worker'' (1924) * '' Old Shoes'' (1925) * '' What Fools Men'' (1925) * ''

Hard Boiled ''Hard Boiled'' ()Elder, 2005, pg. xxviii is a 1992 Hong Kong action thriller film directed by John Woo from a screenplay by Gordon Chan and Barry Wong based on a story written by Woo. The film stars Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, an ...

'' (1926) * '' The Love Toy'' (1926) * ''

The Cancelled Debt ''The Cancelled Debt'' is a 1927 American silent melodrama film, directed by Phil Rosen. It stars Rex Lease, Charlotte Stevens, and Florence Turner, and was released on September 1, 1927. Cast list * Rex Lease as Patrick Burke * Charlotte Steve ...

'' (1927) * ''

Modern Mothers ''Modern Mothers'' is a lost 1928 American silent drama film, directed by Phil Rosen Philip E. Rosen (May 8, 1888 – October 22, 1951) was an American film director and cinematographer. He directed more than 140 films between 1915 and ...

'' (1928) * '' Confessions of a Wife'' (1928) * '' Object: Alimony'' (1928)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Terry, Ethel Grey 1882 births 1931 deaths Actresses from Oakland, California American film actresses American silent film actresses 20th-century American actresses American stage actresses Broadway theatre people