Rose Elizabeth Tapley (June 30, 1881 – February 23, 1956) was an American actress of the stage and an early heroine of silent films.

Early life

Tapley was born in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...

. She was the cousin of Captain Robert Bartlett, commander of the S.S. ''Roosevelt'' and the S.S. '' Karluk''. All of her relatives on her father's side for generations were sailors. Her grandfather's generation included nine sailing masters or captains. Tapley's mother's name was Elizabeth Stagg Riker. She was the granddaughter of Abram Polhemus, one of the founders of the old

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...

in New York City. He was a merchant marine prince as a young man. Tapley was educated in the public schools of

Malden, Massachusetts Malden is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 66,263 people. History Malden is a hilly woodland area no ...

and at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

Career

Tapley performed on stage from 1900 to 1909. Her first theatrical engagement was with the Myron B. Rice Company, as ''Bernice'', in ''My Friend From India''. During the season of 1900 she played every other woman's part in this play. She starred with popular actors of the era such as

Richard Mansfield Richard Mansfield (24 May 1857 – 30 August 1907) was a German-born English actor-manager best known for his performances in Shakespeare plays, Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and the play ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1887 play), Dr. Jekyll and Mr ...

Chauncey Olcott Chauncey Olcott, born John Chancellor Olcott and often spelled Chauncey Alcott (July 21, 1858 – March 18, 1932), was an American stage actor, songwriter and singer of Irish descent. Biography He was born in Buffalo, New York. His mother, Mar ...

, E.H. Sothern, and J.H. Stoddard. With Mansfield, Rose acted in ''Beau Brummel'', ''Monsieur Beaucaire'', ''A Parisian Romance'', and ''First Violin''. One of her most noted roles was in ''The Sign of the Cross''. Her first motion picture appearance was in 1905. Tapley was featured in the

Thomas Alva Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions ...

film, ''Wanted a Wife''. Soon after she performed in the first standard two reeler, ''The Money Kings''. She signed a contract with the old

Vitagraph Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907 ...

Company in May 1909, making her the first ''

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person w ...

'' of movies. She was also the first star of the stage to begin a film career. She acted with Vitagraph,

Famous Players–Lasky The Famous Players–Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Companyoriginally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Playsan ...

, and for

Fox Film The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox. It was the corporate successor to his earlier Greater Ne ...

until her retirement in 1931. Her credits number 175 films. Some of the titles are ''The Way of the Cross'' (1909), ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' (1909), ''The Cave Man'' (1912), ''Every Inch A Man'' (1912), '' Seeing Double'' (1913), ''

One Can't Always Tell ''One Can't Always Tell'' is a short American silent comedy film. Release ''One Can't Always Tell'' was released on May 31, 1913, in the United States, where it was presented as a split-reel with ''If Dreams Came True; or, Who'd Have Thunk It?'' ...

'' (1913), ''Mr. Jarr and the Society Circus'' (1915), ''Her Majesty'' (1922), ''God's Great Wilderness'' (1927), ''His First Command'' (1929), and ''

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

'' (1931). Tapley was frequently called the ''Mother of Movies''. She served as official hostess at a number of motion picture expositions at different locales throughout the country. In 1916–1917 Rose toured America as a representative of the film industry. She made appearances in front of state legislatures, businesses, and women's clubs. All of this to promote interest in the quality of movies. On Broadway, Tapley appeared in ''Robert Burns'' (1905), ''Zombie'' (1932), and ''Satellite'' (1935).

Personal life and death

Tapley was married on March 20, 1906, to New York City attorney Frank E. Holahan who died in October 1955. She died at age 74 at the Motion Picture & Television Country Home and Hospital in

Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States. History The area was inhabited for around 8,000 years by Native Americans in the United States, ...

, in 1956. She was survived by a daughter, Rosemary Holahan, and three sisters. Her funeral was conducted at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church,

Canoga Park, California Canoga Park is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Before the Mexican–American War, the district was part of a Ranchos of California, rancho, and after the American victory it was converted ...

. She was buried at San Fernando Mission Cemetery.

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1909) * '' The Telephone'' (1910) *''

A Cure for Pokeritis ''A Cure for Pokeritis'' is a 1912 short silent film starring John Bunny and Flora Finch. After Bunny's death in 1915, a re-release was announced with the alternative title ''A Sure Cure for Pokeritis''. The film, a domestic comedy, depicts a wo ...

'' (1912) *'' Her Choice'' (1912) *''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' (1912) *'' Seeing Double'' (1913) *''

'' (1913) *''My Official Wife'' (1914) *''

Hearts and the Highway ''Hearts and the Highway'' is a 1915 silent film historical drama directed by Wilfrid North and produced by the Vitagraph Company of America. It is based on a novel of the same title by Cyrus Townsend Brady. The film is now lost with no archiv ...

'' (1915) *''

The Chattel ''The Chattel'' is a lost 1916 silent film drama directed by Frederick A. Thomson and starring stage actor E. H. Sothern. It was produced and distributed by the Vitagraph Company of America.''Pictorial History of the Silent Screen'', p.114 c.1 ...

'' (1916) * ''

Her Majesty Her Majesty may refer to: * Majesty, a style used by monarchs and wives of kings * Her Majesty (song), "Her Majesty" (song), a 1969 song by the Beatles about Queen Elizabeth II * ''Her Majesty the Decemberists'', an album from The Decemberists * H ...

'' (1922) *''

Java Head Tanjung Layar, formerly Java's Eerste Punt in Dutch, and Java's First Point or Java Head in English, is a prominent cape at the extreme western end of Java, at the Indian Ocean entrance to the Sunda Strait. Java Head is a bluff at the sea's edg ...

'' (1923) *''

The Man Who Fights Alone ''The Man Who Fights Alone'' is a 1924 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Wallace Worsley and starred William Farnum and Lois Wilson. Cast Preservation With ...

'' (1924) *'' The Redeeming Sin'' (1925) * '' The Scarlet Honeymoon'' (1925) *''

The Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. During its 18 months of opera ...

'' (1925) *''

The Prince of Pilsen ''The Prince of Pilsen'' is a lost 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Paul Powell and starring Anita Stewart and George Sidney. David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical prod ...

'' (1926) *'' Morganson's Finish'' (1926) * '' God's Great Wilderness'' (1927) * ''

Out of the Past ''Out of the Past'' (billed in the United Kingdom as ''Build My Gallows High'') is a 1947 American film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. The film was adapted by Geoffrey Homes (Daniel ...

'' (1927) * '' His First Command'' (1929) *''

Paris Bound (''For a similar sounding film of the same year see Paris (1929 film)'') ''Paris Bound'' is a 1927 play by Philip Barry. It was made into a film in 1929, directed by Edward H. Griffith and starring Ann Harding and Fredric March. Plot Jim Hu ...

'' (1929) *''

'' (1931) *''

Sex Madness ''Sex Madness'' is a 1938 American exploitation film directed by Dwain Esper, along the lines of ''Reefer Madness'', supposedly to warn teenagers and young adults of the dangers of venereal diseases, specifically syphilis.Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'',
First Heroine of Silent Films, Rose Tapley, Dies
, February 25, 1956, Page A1. *'' Ogden Examiner'', "Rose Tapley To Be In Person At Ogden", Wednesday Morning, April 18, 1917, Page 6.

External links

* *
1925 passport photo of Rose TapleyRosemary Holahan and Rose Tapley, an Actress
ca. 1913,

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tapley, Rose 1881 births 1956 deaths Actresses from Massachusetts American stage actresses American film actresses American silent film actresses Entertainers from Salem, Massachusetts People from Petersburg, Virginia 20th-century American actresses Broadway theatre people