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, when ...

era and survived the transition into

talkies A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

. She worked until six months before her death from cancer in 1939. Her films include ''

My Man Godfrey ''My Man Godfrey'' is a 1936 American screwball comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava and starring William Powell and Carole Lombard, who had been briefly married years before appearing together in the film. The screenplay for ''My Man Godfre ...

'' (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, Californ ...

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

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...

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 Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

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 theater, musical in three acts by Frederick Lonsdale and Frank Curzon, with lyrics by Paul Rubens (composer), Paul Rubens and Arthur Wimperis, and music by Paul Rubens (composer), Paul Rubens. It opened at Lond ...

''. 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 Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...

and playwright John Stapleton from Wodehouse's novel, '' A Gentleman of Leisure'') 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 Boot ...

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, earlier ...

'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 Grace George (December 25, 1879 – May 19, 1961) was a prominent American stage actress, who had a long career on Broadway stage and also appeared in two films. Biography Grace George was born on December 25, 1879. She married producer Willi ...

, 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 fil ...

, 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 ...

's '' When Ladies Meet'' become her first

talking picture A sound film is a motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decad ...

. From then on she worked frequently until her death, making another 25 films in seven years. Her final film was ''

Young Mr. Lincoln ''Young Mr. Lincoln'' is a 1939 American biographical drama western film about the early life of President Abraham Lincoln, directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda. Ford and producer Darryl F. Zanuck fought for control of the film, to ...

'' (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 Catherine "Cate" O'Leary (née Donegan; March 1827 – July 3, 1895) was an Irish immigrant living in Chicago, Illinois, who became famous when it was alleged that an accident involving her cow had started the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Born Ca ...

– 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 ''

''. 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 atmosphere ...

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 The rack is a torture device consisting of a rectangular, usually wooden frame, slightly raised from the ground, with a roller at one or both ends. The victim's ankles are fastened to one roller and the wrists are chained to the other. As the in ...

'' (1915 World) Lost * ''

The Ballet Girl ''The Ballet Girl'' (german: Das Mädel vom Ballet) is a 1918 German silent film, silent comedy film directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Ossi Oswalda, Harry Liedtke and Margarete Kupfer.Thomson p. 145 It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in ...

'' (1916 World) Lost *'' The Woman in 47'' (1916 World) (Extant; BFI National Film & TV, London) *''

Then I'll Come Back to You ''Then I'll Come Back to You'' is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by George Irving and starring Alice Brady, Jack Sherrill and Eric Blind. It is based on the novel of the same title by Larry Evans.Goble p.148 Cast * Alice Brady ...

'' (1916 World) Lost *''Tangled Fates'' (1916 World) Lost *''

La Bohème ''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions ''quadri'', ''tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe G ...

'' (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'' (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 Fre ...

'' (1917) Lost * ''

The Dancer's Peril ''The Dancer's Peril'' is a 1917 American silent film, 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, ...

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

'' (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'' (1917) Lost *''

Betsy Ross Elizabeth Griscom Ross (née Griscom;Addie Guthrie Weaver, ''"The Story of Our Flag..."'', 2nd Edition, A. G. Weaver, publ., 1898, p. 73 January 1, 1752 – January 30, 1836), also known by her second and third married names, Ashburn an ...

'' (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 * Ge ...

'' (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 f ...

'' (1918) *''The Knife'' (1918) *''The Spurs of Sybil'' (1918) *''The Trap'' (1918 World) *''

At the Mercy of Men ''At the Mercy of Men'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Charles Miller and starring Alice Brady. Its plot follows a young woman during the Russian Revolution who seeks to find the identity of her attack by a Royal Guard. Plot ...

'' (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 Ha ...

'' (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'' (1918 Select) *''

In the Hollow of Her Hand contemporary advert ''In the Hollow of Her Hand'' is a lost 1918 American silent mystery drama film directed by Charles Maigne and starring Alice Brady. It was produced and distributed by the Select Pictures Corporation. Cast * Alice Brady as ...

'' (1918 Select) * '' The Indestructible Wife'' (1919 Select) *''

The End of the Road ''The End of the Road'' is the second novel by American writer John Barth, published first in 1958, and then in a revised edition in 1967. The irony-laden black comedy's protagonist Jacob Horner suffers from a nihilistic paralysis he calls "co ...

'' (1919 Public Health Films) *''The World to Live In'' (1919 Select) *'' Marie Ltd.'' (1919 Select) * ''

Redhead Red hair (also known as orange hair and ginger hair) is a hair color found in one to two percent of the human population, appearing with greater frequency (two to six percent) among people of Northern or Northwestern European ancestry and ...

'' (1919 Select) *''His Bridal Night'' (1919 Select) *''

The Fear Market ''The Fear Market'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Kenneth Webb and written by Clara Beranger. The film stars Alice Brady, Frank Losee, Harry Mortimer, Richard Hatteras, Edith Stockton, and Bradley Barker. The film was releas ...

'' (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'' (1920 Realart) (*extant; George Eastman House) *'' Out of the Chorus'' (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 1921 American 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, and Harriet Ross. The ...

'' (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 m ...

'' (1922) (*short) *''

Missing Millions ''Missing Millions'' is a 1922 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Joseph Henabery and written by Jack Boyle and Albert S. Le Vino. The Boston Blackie film stars Alice Brady, David Powell (actor), David Powell, Frank Losee, Riley ...

'' (1922 Paramount) Lost *''

Anna Ascends ''Anna Ascends'' is a 1922 American silent romantic drama film directed by Victor Fleming, and based on the 1920 play of the same title by Harry Chapman Ford. Alice Brady reprises her starring role from the Broadway play. The film is largely ...

'' (1922 Paramount) (*6 min. fragment) *''

The Leopardess ''The Leopardess'' is a 1923 American silent South Seas melodrama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Henry Kolker, and starred Alice Brady in her next to last silent film. Ca ...

'' (1923 Paramount) Lost *'' The Snow Bride'' (1923 Paramount) Lost Sound *'' When Ladies Meet'' (1933 MGM) *''

Beauty for Sale ''Beauty for Sale'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code film about the romantic entanglements of three beauty salon employees. Based on the 1933 novel ''Beauty'' by Faith Baldwin, it stars Madge Evans, Alice Brady, Otto Kruger and Un ...

'' (1933 MGM) * '' Stage Mother'' (1933 MGM) * '' Broadway to Hollywood'' (1933 MGM) *''

The Gay Divorcee ''The Gay Divorcee'' is a 1934 American musical film directed by Mark Sandrich and starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It also features Alice Brady, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore, and Erik Rhodes (actor, born 1906), Erik Rhodes. The sc ...

'' (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 Alexa ...

'' (1934 Paramount) *''

Gold Diggers of 1935 ''Gold Diggers of 1935'' is an American musical film directed and choreographed by Busby Berkeley, and starring Dick Powell, Adolphe Menjou, Gloria Stuart and Alice Brady. Winifred Shaw, Hugh Herbert and Glenda Farrell are also featured. The son ...

'' (1935 Warner Brothers) *''

Let 'Em Have It ''Let 'Em Have It'' is a 1935 American gangster film directed by Sam Wood. The film was also known under the title ''False Faces'' in the United Kingdom and ''The Legion of Valour'' in Australia. Plot An FBI agent tracks down a gang leader. Cast ...

'' (1935 United Artists) *''

Three Smart Girls ''Three Smart Girls'' is a 1936 American musical comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Barbara Read, Nan Grey, Deanna Durbin (her feature film debut), and Ray Milland. The film's screenplay was written by Adele Comandini and Austin P ...

'' (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) *''

'' (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 prev ...

'' (1936 Republic Pictures) *''

Call It a Day ''Call It a Day'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Olivia de Havilland, Ian Hunter, Anita Louise, Alice Brady, Roland Young, and Frieda Inescort. Based on the 1935 play '' Call It a Day'' by Dodie Smith, the ...

'' (1937 Warner Brothers) *''

One Hundred Men and a Girl ''One Hundred Men and a Girl'' (styled 100 Men and a Girl in advertising) is a 1937 American musical comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Deanna Durbin and the maestro Leopold Stokowski. Written by Charles Kenyon, Bruce Manning, and ...

'' (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 bec ...

'' (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 city, ...

'' (1939 United Artists) *''

'' (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