Ethel Wales (April 4, 1878 – February 15, 1952) was an American actress who appeared in more than 130 films during her 30-year career.

Biography

Born in 1878 in

Passaic, New Jersey Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,78 ...

, Wales graduated from "Wisconsin university". Wales had a multifaceted professional relationship with Cecil DeMille and

William deMille William Churchill deMille (July 25, 1878 – March 5, 1955), also spelled de Mille or De Mille, was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent film era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into ...

, beginning with her acting in their plays in the eastern United States. When the brothers moved to Hollywood and began working with films, Wales was their secretary and casting director. In 1927, Cecil De Mille signed her to a long-term contract to act in films. Her first film for Cecil DeMille was ''

The Whispering Chorus ''The Whispering Chorus'' is a 1918 American silent psychological drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It is the first and earliest film was considered a psychological drama. Plot John Tremble (Hatton), an impoverished cashier in a cont ...

'' (1918). She was the first wife of Wellington E. Wales,

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

's business manager during the height of her popularity. The couple had one son, Wellington Charles Wales, an editorial writer for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', who died of a heart attack shortly after his 19-year-old son Samuel was killed in a train mishap. Ethel's second husband was actor

Hal Taliaferro Floyd Taliaferro Alderson (November 13, 1895 – February 10, 1980) was an American film actor who specialized in westerns. After serving in the Great War, he began his career in the era of silent films, when he frequently used the name Wally ...

. On October 23, 1933, Wales married retired businessman John W. Stockton in Yuma, Arizona. She died February 15, 1952, in

Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Geography Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of Ca ...

at age 73. She is buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.

Partial filmography

*'' Midsummer Madness'' (1921) *'' After the Show'' (1921) *'' Miss Lulu Bett'' (1921) *'' Our Leading Citizen'' (1922) *''

The Bonded Woman ''The Bonded Woman'' is an extant 1922 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Phil Rosen and stars Betty Compson, John Bowers (actor), John Bowers, and Richard Dix ( ...

'' (1922) *'' Nice People'' (1922) *''

Manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...

'' (1922) *''

The Covered Wagon ''The Covered Wagon'' is a 1923 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film released by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by James Cruze based on a 1922 novel of the same name by Emerson Hough about a group of pioneers tr ...

'' (1923) *''

The Marriage Maker ''The Marriage Maker'' is a lost 1923 American silent fantasy film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is based on a Broadway play, ''The Faun'', by Edward Knoblock. On stage the faun character was played b ...

'' (1923) * '' Stepping Fast'' (1923) *''

Loving Lies ''Loving Lies'' is a 1924 silent American silent drama film directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starring Evelyn Brent and Monte Blue. Plot As described in a film magazine review, just after Ellen Craig has married Dan Stover, captain of a tug boa ...

'' (1924) *''

The White Sin ''The White Sin'' is a 1924 silent romantic drama film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Madge Bellamy and John Bowers. It was distributed by Film Booking Offices of America (FBO). Plot As described in a review of the film in a film ...

'' (1924) * ''

Which Shall It Be? ''Which Shall It Be?'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Renaud Hoffman and starring Willis Marks, Ethel Wales Ethel Wales (April 4, 1878 – February 15, 1952) was an American actress who appeared in more than 130 films du ...

'' (1924) * '' The Wedding Song'' (1925) *'' Don't'' (1925) *'' The Monster'' (1925) *''

The Rag Man ''The Rag Man'' is a 1925 American comedy-drama film starring Jackie Coogan. The film was directed by Edward F. Cline, and written by Willard Mack. This was the first Jackie Coogan movie made entirely under the MGM banner. Plot Tim Kelly (Jac ...

'' (1925) * ''

Let Women Alone ''Let Women Alone'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Paul Powell and starring Pat O'Malley, Wanda Hawley and Wallace Beery.Munden p.430 Plot After her husband is reportedly drowned at sea, his wife supports herself and their c ...

'' (1925) * '' Shattered Lives'' (1925) * '' Go Straight'' (1925) *'' Steppin' Out'' (1925) *'' Wandering Footsteps'' (1925) *'' Made for Love'' (1926) *'' Take It from Me'' (1926) *'' The Unknown Soldier'' (1926) *''

Cradle Snatchers ''Cradle Snatchers'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Howard Hawks. The picture is based on the 1925 Russell Medcraft and Norma Mitchell stage play of the same name that starred Mary Boland, Edna May Oliver, Raymond Hackett, ...

'' (1927) * ''

Stage Kisses ''Stage Kisses'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Albert H. Kelley and starring Kenneth Harlan, Helene Chadwick and Phillips Smalley.Munden p.761 Synopsis A wealthy man falls in love with an actress and marries her despite the ...

'' (1927) *''

The Satin Woman ''The Satin Woman'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Walter Lang and starring Dorothy Davenport, also known as Mrs. Wallace Reid. The film is preserved in the Library of Congress collection. Cast * Dorothy Davenport as Mrs. Jea ...

'' (1927) * '' The Girl in the Pullman'' (1927) *'' The Country Doctor'' (1927) *''

The Wreck of the Hesperus "The Wreck of the Hesperus" is a narrative poem by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, first published in ''Ballads and Other Poems'' in 1842. It is a story that presents the tragic consequences of a skipper's pride. On an ill-fated voyag ...

'' (1927) *''

Ladies' Night in a Turkish Bath ''Ladies' Night in a Turkish Bath'' is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline. It is based on the 1920 play '' Ladies' Night'' by Charlton Andrews and Avery Hopwood. It was released on April 1, 1928 by First National Pic ...

'' (1928) *''

On to Reno ''On to Reno'' is a 1928 silent film comedy directed by James Cruze and starring Marie Prevost. It was produced by Cecil B. DeMille and released through Pathé Exchange. Cast *Marie Prevost - Vera * Cullen Landis - Bud *Ethel Wales - Mrs. Holme ...

'' (1928) * '' The Perfect Crime'' (1928) *'' Tenth Avenue'' (1928) *'' Craig's Wife'' (1928) *''

Taxi 13 ''Taxi 13'' is a 1928 silent film comedy produced and distributed by Film Booking Offices of America and directed by Marshall Neilan. The film stars Chester Conklin in what is FBO's first film with a pre-recorded soundtrack. Once thought lost, ...

'' (1928) *''

The Donovan Affair ''The Donovan Affair'' is a 1929 American Pre-Code comedic murder-mystery film directed by Frank Capra. It was produced by Harry Cohn for Columbia Pictures and is based upon the play of the same name by Owen Davis. Its original soundtrack, recor ...

'' (1929) *''

The Saturday Night Kid ''The Saturday Night Kid'' is a 1929 American pre-Code romantic comedy film about two sisters and the man they both want. It stars Clara Bow, Jean Arthur, James Hall, and in her first credited speaking role, Jean Harlow. The film was based on ...

'' (1929) *''

The Dude Wrangler ''The Dude Wrangler'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy Western film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Lina Basquette, Tom Keene and Clyde Cook.Pitts p.343 Cast * Lina Basquette as Helen Dane * Tom Keene as Wally McCann (credited as ...

'' (1930) * ''

Under Montana Skies ''Under Montana Skies'' is a 1930 American western film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Kenneth Harlan, Slim Summerville and Dorothy Gulliver.Pitts p.375 It was produced and distributed by Tiffany Pictures, one of the leading independent ...

'' (1930) *''

Tom Sawyer Thomas Sawyer () is the titular character of the Mark Twain novel ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876). He appears in three other novels by Twain: ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884), ''Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894), and ''Tom Sawyer, Dete ...

'' (1930) - Mrs. Harper *''

The Criminal Code ''The Criminal Code'' is a 1931 American pre-Code romantic crime drama film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Walter Huston and Phillips Holmes. The screenplay, based on a 1929 play of the same name by Martin Flavin, was written by Fred Ni ...

'' (1931) *''

Maker of Men ''Maker of Men'' is a 1931 American pre-Code sports melodrama film directed by Edward Sedgwick and written by Howard J. Green and Edward Sedgwick. Produced by Columbia Pictures Corporation, the film stars Jack Holt, Richard Cromwell, and ...

'' (1931) *''

The Fighting Fool ''The Fighting Fool'' is a 1932 American pre-Code Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer and released by Columbia Pictures starring Tim McCoy, Marceline Day, and William V. Mong. Cast * Tim McCoy as Sheriff Tim Collins * Marceline Day as J ...

'' (1932) *''

Love in High Gear ''Love in High Gear'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring silent veteran Harrison Ford in his final film role and co–starring Alberta Vaughn, Tyrell Davis and Arthur Hoyt. It was released by the ...

'' (1932) *'' The Thirteenth Guest'' (1932) *''

A Man's Land ''A Man's Land'' is a 1932 American pre-Code Western film, written by Adele Buffington and directed by Phil Rosen. It stars Hoot Gibson, Marion Shilling, and Robert Ellis, and was released on June 11, 1932. Plot Tex Mason's ranch is facing a ...

'' (1932) * '' The Fighting Parson'' (1933) *''

The Important Witness ''The Important Witness'' is an American 1933 Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code crime drama directed by Sam Newfield which stars Noel Francis, Dorothy Burgess, and Donald Dillaway. Cast list * Noel Francis as Ellen Kelly * Dorothy Burgess as Ruth Da ...

'' (1933) * ''

Easy Millions ''Easy Millions'' is a 1933 American comedy film directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and starring Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher, Dorothy Burgess and Merna Kennedy.Pitts p.161 Cast * Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher * Dorothy Burgess * Merna Kennedy * Jo ...

'' (1933) *''

The Gladiator ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1938) *'' Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman'' (1947) (uncredited)

References

External links

*
Still from ''The Bedroom Window'' (1924) with Ethel Wales
at gettyimages.com American silent film actresses 1878 births 1952 deaths People from Passaic, New Jersey Actresses from New Jersey 20th-century American actresses {{US-film-actor-1870s-stub