Edith Storey (March 18, 1892 – October 9, 1967) was an American actress during the

silent film 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, w ...

era.

Early life

Storey was born on March 18, 1892, in New York City to William Chase Storey and Minnie Storey (née Thorn). Her younger brother, Richard, also had a brief but celebrated acting career.Quimby, Harriet (November 15, 1906)
"Hundreds of Child Actors on the Stage"
''Leslie's Weekly''. p.466. Retrieved June 29, 2023. Storey began acting when she was a child. Her film career began with the film ''Francesca di Rimini'' (1908), also called ''The Two Brothers''. She would have two film roles in 1908, and a total of seventy-five by 1913. Many of these films were Westerns, as Storey was reportedly an excellent horseback rider and could perform her own stunts. Nicknamed Billy at the Star Film Ranch in Texas, she earned the good will of the seasoned cowboys in the Méliès film company for her ability to "ride anything with hair on it".

Career

Storey worked for New York-based

Vitagraph Studios 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 ...

for most of her career except from 1910 to 1911, when she was under contract with Star Film Company in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

.Thompson, Frank. ''The Star Film Ranch: Texas' First Picture Show''. Republic of Texas Press, 1996. She appeared in nearly 150 films between 1908 and 1921, including '' The Immortal Alamo'' (1911), '' A Florida Enchantment'' (1914), and '' The Christian'' (1914), the latter film based on the

Hall Caine Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine (14 May 1853 – 31 August 1931), usually known as Hall Caine, was a British novelist, dramatist, short story writer, poet and critic of the late 19th and early 20th century. Caine's popularity during his lifetim ...

novel of the same name,Goble, Alan (1999).
The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film
'. East Grinstead, West Sussex: Bowker-Saur. p. 67. . first made in ''

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

'' and later remade in '' 1915'' and ''

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

''. In 1918, Storey signed with Metro; ''The Eyes of Mystery'' (1918) was her debut film for that studio. She also continued to act on stage, appearing at least once alongside her younger brother in a 1916 revival of Anne Crawford Flexner's adaptation of '' Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch''. Storey was noted for taking on male impersonation roles, such as Lillian/Lawrence in '' A Florida Enchantment'' (1914), and was compared to Vesta Tilley. She also referred to herself as 'Billy'.

Later life

She would appear in another seventy-one films from 1913 to 1921, almost all of which were what are considered film shorts. In 1921, aged 29, she retired. She has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

for her work in the film industry at 1523 Vine Street. Following her retirement from acting, Storey served as village clerk of Asharoken, Long Island for almost 30 years.Stern, Seth (June 27, 1999)
"Sleepy Suburb or Celebrity Central?"
''Newsday''. p. G19. Retrieved June 29, 2023. She was residing in neighboring Northport at the time of her death on October 9, 1967, aged 75. She was cremated at Fresh Pond Crematory D.B.A. U.S. Columbarium co. on October 13, 1967.

Selected filmography

* ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

'' (1909) * '' The Life of Moses'' (1909) * '' The Immortal Alamo'' (1911) * ''

A Tale of Two Cities ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by English author Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long impr ...

'' (1911) * '' The Military Air-Scout'' (1911) * ''An Aeroplane Elopement'' (1911) * ''Billy and His Pal'' (AKA: ''Bobby and His Pal)'' (1911) * ''

Billy the Kid Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders: four for which he was solely res ...

'' (1911) * '' The Child Crusoes'' (1911) * ''Never Again'' (1912) * '' Red and White Roses'' (1913) * '' Hearts of the First Empire'' (1913) *'' The Forgotten Latchkey'' (1913) *'' The Christian'' (1914) * '' A Florida Enchantment'' (1914) * '' Captain Alvarez'' (1914) * '' The Tarantula'' (1916) * '' The Two Edged Sword'' (1916) * '' Money Magic'' (1917) * '' Aladdin from Broadway'' (1917) * '' Captain of the Gray Horse Troop'' (1917) * ''

Revenge Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...

'' (1918) * '' The Eyes of Mystery'' (1918) * '' The Legion of Death'' (1918) * '' The Claim'' (1918) * '' Treasure of the Sea'' (1918) * '' The Demon'' (1918) * '' The Silent Woman'' (1918) * '' As the Sun Went Down'' (1919) * '' Moon Madness'' (1920) * '' Beach of Dreams'' (1921) * '' The Greater Profit'' (1921)

Early life

Career

Later life

Selected filmography

Notes

References

External links