Mary Alden
Encyclopedia
Mary Maguire Alden was an American motion picture and stage actress. She was one of the first Broadway actresses to work in Hollywood.
, Alden began her career on the Broadway
stage. She spent five years on Broadway before moving to Hollywood where she worked for Biograph
, Pathé
, and Freres and Fine Arts in the first portion of her career. Her most popular role in movies came in Birth of a Nation directed by D.W. Griffith in 1915. Alden played the role of a mulatto
girl in love with a northern politician. The following year she was in Griffith's Intolerance
with Mae Marsh
, Miriam Cooper
, and Vera Lewis. After making Less Than The Dust with Mary Pickford
in 1917, she took a temporary leave from motion pictures, acting for a while on the stage. Critics acclaimed Alden's portrayal of the mother, Mrs. Anthon, in The Old Nest (1921) and her characterization of an old lady in The Man With Two Mothers (1922). The latter feature was produced by Sam Goldwyn.
Alden was prolific as a motion picture actress throughout the 1920s and into the early 1930s. A sampling of movies in which she had roles are The Plastic Age
(1925), The Joy Girl
(1927), Ladies of the Mob
(1928), and Port of Dreams (1929). The final films she received screen credit for are Hell's House
, Rasputin and the Empress
, and Strange Interlude
, each from 1932.
in 1946. This had been her residence for the last four years of her life. She was 63 years of age.
Alden was interred at the Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
in North Hollywood, California.
Career
Born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Alden began her career on the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
stage. She spent five years on Broadway before moving to Hollywood where she worked for Biograph
Biograph
Biograph may refer to:* An early form of the cinematograph, made by the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1928* Biograph , a 1985 box set compiling music by Bob Dylan...
, Pathé
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
, and Freres and Fine Arts in the first portion of her career. Her most popular role in movies came in Birth of a Nation directed by D.W. Griffith in 1915. Alden played the role of a mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
girl in love with a northern politician. The following year she was in Griffith's Intolerance
Intolerance (film)
Intolerance is a 1916 American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith and is considered one of the great masterpieces of the Silent Era. The three-and-a-half hour epic intercuts four parallel storylines each separated by several centuries: A contemporary melodrama of crime and redemption; a...
with Mae Marsh
Mae Marsh
Mae Marsh was an American film actress with a career spanning over 50 years.-Early life:...
, Miriam Cooper
Miriam Cooper
Miriam Cooper was a silent film actress who is best known for her work in early film including Birth of a Nation and Intolerance for D.W. Griffith and The Honor System and Evangeline for her husband Raoul Walsh...
, and Vera Lewis. After making Less Than The Dust with Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
in 1917, she took a temporary leave from motion pictures, acting for a while on the stage. Critics acclaimed Alden's portrayal of the mother, Mrs. Anthon, in The Old Nest (1921) and her characterization of an old lady in The Man With Two Mothers (1922). The latter feature was produced by Sam Goldwyn.
Alden was prolific as a motion picture actress throughout the 1920s and into the early 1930s. A sampling of movies in which she had roles are The Plastic Age
The Plastic Age
The Plastic Age is a novel by Percy Marks, which tells the story of co-eds at a fictional college called Sanford. With contents that covered or implied hazing, partying, and "petting", the book sold well enough to be the second best-selling novel of 1924...
(1925), The Joy Girl
The Joy Girl
The Joy Girl is an American silent comedy film starring Olive Borden, and based on the novel of the same name by May Edginton.-Plot:...
(1927), Ladies of the Mob
Ladies of the Mob
Ladies of the Mob was a silent film directed by William Wellman, produced by Jesse L. Lasky and Adolph Zukor for Famous Players-Lasky, and distributed by Paramount Pictures.-Production:The film is based on a story by Ernest Booth...
(1928), and Port of Dreams (1929). The final films she received screen credit for are Hell's House
Hell's House
Hell's House is a 1932 American drama film directed by Howard Higgin. The screenplay by Paul Gangelin and B. Harrison Orkow, set during the waning days of the Prohibition era, is based on a story by Higgin.-Plot:...
, Rasputin and the Empress
Rasputin and the Empress
Rasputin and the Empress is a 1932 film about Imperial Russia starring the Barrymore siblings—John , Ethel , and Lionel Barrymore . It is the only film in which all three appeared together...
, and Strange Interlude
Strange Interlude (1932 film)
Strange Interlude is a 1932 American romantic drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard. The film stars Norma Shearer and Clark Gable, and is based on the play Strange Interlude by Eugene O'Neill.-Plot:...
, each from 1932.
Death
Alden died at the Motion Picture Country Home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, CaliforniaWoodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
Woodland Hills is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California.Woodland Hills is located in the southwestern area of the San Fernando Valley, east of Calabasas and west of Tarzana, with Warner Center in its northern section...
in 1946. This had been her residence for the last four years of her life. She was 63 years of age.
Alden was interred at the Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood, California.The cemetery has a special section called the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation that is the final resting place for a number of aviation pioneers — barnstormers, daredevils and...
in North Hollywood, California.
Selected Filmography
- The Birth of a NationThe Birth of a NationThe Birth of a Nation is a 1915 American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith and based on the novel and play The Clansman, both by Thomas Dixon, Jr. Griffith also co-wrote the screenplay , and co-produced the film . It was released on February 8, 1915...
(1915) - IntoleranceIntolerance (film)Intolerance is a 1916 American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith and is considered one of the great masterpieces of the Silent Era. The three-and-a-half hour epic intercuts four parallel storylines each separated by several centuries: A contemporary melodrama of crime and redemption; a...
(1916) - Erstwhile SusanErstwhile SusanErstwhile Susan is a 1919 silent film drama directed by John S. Robertson, produced and distributed by Realart Pictures. It is based on a 1914 novel Barnabetta by Helen Reimensnyder Martin and later Broadway play Erstwhile Susan by Marian De Forest. Minnie Maddern Fiske starred on Broadway in 1916...
(1919) - The Plastic AgeThe Plastic Age (film)The Plastic Age is a black-and-white silent film starring Clara Bow and Gilbert Roland. The film survives today not only on 16 mm film, but also on video and DVD. The film was based on the best-selling 1924 novel The Plastic Age by Percy Marks...
(1925) - Brown of HarvardBrown of HarvardBrown of Harvard is the title of three silent films all based on the 1906 Broadway play of the same name by Rida Johnson Young. The 1926 version is notable for featuring John Wayne's screen debut.*Brown of Harvard...
(1926) - Lovey MaryLovey MaryLovey Mary is a 1926 film directed by King Baggot, based on the 1903 novel with the same name by Alice Hegan Rice. This story was the sequel to Rice's Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch and Lovey Mary is one of the characters from that earlier novel. The film is considered lost...
(1926) - The Joy GirlThe Joy GirlThe Joy Girl is an American silent comedy film starring Olive Borden, and based on the novel of the same name by May Edginton.-Plot:...
(1927) - Ladies of the MobLadies of the MobLadies of the Mob was a silent film directed by William Wellman, produced by Jesse L. Lasky and Adolph Zukor for Famous Players-Lasky, and distributed by Paramount Pictures.-Production:The film is based on a story by Ernest Booth...
(1928)