Irene Rich

Acting

Personal Info

gender

Female

birthday

October 11, 1891

died

April 22, 1988

place of birth

Buffalo, New York, USA

also known as

Irene Luther · Irene Frances Luther

total credits

50 movies

Biography

From Wikipedia

Irene Rich (October 13, 1891 - April 22, 1988) was an American actress who worked in both silent films and talkies, as well as radio.

Rich worked for Will Rogers, who used her in eight pictures, including Water Water Everywhere (1920), The Strange Boarder (1920), Jes' Call Me Jim (1920), Boys Will Be Boys (1921), and The Ropin' Fool (1921). She often portrayed society women, such as in the 1925 adaptation of Lady Windermere's Fan and also in Queen of the Yukon (1940).

In two of her last films she played a frontier wife and mother: She was the mother of Gail Russell's character in John Wayne's Angel and the Badman (1947); in John Ford's cavalry story Fort Apache (1948) she portrayed Mrs. O'Rourke, the wife of Sergeant O'Rourke (Ward Bond).

In the 1930s, Rich did much work in radio. From 1933 to 1944, she hosted a nationwide anthology program of serialized mini-dramas, Dear John (aka The Irene Rich Show). Her leading man was actor Gale Gordon (who later played Lucille Ball's apoplectic boss "Mr. Mooney" on TV).

Rich appeared in stage productions, including Seven Keys to Baldpate (1935) which starred George M. Cohan, the creator of the play, and later As the Girls Go in 1948.

Rich has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for her contribution to the motion picture industry at 6225 Hollywood Boulevard and one for her contributions to the radio industry at 6150 Hollywood Boulevard.

← Back to Home

Known For

Filmography

50 credits · sorted by popularity · swipe or use arrows

Fort Apache
7.0

Fort Apache

1948as Mrs. Mary O'Rourke
Angel and the Badman
6.4

Angel and the Badman

1947as Mrs. Worth
Joan of Arc
6.2

Joan of Arc

1948as Catherine le Royer, Joan's friend
The Mortal Storm
7.3

The Mortal Storm

1940as Mrs. Roth
The Champ
7.2

The Champ

1931as Linda Carleton
That Certain Age
5.5

That Certain Age

1938as Mrs. Dorothy Fullerton
Rosita
6.6

Rosita

1923as The Queen
Dearie
8.0

Dearie

1927as Sylvia Darling/Dearie
Strangers May Kiss
5.2

Strangers May Kiss

1931as Celia
Calendar Girl
5.6

Calendar Girl

1947as Lulu Varden
Hollywood Handicap
4.9

Hollywood Handicap

1938as Woman at Racetrack
Five and Ten
6.1

Five and Ten

1931as Jenny Rarick
The Climbers
9.0

The Climbers

1927as Duchess of Arrogan
The Lady in Question
6.7

The Lady in Question

1940as Michele Morestan
Beau Brummel
7.0

Beau Brummel

1924as Frederica Charlotte, Duchess of York
Lady Windermere's Fan
6.8

Lady Windermere's Fan

1925as Mrs. Erlynne
Don't Tell the Wife
9.0

Don't Tell the Wife

1927as Mrs. Cartier
They Had to See Paris
6.4

They Had to See Paris

1929as Idy Peters
New Orleans
6.7

New Orleans

1947as Mrs. Rutledge Smith
Manhattan Tower
6.0

Manhattan Tower

1932as Ann Burns
This Time for Keeps
8.0

This Time for Keeps

1942as Mrs. Bryant
My Official Wife
8.0

My Official Wife

1926as Hélène, Countess Orloff
Captain January
6.8

Captain January

1924as Isabelle Morton
Down To Earth
7.5

Down To Earth

1932as Idy Peters
So This Is London
7.0

So This Is London

1930as Mrs. Hiram Draper
Three Sons o' Guns
7.0

Three Sons o' Guns

1941as Margaret Patterson
Brass
5.0

Brass

1923as Mrs. Grotenberg - aka Mrs. G.
A Law Unto Herself
9.0

A Law Unto Herself

1918as Stephanie
Wicked
5.5

Wicked

1931as Mrs. Luther
The Silver Slave
9.0

The Silver Slave

1927as Bernice Randall
A Voice in the Dark
8.0

A Voice in the Dark

1921as Blanche Walton
Cytherea
8.0

Cytherea

1924as Fanny Randon
The Perfect Crime
9.0

The Perfect Crime

1928as Stella
Father's Son
9.0

Father's Son

1931as Ruth Emory
The Exalted Flapper
8.0

The Exalted Flapper

1929as Queen Charlotte of Capra
Compromise
7.0

Compromise

1925as Joan Trevore
Water, Water, Everywhere
7.0

Water, Water, Everywhere

1920as Hope Beecher
A Lost Lady
10.0

A Lost Lady

1924as Marian Forrester
This Woman
9.0

This Woman

1924as Carol Drayton
Daughters of Desire
8.0

Daughters of Desire

1929
Keeping Company
6.7

Keeping Company

1940as Mrs. Thomas
Boy of Mine
9.0

Boy of Mine

1923as Ruth Latimer
The Poverty of Riches
7.0

The Poverty of Riches

1921as Mrs. Holt
Yesterday's Wife
10.0

Yesterday's Wife

1923as Megan Daye
A Fool There Was
10.0

A Fool There Was

1922as Mrs. Schuyler
Beau Ideal
4.5

Beau Ideal

1931as Lady Brandon
My Wife and I
8.0

My Wife and I

1925as Mrs. James Borden
The Trap
5.8

The Trap

1922as The Teacher
The Pleasure Buyers
3.7

The Pleasure Buyers

1925as Joan Wiswell
Craig's Wife
7.0

Craig's Wife

1928as Harriet Craig