Harry Carey

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Henry DeWitt Carey II (January 16, 1878 - September 21, 1947) was an American actor and one of silent film's earliest superstars, usually cast as a Western hero. One of his best known performances is as the president of the United States Senate in the drama film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was the father of Harry Carey Jr., who was also a prominent actor. Born in New York City to a Judge of Special Sessions who was also president of a sewing machine company. Grew up on City Island, New York. Attended Hamilton Military Academy and turned down an appointment to West Point to attend New York University, where his law school classmates included future New York City mayor James J. Walker. After a boating accident which led to pneumonia, Carey wrote a play while recuperating and toured the country in it for three years, earning a great deal of money, all of which evaporated after his next play was a failure. In 1911, his friend Henry B. Walthall introduced him to director D.W. Griffith, for whom Carey was to make many films. Carey married twice, the second time to actress Olive Fuller Golden (aka Olive Carey, who introduced him to future director John Ford. Carey influenced Universal Studios head Carl Laemmle to use Ford as a director, and a partnership was born that lasted until a rift in the friendship in 1921. During this time, Carey grew into one of the most popular Western stars of the early motion picture, occasionally writing and directing films as well. In the '30s he moved slowly into character roles and was nominated for an Oscar for one of them, the President of the Senate in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). He worked once more with Ford, in The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936), and appeared once with his son, Harry Carey Jr., in Howard Hawks' Red River (1948). He died after a protracted bout with emphysema and cancer. Ford dedicated his remake of 3 Godfathers (1948) "To Harry Carey--Bright Star Of The Early Western Sky."

Filmography

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2000
Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs
Movie (archive footage)
1992
Legends of the West
Movie Ed Brandt in 'Law and Order' (archive footage) (uncredited)
1972
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Movie Self (archive footage)
1971
Directed by John Ford
Movie (archive footage)
1955
Film Fun
Movie (archive footage)
1948
3 Godfathers
Movie In Memory Of
1948
So Dear to My Heart
Movie Head Judge at County Fair
1948
Red River
Movie Mr. Melville
1947
The Sea of Grass
Movie Doc J. Reid
1947
Angel and the Badman
Movie Marshal Wistful McClintock
1946
Duel in the Sun
Movie Lem Smoot
1945
China's Little Devils
Movie Doc Temple
1944
The Great Moment
Movie Professor John C. Warren
1943
Happy Land
Movie Edward "Gramp" Marsh
1943
Air Force
Movie Crew Chief
1942
The Spoilers
Movie Dextry