Harry Carey | WatchedThis

Harry Carey

Harry Carey

Acting

Biography

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 Movies

Acting

Poster for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
MOVIE

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

7.8(1.2K)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
President of the Senate
Poster for Red River
MOVIE

Red River

7.3(0.6K)
Red River
Mr. Melville
Poster for Angel and the Badman
MOVIE

Angel and the Badman

6.4(0.1K)
Angel and the Badman
Marshal Wistful McClintock
Poster for Beyond Tomorrow
MOVIE

Beyond Tomorrow

6.1(0.0K)
Beyond Tomorrow
George Vale Melton
Poster for Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs
MOVIE

Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs

10.0(0.0K)
Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs
(archive footage)
Poster for Duel in the Sun
MOVIE

Duel in the Sun

6.4(0.2K)
Duel in the Sun
Lem Smoot
Poster for Desperate Trails
MOVIE

Desperate Trails

7.0(0.0K)
Desperate Trails
Bart Carson
Poster for Outside the Three-Mile Limit
MOVIE

Outside the Three-Mile Limit

5.7(0.0K)
Outside the Three-Mile Limit
Captain Bailey
Poster for The Freeze-Out
MOVIE

The Freeze-Out

7.0(0.0K)
The Freeze-Out
Ohio, the Stranger
Poster for The Great Moment
MOVIE

The Great Moment

5.8(0.0K)
The Great Moment
Professor John C. Warren

Production

A Gambler's HonorMOVIE
MOVIE

A Gambler's Honor

A Gambler's Honor
Writer
Under the Shadow of the LawMOVIE
MOVIE

Under the Shadow of the Law

6.0(0.0K)
Under the Shadow of the Law
Screenplay
Under the Shadow of the LawMOVIE
MOVIE

Under the Shadow of the Law

6.0(0.0K)
Under the Shadow of the Law
Story
Poster for McVeagh of the South Seas
MOVIE

McVeagh of the South Seas

4.7(0.0K)
McVeagh of the South Seas
Story
Poster for The Master Cracksman
MOVIE

The Master Cracksman

The Master Cracksman
Director
Poster for The Master Cracksman
MOVIE

The Master Cracksman

The Master Cracksman
Writer
Stampede in the NightMOVIE
MOVIE

Stampede in the Night

Stampede in the Night
Story
The Bad Man of CheyenneMOVIE
MOVIE

The Bad Man of Cheyenne

The Bad Man of Cheyenne
Story
Poster for The Outlaw and the Lady
MOVIE

The Outlaw and the Lady

The Outlaw and the Lady
Story
Goin' StraightMOVIE
MOVIE

Goin' Straight

Goin' Straight
Story

Gallery

Harry Carey portrait
Harry Carey portrait
Harry Carey portrait
Harry Carey portrait
Harry Carey portrait
Harry Carey portrait
Harry Carey portrait
Harry Carey portrait