Alice Terry
Encyclopedia
Alice Terry was an American
film actress who began her career during the silent film
era, appearing in thirty-nine films between 1916 and 1933.
, she made her film debut in 1916 in Not My Sister, opposite Bessie Barriscale
and William Desmond Taylor
.
That same year, she played several different characters in the 1916 anti-war film Civilization
, co-directed by Thomas H. Ince
and Reginald Barker. One of her most acclaimed performances came as "Marguerite" in 1921's The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
, starring Rudolph Valentino
.
In 1925 her husband co-directed Ben-Hur
, filming parts of it in Italy
. The two decided to move to the French Riviera
, where they set up a small studio in Nice
and made several films on location in North Africa
, Spain
, and Italy for MGM and others. In 1933, Terry made her last film appearance in Baroud, which she also co-directed with husband Rex Ingram.
during production of The Prisoner of Zenda
(released 1922), which he directed and in which she appeared as Princess Flavia. The couple sneaked away over one weekend, were married in Pasadena, and returned to work promptly the following Monday.
During the making of The Arab
(1924) in Tunisia, they met a street child named Kada-Abd-el-Kader, who they adopted upon learning that he was an orphan. Allegedly, el-Kader misrepresented his age to make himself seem younger to his adoptive parents, and after he "began associating with fast women and fast cars throughout the San Fernando Valley," Terry and Ingram sent him back to Morocco "to finish school."
Terry was known to have several gay male friends in the film industry, including Ramón Novarro
(a former leading man of hers) and Barry Norton
. During the 1930s, she accompanied Novarro to speakeasies with predominantly gay clientele, allegedly in part to throw off any suspicion about Novarro's homosexuality.
Terry and Ingram retired together in the 1930s. By all accounts, theirs was a happy marriage, though they often had separate bedrooms during their marriage and occupied separate retirement community bungalows at the end of their marriage. Nonetheless, they remained together until his passing in 1950. After his death, Terry became romantically involved with actor Gerald Fielding
, who bore a strong physical resemblance to her late husband. They were lovers until his death, at the age of forty-six, in 1956.
Terry had a sister, Edna, who died in 1984.
in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Alice Terry has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6628 Hollywood Blvd.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film actress who began her career during the silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
era, appearing in thirty-nine films between 1916 and 1933.
Career
Born Alice Frances Taaffe in Vincennes, IndianaVincennes, Indiana
Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census...
, she made her film debut in 1916 in Not My Sister, opposite Bessie Barriscale
Bessie Barriscale
Bessie Barriscale was an American silent film and stage actress, and a major star for producer Thomas Ince in the late 1910s.-Early life and career:...
and William Desmond Taylor
William Desmond Taylor
William Desmond Taylor was an Irish-born American actor, successful film director of silent movies and a popular figure in the growing Hollywood film colony of the 1910s and early 1920s...
.
That same year, she played several different characters in the 1916 anti-war film Civilization
Civilization (film)
Civilization is a 1916 American pacifist allegorical film about a submarine commander who refuses to fire at a civilian ocean liner supposedly carrying ammunition for his country's enemies. The film was a big-budget spectacle that was compared to both Birth of a Nation and the paintings of...
, co-directed by Thomas H. Ince
Thomas H. Ince
Thomas Harper Ince was an American silent film actor, director, screenwriter and producer of more than 100 films and pioneering studio mogul. Known as the "Father of the Western", he invented many mechanisms of professional movie production, introducing early Hollywood to the "assembly line"...
and Reginald Barker. One of her most acclaimed performances came as "Marguerite" in 1921's The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (film)
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a 1921 silent movie produced by Metro Pictures Corporation, adapted by June Mathis, directed by Rex Ingram and starring Rudolph Valentino, Pomeroy Cannon, Josef Swickard, Wallace Beery, and Alice Terry...
, starring Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
.
In 1925 her husband co-directed Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur (1925 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1925 silent film directed by Fred Niblo. It was a blockbuster hit for newly merged Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. This was the second film based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace...
, filming parts of it in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The two decided to move to the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
, where they set up a small studio in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
and made several films on location in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and Italy for MGM and others. In 1933, Terry made her last film appearance in Baroud, which she also co-directed with husband Rex Ingram.
Personal life
In 1921 she married director Rex IngramRex Ingram (director)
Rex Ingram was an Irish film director, producer, writer and actor. Legendary director Erich von Stroheim once called him "the world's greatest director."-Early life:...
during production of The Prisoner of Zenda
The Prisoner of Zenda (1922 film)
The Prisoner of Zenda is a 1922 silent adventure film, one of the many adaptations of Anthony Hope's popular 1894 novel of the same name and the subsequent 1896 play by Hope and Edward Rose.-Plot:...
(released 1922), which he directed and in which she appeared as Princess Flavia. The couple sneaked away over one weekend, were married in Pasadena, and returned to work promptly the following Monday.
During the making of The Arab
The Arab (1924 film)
The Arab is a silent film starring Ramon Novarro and Alice Terry, written and directed by Rex Ingram, based on a 1911 play by Edgar Selwyn.-Production background:...
(1924) in Tunisia, they met a street child named Kada-Abd-el-Kader, who they adopted upon learning that he was an orphan. Allegedly, el-Kader misrepresented his age to make himself seem younger to his adoptive parents, and after he "began associating with fast women and fast cars throughout the San Fernando Valley," Terry and Ingram sent him back to Morocco "to finish school."
Terry was known to have several gay male friends in the film industry, including Ramón Novarro
Ramón Novarro
Ramón Novarro was a Mexican leading man actor in Hollywood in the early 20th century. He was the next male "Sex Symbol" after the death of Rudolph Valentino...
(a former leading man of hers) and Barry Norton
Barry Norton
Barry Norton was an Argentine-born actor in American films. He appeared in over ninety films from 1925 until the time of his death. He is perhaps best known for his role as Juan Harker in the Spanish-language version of Dracula , produced by Universal Pictures.-Career:Norton was born to an...
. During the 1930s, she accompanied Novarro to speakeasies with predominantly gay clientele, allegedly in part to throw off any suspicion about Novarro's homosexuality.
Terry and Ingram retired together in the 1930s. By all accounts, theirs was a happy marriage, though they often had separate bedrooms during their marriage and occupied separate retirement community bungalows at the end of their marriage. Nonetheless, they remained together until his passing in 1950. After his death, Terry became romantically involved with actor Gerald Fielding
Gerald Fielding
-Selected filmography:* The Three Passions * Goodbye Love * The Scarlet Empress * The Price of a Song * The Man Behind the Mask * A Chump at Oxford * They Met in Bombay -External links:...
, who bore a strong physical resemblance to her late husband. They were lovers until his death, at the age of forty-six, in 1956.
Terry had a sister, Edna, who died in 1984.
Death
Terry died on December 22, 1987 of natural causes, and was interred in the Valhalla Memorial Park CemeteryValhalla 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, Los Angeles, California
North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California, along the Tujunga Wash. It is bounded on the south by Moorpark Street and the Ventura Freeway, on the southwest by Burbank Blvd...
. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Alice Terry has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6628 Hollywood Blvd.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | Not My Sister | Ruth Tyler | Credited as Alice Taafe |
| Civilization Civilization (film) Civilization is a 1916 American pacifist allegorical film about a submarine commander who refuses to fire at a civilian ocean liner supposedly carrying ammunition for his country's enemies. The film was a big-budget spectacle that was compared to both Birth of a Nation and the paintings of... |
Extra (Various, from a peasant to a German Soldier) | Uncredited | |
| A Corner in Colleens | Daisy | Credited as Alice Taafe | |
| 1917 | Wild Winship's Widow | Marjory Howe | Credited as Alice Taafe |
| Strictly Business | |||
| The Bottom of the Well | Anita Thomas | ||
| Alimony | Extra | Uncredited | |
| 1918 | The Clarion Call | ||
| A Bachelor's Children | Penelope Winthrop | ||
| Old Wives for New Old Wives for New Old Wives for New is a 1918 drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Prints of the film survive at the International Museum of Photography and Film at George Eastman House.-Cast:* Elliott Dexter - Charles Murdock* Florence Vidor - Juliet Raeburn... |
Saleslady | Credited as Alice Taafe | |
| The Song and the Sergeant | |||
| Sisters of the Golden Circle | Mrs. Pinkey McGuire | ||
| The Brief Debut of Tildy | Tildy | ||
| Love Watches | Charlotte Bernier | ||
| The Trimmed Lamp | |||
| 1919 | Thin Ice | Jocelyn Miller | |
| The Love Burglar | Elsie Strong | Credited as Alice Taafe | |
| The Valley of the Giants The Valley of the Giants (1919 film) Valley of the Giants is a silent drama film, produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures. It is based on Peter B. Kyne's popular . James Cruze was the director and Wallace Reid the star.-Production background:... |
Mrs. Cardigan | Credited as Alice Taafe Alternative title: In the Valley of the Giants |
|
| The Day She Paid | Credited as Alice Taafe Alternative title: Oats and the Woman |
||
| 1920 | Shore Acres | Extra | Uncredited |
| The Devil's Pass Key | Extra | Uncredited | |
| Hearts Are Trumps | Dora Woodberry | ||
| 1921 | The Four Horsemet of the Apocalypse The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (film) The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a 1921 silent movie produced by Metro Pictures Corporation, adapted by June Mathis, directed by Rex Ingram and starring Rudolph Valentino, Pomeroy Cannon, Josef Swickard, Wallace Beery, and Alice Terry... |
Marguerite Laurier | |
| The Conquering Power | Eugenie Grandet | Alternative title: Eugenie Grandet | |
| 1922 | Turn to the Right | Elsie Tillinger | |
| The Prisoner of Zenda The Prisoner of Zenda (1922 film) The Prisoner of Zenda is a 1922 silent adventure film, one of the many adaptations of Anthony Hope's popular 1894 novel of the same name and the subsequent 1896 play by Hope and Edward Rose.-Plot:... |
Princess Flavia | ||
| 1923 | Where the Pavement Ends Where the Pavement Ends (1923 film) Where the Pavement Ends is a silent tropical romance drama directed by Rex Ingram on location in Cuba and starring his wife Alice Terry and Ramón Novarro. The film was produced and distributed by Metro Pictures. It is now considered a lost film.... |
Matilda Spener | |
| Scaramouche Scaramouche (1923 film) Scaramouche is a silent costume adventure based on the novel by Rafael Sabatini, directed by Rex Ingram, released by Metro Pictures, and starring Ramón Novarro, Alice Terry, Lewis Stone, and Lloyd Ingraham.... |
Aline de Kercadiou, Quintin's Niece | ||
| 1924 | The Arab | Mary Hilbert | |
| 1925 | The Great Divide The Great Divide (1925 film) The Great Divide is a silent 1925 drama film produced and distributed by MGM and directed by Reginald Barker. The film stars Alice Terry, Conway Tearle and Wallace Beery. It is based on the William Vaughn Moody play, being the second of three film adaptations... |
Ruth Jordan | |
| Sackcloth and Scarlet | Joan Freeman | ||
| Confessions of a Queen Confessions of a Queen Confessions of a Queen is a 1925 drama film directed by Victor Sjöström based upon a novel by Alphonse Daudet, Les Rois en Exil. Only an incomplete print of the film survives.-Plot:... |
Frederika/The Queen | ||
| Any Woman | Ellen Linden | ||
| 1926 | Mare Nostrum Mare Nostrum (film) Mare Nostrum is a silent film set during World War I. A Spanish merchant sailor becomes involved with a spy. It was the first production made in voluntary exile by Rex Ingram and starred his wife, Alice Terry. It is based on the novel of the same name by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez... |
Freya Talberg | Alternative title: Our Sea |
| The Magician The Magician (1926 film) The Magician is a 1926 horror film directed by Rex Ingram about a magician's efforts to acquire the blood of a virgin for his experiments to create life.It was adapted by Ingram from the novel The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham... |
Margaret Dauncey | ||
| 1927 | Lovers? | Felicia | |
| The Garden of Allah The Garden of Allah (1927 film) The Garden of Allah is a film directed by Rex Ingram and starring his wife, actress Alice Terry. It was the second version of the Robert Hichens novel, that had been filmed by the Selig company in 1916 with Helen Ware and would be filmed again in 1936 with Marlene Dietrich and Charles Boyer... |
Domini Enfilden | ||
| 1928 | The Three Passions | Lady Victoria Burlington | |
| 1933 | Baroud | Co-director Alternative title: Love in Morocco |