Arthur Edmund Carewe
Encyclopedia
Arthur Edmund Carewe was an Armenia
n-American
actor
in the silent
and early sound film era.
(Trebizond), Ottoman Empire
, Carewe was from a prosperous family in his native country. His father, Garo, was engaged in the banking business and carried some influence from his positions in the national legislature and board of education.
Garo Hovsepian died in 1882, and the Hamidian massacres
eventually forced the Hovsepian family to emigrate. Carewe came to the United States
on August 7, 1896, arriving in New York Harbor
on the Augusta Victoria, having departed from Cherbourg. He was accompanied by his elder brother, Ardasches. Another elder brother, Garo Armen, had preceded them, and their mother arrived the following year.
He went to High School at Cushing Academy
in Ashburnham, Massachusetts
, after which he studied painting
and sculpture
. At the turn of the century, he and Garo ran a rug and furnishings business in New York City
. He decided upon a stage career and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
in New York City
, graduating in March 1904 with the David Belasco
Gold Medal for Dramatic Ability. Another member of the graduating class that year was future slapstick
comedian Ford Sterling
.
By 1910, he had assumed the stage name of Arthur Carew and earned attention in national newspapers for a suspected fake suicide attempt over the actress/dancer Nance Gwynne. He relocated to Chicago sometime before 1915 and operated another furnishing goods business until he moved to Hollywood
in 1919. His debut role was in the Constance Talmadge
comedy Romance and Arabella.
and would perform in several classic literary screen adaptations, specializing as shady, neurotic, wild-eyed characters, which he seemed to revel in playing.
He also continued to perform sporadically in regional theaters, essaying in 1921 the role of Prinzivalle in "Monna Vanna" by Maurice Maeterlinck
. In 1926, he wrote two screenplays for First National
that were never produced. In 1928, he traveled to Europe, but a proposal to perform a self-penned screenplay for Universum Film AG
was never realized.
He was for a time considered for, and later turned down, the role of Count Dracula
in 1931, which would eventually go to Bela Lugosi
. Seen in many classic offerings such as Trilby
(1923), The Phantom of the Opera
(1925), Uncle Tom's Cabin
(1927), The Cat and the Canary
(1927), Doctor X
(1932), and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), Carewe completed nearly 50 films, mostly during the silent film
era.
Shortly after completing Charlie Chan's Secret
(1936), he suffered a stroke
, which ended his acting career. He was found dead in his car in the parking lot of a Santa Monica
beach motel, an apparent suicide
by a gunshot to the head.
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
in the silent
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...
and early sound film era.
Early life
Born Hovsep Hovsepian in TrabzonTrabzon
Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
(Trebizond), Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, Carewe was from a prosperous family in his native country. His father, Garo, was engaged in the banking business and carried some influence from his positions in the national legislature and board of education.
Garo Hovsepian died in 1882, and the Hamidian massacres
Hamidian massacres
The Hamidian massacres , also referred to as the Armenian Massacres of 1894–1896, refers to the massacring of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, with estimates of the dead ranging from anywhere between 80,000 to 300,000, and at least 50,000 orphans as a result...
eventually forced the Hovsepian family to emigrate. Carewe came to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on August 7, 1896, arriving in New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
on the Augusta Victoria, having departed from Cherbourg. He was accompanied by his elder brother, Ardasches. Another elder brother, Garo Armen, had preceded them, and their mother arrived the following year.
He went to High School at Cushing Academy
Cushing Academy
Cushing Academy is a coeducational college preparatory boarding school for grades 9 through 12 plus an optional postgraduate year located in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1865 in fulfilment of a bequest by Thomas Parkman Cushing and opened in 1875, and is sometimes cited as the...
in Ashburnham, Massachusetts
Ashburnham, Massachusetts
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,546 people, 1,929 households, and 1,541 families residing in the town. The population density was 143.4 people per square mile . There were 2,204 housing units at an average density of 57.0 per square mile...
, after which he studied painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
. At the turn of the century, he and Garo ran a rug and furnishings business in New York City
New 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...
. He decided upon a stage career and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with facilities located in Manhattan, New York City – at 120 Madison Avenue, in a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club – and in Hollywood, California...
in New York City
New 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...
, graduating in March 1904 with the David Belasco
David Belasco
David Belasco was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director and playwright.-Biography:Born in San Francisco, California, where his Sephardic Jewish parents had moved from London, England, during the Gold Rush, he began working in a San Francisco theatre doing a variety of routine jobs,...
Gold Medal for Dramatic Ability. Another member of the graduating class that year was future slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
comedian Ford Sterling
Ford Sterling
Ford Sterling was an American comedian and actor best known for his work with Keystone Studios. One of the 'Big 4' he was the original chief of the Keystone Cops.-Biography:...
.
By 1910, he had assumed the stage name of Arthur Carew and earned attention in national newspapers for a suspected fake suicide attempt over the actress/dancer Nance Gwynne. He relocated to Chicago sometime before 1915 and operated another furnishing goods business until he moved to Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
in 1919. His debut role was in the Constance Talmadge
Constance Talmadge
Constance Talmadge was a silent movie star born in Brooklyn, New York, USA, and was the sister of fellow actresses Norma Talmadge and Natalie Talmadge.-Early life:...
comedy Romance and Arabella.
Career
During his time in the motion picture industry, Carewe became a well-respected character actorCharacter actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
and would perform in several classic literary screen adaptations, specializing as shady, neurotic, wild-eyed characters, which he seemed to revel in playing.
He also continued to perform sporadically in regional theaters, essaying in 1921 the role of Prinzivalle in "Monna Vanna" by Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, also called Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911. The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life...
. In 1926, he wrote two screenplays for First National
First National
First National was an association of independent theater owners in the United States that expanded from exhibiting movies to distributing them, and eventually to producing them as a movie studio, called First National Pictures, Inc. It later merged with Warner Bros.-Early history:The First National...
that were never produced. In 1928, he traveled to Europe, but a proposal to perform a self-penned screenplay for Universum Film AG
Universum Film AG
Universum Film AG, better known as UFA or Ufa, is a film company that was the principal film studio in Germany, home of the German film industry during the Weimar Republic and through World War II, and a major force in world cinema from 1917 to 1945...
was never realized.
He was for a time considered for, and later turned down, the role of Count Dracula
Count Dracula
Count Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler...
in 1931, which would eventually go to Bela Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
. Seen in many classic offerings such as Trilby
Trilby (film)
Trilby is a 1914 British silent drama film directed by Harold M. Shaw and starring Herbert Beerbohm Tree, Viva Birkett and Charles Rock. It is an adaptation of the novel Trilby by George Du Maurier...
(1923), The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film)
The Phantom of the Opera is a 1925 American silent horror film adaptation of the Gaston Leroux novel of the same title directed by Rupert Julian. The film featured Lon Chaney in the title role as the deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House, causing murder and mayhem in an attempt to force...
(1925), Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927 film)
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a silent film directed by Harry A. Pollard and released by Universal Pictures. The film is based on the eponymous novel written by Harriett Beecher Stowe and was the last silent film version....
(1927), The Cat and the Canary
The Cat and the Canary (1927 film)
The Cat and the Canary is an American silent horror film adaptation of John Willard's 1922 black comedy play of the same name. Directed by German Expressionist filmmaker Paul Leni, the film stars Laura La Plante as Annabelle West, Forrest Stanley as Charles "Charlie" Wilder, and Creighton Hale as...
(1927), Doctor X
Doctor X (film)
Doctor X is a First National/Warner Bros. horror and mystery film based on the play of the same name. It was directed by Michael Curtiz and stars Lee Tracy, Fay Wray, and Lionel Atwill....
(1932), and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), Carewe completed nearly 50 films, mostly 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.
Personal life
Carewe married the soprano Irene Pavlowska (née Irene Levi) on February 17, 1915 in Chicago. They divorced in 1921.Shortly after completing Charlie Chan's Secret
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1919. Loosely based on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu...
(1936), he suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, which ended his acting career. He was found dead in his car in the parking lot of a Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
beach motel, an apparent suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by a gunshot to the head.