Irene Ware
Encyclopedia
Irene Ware was an American Hollywood movie actress of Swedish-Austrian ancestry. Born with maiden name Ahlberg. She was also an American beauty queen, and she was Miss United States for the Miss Universe competition International Pageant of Pulchritude
1929. Irene appeared in 29 films between 1932-1940, and is mostly remembered for playing the role of princess Nadji in Chandu The Magician 1932 with Edmund Lowe
and Bela Lugosi
, and as Boris Karloff
's and Bela Lugosi
's leading lady
in 1935's The Raven
. She died in 1993, aged 82, in Orange, California
.
Irene Ware(Ahlberg), a very beautiful and talented woman, was not known to the swedish public as an actress with swedish heritage, and she made more movies in Hollywood than the more famous and international star Greta Garbo
, who got the attention and made movies also at the same time.
´s Vanities Broadway productions. In 1932 she went to Hollywood, changed her name to Irene Ware, and signed a contract with Fox Film Corporation. Her first movie was, Society Girl, in 1932 at Fox Film Corporation as uncredited together with names like James Dunn, Peggy Shannon and Spencer Tracy
. It was produced by William Fox and directed by Sidney Lanfield, and was released 29/5 1932. The second film, Chandu The Magician, was filmed between 11/7-August 1932 and released 18/9. It was directed by Marcel Varnel. She played the role of princess Nadji together with Edmund Lowe
and Bela Lugosi
.
International Pageant of Pulchritude
The International Pageant of Pulchritude, also known as the "International Beauty Contest" or the "Miss Universe Contest," was a beauty contest that began in 1926 featuring contestants from multiple nations. The last pageant event in the U.S. was held in 1931 although additional "Miss Universe"...
1929. Irene appeared in 29 films between 1932-1940, and is mostly remembered for playing the role of princess Nadji in Chandu The Magician 1932 with Edmund Lowe
Edmund Lowe
Edmund Dantes Lowe was an American actor. His formative experience began in vaudeville and silent film. He was born in San Jose, California.-Film career:...
and 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...
, and as Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
's and 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...
's leading lady
Leading lady
Leading lady is an informal term for the actress who plays a secondary lead or supporting role, usually a love interest, to the leading actor in a film or play. It is not usually applied to the leading actress in the performance if her character is the protagonist.A leading lady can also be an...
in 1935's The Raven
The Raven (1935 film)
The Raven is a horror film starring Boris Karloff and Béla Lugosi, and directed by Lew Landers. It revolves around Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem, featuring Lugosi as a Poe-obsessed mad surgeon with a torture chamber in his basement and Karloff as a fugitive murderer desperately on the run from the...
. She died in 1993, aged 82, in Orange, California
Orange, California
Southern California is well-known for year-round pleasant weather: - On average, the warmest month is August. - The highest recorded temperature was in 1985. - On average, the coolest month is December. - The lowest recorded temperature was in 1950...
.
Biography
Irene Catherine Ahlberg was born 6/11 1910 in Bronx, New York. Her father, Ernest Ahlberg, born in Sweden, and manager of a saloon in Bronx, New York. Her mother, Anna Frey, born in New York from Austrian parents. Lived for many years in Long Island, New York. Her first marriage was with American screenwriter John Meehan Jr., who won three Oscars for his work. Her second marriage was to federal judge Fred Campbell.Irene Ware(Ahlberg), a very beautiful and talented woman, was not known to the swedish public as an actress with swedish heritage, and she made more movies in Hollywood than the more famous and international star Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
, who got the attention and made movies also at the same time.
Beauty Queen
She was also an American beauty queen, (5`6"/1.68cm tall), and she was named Miss Greater NY in 1929, and then Miss United States for the Miss Universe competition in Galveston, Texas, an International Beauty Contest. There Irene Ahlberg, a Manhattan stenographer, 18 and blond, won $1,000 and second honors after an Austrian girl from Vienna, Lisl Goldarbeiter. A documentary TV movie about Lisl´s life, "Miss Universe 1929-Lisl Goldarbeiter. A Queen In Wien", was released 2006 and directed by Hungarian Peter Forgacs. In the honor of Irene Ware´s memory all information stating that she was Miss USA in 1926 are false, and should be removed from all websites claming so.Early Film Years
From late 1929 through early 1932 Irene Ahlberg appeared in several of Earl CarrollEarl Carroll
Earl Carroll was an American theatrical producer, director, songwriter and composer born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Career:...
´s Vanities Broadway productions. In 1932 she went to Hollywood, changed her name to Irene Ware, and signed a contract with Fox Film Corporation. Her first movie was, Society Girl, in 1932 at Fox Film Corporation as uncredited together with names like James Dunn, Peggy Shannon and Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
. It was produced by William Fox and directed by Sidney Lanfield, and was released 29/5 1932. The second film, Chandu The Magician, was filmed between 11/7-August 1932 and released 18/9. It was directed by Marcel Varnel. She played the role of princess Nadji together with Edmund Lowe
Edmund Lowe
Edmund Dantes Lowe was an American actor. His formative experience began in vaudeville and silent film. He was born in San Jose, California.-Film career:...
and 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...
.
Filmography
- 1932 Society Girl (uncredited)
- 1932 Chandu The Magician (as Princess Nadji)
- 1932 6 Hours To Live (as The Prostitute)
- 1933 Humanity (as Olive Pelton)
- 1933 Brief Moment (as Joan)
- 1933 My Weakness (as Eve Millstead)
- 1934 Moulin RougeMoulin RougeMoulin Rouge is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the red windmill on its roof. The closest métro station is Blanche.The Moulin Rouge is...
(as show girl uncredited)
- 1934 Orient ExpressOrient ExpressThe Orient Express is the name of a long-distance passenger train service originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. It ran from 1883 to 2009 and is not to be confused with the Venice-Simplon Orient Express train service, which continues to run.The route and rolling stock...
(as Janet Pardoe)
- 1934 Let´s Talk It Over (as Sandra)
- 1934 The Affairs Of CelliniThe Affairs of CelliniThe Affairs of Cellini is a comedy film set in Florence over 400 years ago. This 1934 movie was adapted by Bess Meredyth from the play The Firebrand of Florence by Edwin Justus Mayer. It was directed by Gregory La Cava.-Plot:...
(as Daughter Of The House Of Bocci)
- 1934 You Belong To Me (as Lila Lacey)
- 1934 King Kelly Of The U.S.A.King Kelly of the U.S.A.King Kelly of the U.S.A. is a 1934 American romantic musical film directed by Leonard Fields.The film is also known as Irish and Proud of It.- Cast :*Guy Robertson as James W. Kelly*Edgar Kennedy as Happy Moran...
(as Princess Tania aka Catherine Bell)
- 1935 Rendezvous At Midnight (as Myra)
- 1935 Night Life Of The Gods (as Diana)
- 1935 Whispering Smith Speaks (as Nan Roberts)
- 1935 The RavenThe Raven"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. It is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness...
(as Jean Thatcher)
- 1935 Cheers Of The Crowd (as Mary Larkin)
- 1935 Happiness C.O.D. (as Carroll Sherridan)
- 1935 False PretensesFalse pretensesObtaining property by false pretenses is when a person obtains property by intentionally misrepresenting a past or existing fact.-Elements:The elements of false pretenses are: a false representation of a material past or existing fact...
(as Mary Beekman)
- 1936 The Dark HourThe Dark Hour (1936 film)-Cast:*Ray Walker as Jim Landis*Berton Churchill as Paul Bernard*Irene Ware as Elsa Carson*Hobart Bosworth as Charles Carson*Hedda Hopper as Mrs. Tallman*E.E. Clive as Foot, the Butler*Harold Goodwin as Peter Blake*William V. Mong as Henry Carson...
(as Elsa Carson)
- 1936 Murder At Glen AtholMurder at Glen Athol-Plot summary:A famous detective is invited to a swanky party at an elegant mansion, but before the night is over he finds himself involved with gangsters, blackmail and murder.-Cast:*John Miljan as Bill Holt, the detective*Irene Ware as Jane Maxwell...
(as Jane Maxwell)
- 1936 O´Malley Of The Mounted (as Edith "Edie" Hyland)
- 1936 In Paris, A.W.O.L. (as Constance)
- 1936 Federal Agent (as Helen Lynch/Helen Gray)
- 1936 Gold Diggers Of 1937Gold Diggers of 1937Gold Diggers of 1937 is a 1936 Warner Bros. movie musical directed by Lloyd Bacon with musical numbers created and directed by Busby Berkeley, and starring Dick Powell and Joan Blondell, who were married at the time, and Victor Moore. The film features songs by the teams of Harold Arlen and E.Y...
(as Irene(Sally´s pal))
- 1937 The Live Wire (as Jane)
- 1938 Around The Town (as Norma Wyngold)
- 1938 No Parking (as Olga)
- 1940 Outside The Three-Mile Limit (as Dorothy Kenney)