Edith Storey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edith Storey
Edith Storey, silent film actress (SAYRE 9391).jpg
Storey in 1916
Born(1892-03-18)March 18, 1892
New York City, U.S.
DiedOctober 9, 1967(1967-10-09) (aged 75)
Northport, New York, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1908–1921

Edith Storey (March 18, 1892 – October 9, 1967) was an American actress during the silent film era.

Early life[]

Storey was born on March 18, 1892, in New York City to William Chase Storey and Minnie Storey (née Thorn). Her younger brother, Richard, also had a brief acting career.

Storey began acting when she was a child. Her film career began with the film Francesca di Rimini (1908), also called The Two Brothers. She would have two film roles in 1908, and a total of seventy-five by 1913. Many of these films were Westerns, as Storey was reportedly an excellent horseback rider and could perform her own stunts.[1] Nicknamed Billy at the Star Film Ranch in Texas, she earned the good will of the seasoned cowboys in the Méliès film company for her ability to "ride anything with hair on it".[2]

Career[]

Storey in a still for When the Tables Turned, 1911
Storey (right) in Billy and His Pal (1911), shot in San Antonio, Texas, and rediscovered in New Zealand in 2010. It is one of only five surviving films from the Star Film Ranch.[3]

Storey worked for New York-based Vitagraph Studios for most of her career except from 1910–1911, when she was under contract with Star Film Company in San Antonio, Texas.[4] She appeared in nearly 150 films between 1908 to 1921, including The Immortal Alamo (1911), A Florida Enchantment (1914), and The Christian (1914), the latter film based on the Hall Caine novel of the same name, first made in 1911 and later remade in 1915 and 1923.[citation needed] In 1918, Storey signed with Metro; The Eyes of Mystery (1918) was her debut film for that studio.[5]

Later life[]

The Shop Girl, 1916
The Tarantula, 1916

She would appear in another seventy-one films from 1913 to 1921, almost all of which were what are considered film shorts. In 1921, aged 29, she retired. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in the film industry at 1523 Vine Street. She was residing in Northport, Long Island, New York at the time of her death on October 9, 1967, aged 75. She was cremated at Fresh Pond Crematory D.B.A. U.S. Columbarium co. on October 13, 1967.

Selected filmography[]

Storey (above two images) in The Christian, 1914

References[]

  1. ^ The First One Hundred Noted Men and Women of the Screen, 1920, pg. 174.
  2. ^ "Melies in Texas". The Moving Picture World. February 11, 1911. p. 308. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  3. ^ "Preserved Films: Billy and His Pal (1911)". National Film Preservation Foundation. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  4. ^ Thompson, Frank. The Star Film Ranch: Texas' First Picture Show. Republic of Texas Press, 1996.
  5. ^ "Edith Storey makes debut". Dramatic Mirror. LXXVIII (2037): 14. January 5, 1918. Retrieved January 24, 2020.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""