Harry Carey

Henry DeWitt Carey II January 16 1878 September 21 1947 was an American actor and one of silent films 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 DW 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 CareyBright Star Of The Early Western Sky