Harry Carey
Acting
Henry DeWitt Carey II (January 16, 1878 - September 21, 1947) was an American actor and one of silent film's 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 D.W. 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 Carey--Bright Star Of The Early Western Sky."
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
as President of the Senate
Age 61 (now 69)
The Musketeers of Pig Alley
as Snapper's Sidekick
Age 34 (now 69)
Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs
as (archive footage)
Age 121 (now 69)
Legends of the West
as Ed Brandt in 'Law and Order' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Age 114 (now 69)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
as Self (archive footage)
Age 93 (now 69)
Outside the Three-Mile Limit
as Captain Bailey
Age 62 (now 69)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
as President of the Senate
Age 61 (now 69)
The Law West of Tombstone
as William 'Bill' Barker
Age 60 (now 69)
Valiant Is the Word for Carrie
as Phil Yonne
Age 58 (now 69)
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
as Square Shootin' Harry Lanyon / John Oakhurst
Age 41 (now 69)
The Harbor Transportation Trust
as Tom Larnigan
Age 38 (now 69)
Judge Not; or The Woman of Mona Diggings
as Miles Rand
Age 37 (now 69)
The Detective's Stratagem
as Keene, the Detective
Age 35 (now 69)
The Strong Man's Burden
as Bob - the Younger Brother
Age 35 (now 69)
Red Hicks Defies the World
as In Crowd (uncredited)
Age 35 (now 69)
An Adventure in the Autumn Woods
as Third Thief
Age 34 (now 69)
The Telephone Girl and the Lady
as The Thief
Age 34 (now 69)
The Musketeers of Pig Alley
as Snapper's Sidekick
Age 34 (now 69)
A Feud in the Kentucky Hills
as 2nd Clan Member
Age 34 (now 69)
Gathering insights...
Also Known As
Henry DeWitt Carey II, H.D. Carey, Harry D. Carey, Harry Carey Sr.
IMDB
nm0002503