Vera Lewis

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Vera Lewis (* 10. July 1873 in New York City as Vera Irwin Elder , † 8. February 1956 in Woodland Hills , Los Angeles , California ) was an American actress .

life and career

Vera Lewis began her acting career at the New York Theater and joined the film business in 1914. Even in her early roles, she continued to specialize in portraying both hateful and moralizing “old maids”, widows, mothers-in-law, society ladies and neighbors. She played her first significant role in David Wark Griffith's legendary film epic Intolerance from 1916, in which she founds the Uplifters' association as a wealthy aging maid, Mary T. Jenkins . In 1926 she was seen in the silent film Ella Cinders as the nasty mother-in-law of Colleen Moore .

In the talkies of the late 1920s, in particular, her roles were in many cases of minor nature, but her film appearances remained distinctive and numerous - in some cases she made over a dozen films a year in the 1930s and 1940s. In the comedy Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935) she played the obnoxious mother-in-law of WC Fields , who declares her dead to his boss and then causes turbulence. She had one of her last roles as the renter of Burt Lancaster's character in the film noir classic Avengers of the Underworld (1946). The film historian William K. Everson described her as "a lovable old wreck of a busybody" . At the time of her retirement in 1947, Vera Lewis had been in front of the camera for a total of over 180 films.

Vera Lewis was married to actor Ralph Lewis until his accidental death in 1937 . From a previous marriage to Edward J. Mackay, she had a daughter, Monica (1896–1968), through whom she had four grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren at the time of her death. Monica became a nun after the death of her husband. Vera Lewis last lived at the Motion Picture Country House , where she died in February 1956 at the age of 82. She was buried in the celebrity cemetery Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Vera Lewis at Find A Grave
  2. ↑ Vera Lewis | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos. Retrieved April 11, 2019 (American English).
  3. ↑ Vera Lewis | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos. Retrieved April 11, 2019 (American English).
  4. ^ Obituary in the Los Angeles Times
  5. ↑ Vera Lewis at Find A Grave
  6. ^ Obituary in the Los Angeles Times
  7. ↑ Vera Lewis at Find A Grave
personal data
SURNAME Lewis, Vera
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Elder, Vera Irwin (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-american actress
DATE OF BIRTH July 10, 1873
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH February 8, 1956
Place of death Woodland Hills , Los Angeles , California