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Gertrude Olmstead
Gertrude Olmstead
	Olmstead in 1927
Born	November 13, 1897; Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	January 18, 1975 (aged 77); Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1920–1929
Spouse	Robert Z. Leonard (m. 1926; died 1968)

Gertrude Olmstead (November 13, 1897^[1] – January 18, 1975) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 56 films between 1920 and 1929. Her last name was sometimes seen as Olmsted.^[1]^[2]

Career

Olmstead was born in Chicago, Illinois,^[3] and was noticed after winning a 5,900-entrant^[4] contest to represent "The Spirit of America" at the 1920 Elks Club national convention.^[5] The victory included an opportunity to receive a $10,000 one-year contract to appear in films.^[6]

Olmstead initially was signed by Universal Motion Picture company.^[7] Her first film was Tipped Off (1920),^[8] following which she became the leading lady in western films that starred Hoot Gibson.^[9] She appeared in her first credited film role in the 1921 film The Fox. She obtained several more roles that same year, appearing in nine films in 1921, and another five in 1922. She appeared in 17 more films by the time she received what is today her best-known role, opposite Rudolph Valentino in the 1925 film Cobra.

Throughout the silent film era her career thrived. From 1925 through 1929 she appeared in twenty eight films, most often portraying the heroine. With the advent of sound film her career stalled, and she retired from acting in 1929.

Personal life and death

In 1926 she met MGM director Robert Z. Leonard and they were married in Santa Barbara^[1] on June 8. Leonard and Olmstead remained married until he died in 1968.^[10]

After Leonard's death, Olmstead remained in the Los Angeles area, and died in Beverly Hills on January 18, 1975.^[3] She is interred at Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, near her husband.

Partial filmography

Tipped Off (1920, Short) - Marion Ross
The Driftin' Kid (1921, Short)
Sweet Revenge (1921, Short)
Kickaroo (1921, Short)
The Fightin' Fury (1921, Short)
Out o' Luck (1921, Short)
The Big Adventure (1921) - Sally
The Fighting Lover (1921) - Jean Forsdale
The Fox (1921) - Stella Fraser
Shadows of Conscience (1921) - Winifred Coburn
The Scrapper (1922) - Eileen McCarthy
The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1922, Serial)
The Loaded Door (1922) - Molly Grainger
Fighting Blood (1923) - Minor Role (uncredited)
Trilby (1923) - Miss Bagot
Cameo Kirby (1923) - Adele Randall
George Washington Jr. (1924) - Dolly Johnson
Ladies to Board (1924)
A Girl of the Limberlost (1924) - Edith Carr
Babbitt (1924) - Eunice Littlefield
Lovers' Lane (1924) - Mary Larkin
Empty Hands (1924) - Typsy
Life's Greatest Game (1924) - Nora Malone
The Monster (1925) - Betty Watson
California Straight Ahead (1925) - Betty Browne
Time, the Comedian (1925) - Ruth Dakon
Cobra (1925) - Mary Drake
Sweet Adeline (1926) - Adeline
Torrent (1926) - Remedios
Monte Carlo (1926) - Sally Roxford
The Boob (1926) - Amy
Puppets (1926) - Angela
The Cheerful Fraud (1926) - Ann Kent
Mr. Wu (1927) - Hilda Gregory
The Callahans and the Murphys (1927) - Monica Murphy
Becky (1927) - Nan Estabrook
Buttons (1927) - Ruth Stratton
A Woman Against the World (1928) - Bernice Crane, Bride
The Cheer Leader (1928) - Jean Howard
Sporting Goods (1928) - Alice Elliott
Bringing Up Father (1928) - Ellen
Green Grass Widows (1928) - Betty Worthing
Hit of the Show (1928) - Kathlyn Carson
Midnight Life (1928) - Betty Brown
Sweet Sixteen (1928) - Patricia Perry
The Passion Song (1928) - Elaine Van Ryn
Hey Rube! (1928) - Lutie
The Lone Wolf's Daughter (1929) - Helen Fairchild
Sonny Boy (1929) - Mary
The Time, the Place and the Girl (1929) - Mae Ellis
The Show of Shows (1929) - Performer in 'Bicycle Built for Two' Number

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Slide, Anthony (2010). Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813137452. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
^ "Gertrude Olmsted Plays Small Town Bell in 'The Monster'". Pittsburgh Daily Post. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. March 22, 1925. p. 57. Retrieved January 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b Vazzana, Eugene Michael (1995). Silent Film Necrology: Births and Deaths of Over 9000 Performers, Directors, Producers, and Other Filmmakers of the Silent era, Through 1993. McFarland. p. 252.
^ "Wins Prize". Santa Ana Register. California, Santa Ana. July 8, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved January 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Winner Announced in Elks Beauty Contest: 17-Year-Old La Salle Girl Is Chosen to Lead Parade and Star in Film". Exhibitors Herald. 10 (26). New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company: 64. June 26, 1920.
^ "Illinois Girl Wins $10,000 Beauty Prize". Logansport Pharos-Tribune. Indiana, Logansport. June 17, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved January 13, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Elks Meet Contest Winner". Salt Lake Telegram. Utah, Salt Lake City. July 15, 1920. p. 2. Retrieved January 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Contest Winner Is Making Good". The Vancouver Sun. Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver. January 9, 1921. p. 28. Retrieved January 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Shifts Leading Women". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. December 30, 1920. p. 32. Retrieved January 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Willis, John A. (1969). Screen World. Vol. 20. Crown Publishers. p. 236.