RICH, IRENE

born Oct. 13, 1891, Buffalo, N.Y., U.S. died April 22, 1988, Hope Ranch, Calif. original name Irene Luther American actress who abandoned her career as a successful real estate agent to become a popular star of the silent screen, appearing in scores of melodramas in the 1920s. Rich first appeared in motion pictures as an extra in 1918 and later played opposite such stars as Lon Chaney, Ronald Colman, and Warner Baxter; she played the wife of Will Rogers in seven films, including They Had to See Paris (1929). She performed on radio for more than a decade in the Irene Rich Dramas, of which the most popular were Dear John and Glorious One. She returned to motion pictures during the late 1930s, usually portraying a mother. Her film credits include Jes' Call Me Jim (1920), The Champ (1931), and Angel and the Badman (1947); her last two films were Fort Apache and Joan of Arc (both 1948). After appearing on Broadway in As the Girls Go (194850), Rich retired from show business.