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Gertrude Olmstead

{{short description|American actress}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2020}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Gertrude Olmstead

| image = Gertrudeolmsteadcrop.jpg

| caption = Olmstead in 1927

| birth_date = {{birth date|1897|11|13}}

| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1975|01|18|1897|11|13}}

| death_place = Beverly Hills, California, U.S.

| occupation = Actress

| yearsactive = 1920–1929

| spouse = {{marriage|Robert Z. Leonard|1926|1968|reason=his death}}

}}

Gertrude Olmstead (November 13, 1897 – 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.{{cite book |last1=Slide |first1=Anthony |title=Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses |date=2010 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |isbn=9780813137452 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uznsDu6OHA0C&q=%22Gertrude+Olmstead%22+1975&pg=PA287 |access-date=January 14, 2019 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Gertrude Olmsted Plays Small Town Bell in 'The Monster' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27193660/gertrude_olmstead/ |access-date=January 14, 2019 |work=Pittsburgh Daily Post |date=March 22, 1925 |location=Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh |page=57|via = Newspapers.com}}

Career

Olmstead was born in Chicago, Illinois,{{cite book|last=Vazzana|first=Eugene Michael |title=Silent Film Necrology: Births and Deaths of Over 9000 Performers, Directors, Producers, and Other Filmmakers of the Silent era, Through 1993|year=1995|publisher=McFarland|page=252}} and was noticed after winning a 5,900-entrant{{cite news |title=Wins Prize |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27191492/gertrude_olmstead/ |access-date=January 14, 2019 |work=Santa Ana Register |date=July 8, 1920 |location=California, Santa Ana |page=1|via = Newspapers.com}} contest to represent "The Spirit of America" at the 1920 Elks Club national convention.{{cite journal |title=Winner Announced in Elks Beauty Contest: 17-Year-Old La Salle Girl Is Chosen to Lead Parade and Star in Film |journal=Exhibitors Herald |volume=10 |issue=26 |page=[https://archive.org/details/exhibitorsherald10exhi_0/page/n71 64] |publisher=Exhibitors Herald Company |location=New York City |date=June 26, 1920 |url=https://archive.org/details/exhibitorsherald10exhi_0}} The victory included an opportunity to receive a $10,000 one-year contract to appear in films.{{cite news |title=Illinois Girl Wins $10,000 Beauty Prize |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27156417/gertrude_olmstead/ |access-date=January 13, 2019 |work=Logansport Pharos-Tribune |date=June 17, 1920 |location=Indiana, Logansport |page=1|via = Newspapers.com}}

Olmstead initially was signed by Universal Motion Picture company.{{cite news |title=Elks Meet Contest Winner |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27191760/gertrude_olmstead/ |access-date=January 14, 2019 |work=Salt Lake Telegram |date=July 15, 1920 |location=Utah, Salt Lake City |page=2|via = Newspapers.com}} Her first film was Tipped Off (1920),{{cite news |title=Contest Winner Is Making Good |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27192678/gertrude_olmstead/ |access-date=January 14, 2019 |work=The Vancouver Sun |date=January 9, 1921 |location=Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver |page=28|via = Newspapers.com}} following which she became the leading lady in western films that starred Hoot Gibson.{{cite news |title=Shifts Leading Women |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27193008/gertrude_olmstead/ |access-date=January 14, 2019 |work=The Los Angeles Times |date=December 30, 1920 |location=California, Los Angeles |page=32|via = Newspapers.com}} 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 on June 8. Leonard and Olmstead remained married until he died in 1968.{{cite book|last=Willis|first=John A. |title=Screen World|volume=20|year=1969|publisher=Crown Publishers|page=236}}

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

Partial filmography

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References

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External links

{{commons category|Gertrude Olmstead}}

  • {{IMDb name|0647481}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Olmstead, Gertrude}}

Category:1904 births

Category:1975 deaths

Category:Actresses from Chicago

Category:American film actresses

Category:American silent film actresses

Category:20th-century American actresses

Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)