Summary
Olga Grey (born Anushka Zacsek[1][2] or Anna Zacsek, November 10, 1896 – April 25, 1973[3]) was an American silent film actress, sometimes billed with the alternate spelling of her last name, Olga Gray.[4]
Olga Grey | |
|---|---|
 From The Photo-Play Journal, 1916. | |
| Born | Anushka Zacsek November 10, 1896 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 25, 1973 (aged 76) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Olga Gray |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1915 - 1920 |
She was born in New York City[5][6] to Hungarian immigrants. Her father wanted her to become a violinist, so she studied music while harboring dreams of being an actress. She appeared in some amateur productions before joining a Little Theatre in Los Angeles. Her success there paved the way for her work in films.[1]
By her late teens, she was pursuing an acting career in Hollywood. She began working as an extra.[1] Her first film appearance was in the 1915 film His Lesson, in which she had the lead role. She would have twelve film roles that year, including a role (as the actress Laura Keene) in the now classic and controversial film The Birth of a Nation, starring Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, and directed by D. W. Griffith.
In 1916 she appeared in seven films, including the role of "Lady Agnes" in Macbeth. She would have another eleven roles between 1917 and 1920, with a steady decline of quality roles.
In 1920 she married film actor Arnold Gregg (real name: Arnold Ray Samberg).[7] She later became an attorney under her original name, Anna Zacsek, passing the California bar in 1932.[8] In 1942 she was one of the defense attorneys in the "Sleepy Lagoon" trials, defending gang members Henry Leyvas, Victor Segobia, and Edward Grandpré.[9] She was the only woman attorney in the courtroom for these trials.[10]
Anna Zacsek was residing in Los Angeles at the time of her death on April 25, 1973, aged 76.
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | The Birth of a Nation | Laura Keene | Uncredited |
| 1915 | The Absentee | Ruth Farwell / Justice | Lost film |
| 1915 | The Failure | Rose | Lost film |
| 1915 | Double Trouble | Madame Leclaire | |
| 1916 | Macbeth | Lady Agnes | Lost film |
| 1916 | A Wild Girl of the Sierras | Moll | Lost film |
| 1916 | Pillars of Society | Madame Linda Dorf | Lost film |
| 1916 | Intolerance | Adultress | |
| 1917 | The Little Liar | Fanny | Lost film |
| 1917 | Jim Bludso | Gabrielle | Lost film |
| 1917 | Love's Law | Jealousy | Lost film |
| 1917 | The Girl at Home | Diana Parish | |
| 1917 | The Ghost House | Alice Atwell | Lost film |
| 1917 | The Woman God Forgot | Aztec woman | |
| 1917 | Fanatics | Lola Monroe | Lost film |
| 1919 | When a Man Rides Alone | Beatriz de Taos | Lost film |
| 1919 | The Modern Husband | Cleo | Lost film |
| 1919 | The Mayor of Filbert | Miss Greta Schwartz | Lost film |
| 1919 | Trixie from Broadway | Gertie Brown | Lost film |
| 1920 | The Third Eye | Zaida Savoy | Serial Lost film |
References edit
- ^ a b c "A Vamp With a Goulash Name". Photoplay Magazine. XI (3): 73. February 1917. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ Slide, Anthony (2010). Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813127088. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ Social Security Death Index, listed as Anna Zacsek Accessed April 25, 2009
- ^ "Olga Gray". American Film Institute. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
- ^ Redmond, Jennifer Ann. "Silents of the Vamps: Bad Girls You Don't Know - But Should".
- ^ 1940 United States Federal Census, retrieved September 28, 2023
- ^ "Film favorite bares secret marriage". The Los Angeles Herald. April 13, 1921. p. 1.
- ^ "Retired actress passes bar exam". San Pedro News Pilot. AP. December 10, 1932. p. 4.
- ^ Pagán, Eduardo Obregón (2004). Murder at the Sleepy Lagoon: Zoot Suits, Race, and Riot in Wartime L.A. Univ of North Carolina Press. pp. 77–87. ISBN 9780807862094. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ Catherine Sue Ramirez, The Woman in the Zoot Suit: Gender, Nationalism, and the Cultural Politics of Memory (Duke University Press 2008): 99-100.
External links edit
- Olga Grey at IMDb