Born 1891 in Buffalo, New York, American actress Irene Rich went to Hollywood in 1918 and found work as an extra. She worked for Will Rogers, who used her in eight pictures, including Water Water Everywhere (1920), The Strange Boarder (1920), Jes’ Call Me Jim (1920), Boys Will Be Boys (1921) and The Ropin’ Fool (1921). She often portrayed society women, such as in the 1925 adaptation of Lady Windermere’s Fan and also in Queen of the Yukon (1940).
In the 1930s, Rich did much work in radio. From 1933 to 1944, she hosted a nationwide anthology program of serialized mini-dramas, Dear John (aka The Irene Rich Show). Her leading man was actor Gale Gordon, (who later played Lucille Ball’s apoplectic boss “Mr. Mooney” on TV).
In the early 1940s, Rich starred in Glorious One on NBC Blue. She appeared in stage productions, including Seven Keys to Baldpate (1935) which starred George M. Cohan, the creator of the play, and later As the Girls Go in 1948.
Rich died at age 96 of heart failure in Hope Ranch, California, in 1988. She has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for her contribution to the motion picture industry at 6225 Hollywood Boulevard and one for her contributions to the radio industry at 6150 Hollywood Boulevard. Take a look at these gorgeous photos to see portraits of Irene Rich in the 1920s and 1930s.
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