Vera Lewis


Vera Lewis was an American film and stage actress, beginning in the silent film era. She appeared in more than 180 films from 1915 to 1947. She was married to actor Ralph Lewis.

Biography

She was born in Manhattan, where she began acting in stage productions. Her film career started in 1915 with the film Hypocrites, which starred Myrtle Stedman and Courtenay Foote. From 1915 to 1929, she appeared in 63 silent films, including the film classic Intolerance, where she played the "old maid" Miss Jenkins.
Unlike many silent film stars, she made a smooth transition to sound films, starting with her 1930 appearance in Wide Open, starring Patsy Ruth Miller and Edward Everett Horton. Already age 56 by the time of her first sound film, she appeared in 58 films during the 1930s and another 60 during the 1940s, almost all of them as a character actress. She retired after 1947 and resided at the Motion Picture Country House in Woodland Hills, California at the time of her death on February 8, 1956.

Family

Vera and Ralph Lewis had a daughter, Monica. During her marriage to Fred Johnson, Monica had four children. Thus in addition to her four grandchildren, Vera and Ralph had 10 great-grandchildren.

Selected filmography

  • Dot's Elopement as Dot's Mother
  • Hypocrites as Parishioner
  • The Caprices of Kitty as Miss Smyth
  • Sunshine Molly as Mrs. O'Brien
  • Betty in Search of a Thrill as Mrs. Hastings
  • The Kid Magicians as Georgie's Mother
  • Cross Currents as Mrs. Van de Veer
  • The Price of Power as Pauline Belmont, John's Second Wife
  • The Argonauts of California - 1849
  • Intolerance as Mary Jenkins
  • Married by Accident as Edna's Maid
  • Jack and the Beanstalk as The Giantess
  • Lost in Transit as Mrs. Flint
  • The Trouble Buster as Mrs. Westfall
  • A Weaver of Dreams as Aunt Hattie Taylor
  • A Bit of Jade as Mrs. Abigail King
  • The Vigilantes
  • The Long Lane's Turning as Charlotte Allen
  • As the Sun Went Down as Ike's Wife
  • The Lamb and the Lion as Mrs. Robert Derby
  • The Pest as Housekeeper
  • Yvonne from Paris as Aunt Marie Provost
  • The Mother and the Law as Miss Mary Jenkins
  • The Merry-Go-Round as Mrs. Pomeroy
  • Lombardi, Ltd. as Mollie
  • The Blooming Angel as Floss's Aunt
  • The Devil's Riddle as Leading lady
  • Nurse Marjorie as Duchess of Donegal
  • The Poor Simp as Mrs. Adams
  • A Full House as Aunt Penelope
  • She Couldn't Help It as Mother Hogan
  • Nancy from Nowhere as Mrs. Kelly
  • Peg o' My Heart as Mrs. Chichester
  • The Glorious Fool as Miss Hart
  • Brass as Mrs. Jones
  • Desire as Mrs. De Witt Harlan
  • The Marriage Market as Aunt Agnes Piggott
  • Long Live the King as Archduchess Annuncita
  • Innocence as Wedding Guest
  • How to Educate a Wife as Mrs. Bancks
  • Broadway After Dark as Mrs. Smith
  • Cornered as Mrs. Wells
  • In Every Woman's Life as Diana Lansdale
  • The Dark Swan as Mrs. Quinn
  • Who Cares as Grandmother Ludlow
  • Eve's Secret as Duchess
  • Enticement as Mrs. Blake
  • Stella Dallas as Mrs. Tibbets
  • The Only Thing as Princess Erek
  • The Gilded Butterfly as Mrs. Ralston
  • Ella Cinders as Ma Cinders
  • The Passionate Quest as Mrs. Gardner
  • The Lily as Mrs. Arnaud Sr
  • King of the Pack as 'Widder' Gasper
  • Take It from Me as Mrs. Forsythe
  • The Broken Gate as Invalid
  • Resurrection as Aunt Marya
  • Thumbs Down as Mrs. Hale
  • What Happened to Father? as Mrs. Bradberry
  • The Small Bachelor as Mrs. Waddington
  • Satan and the Woman as Mrs. Leone Daingerfield
  • Something Always Happens as Gräfin Agathe
  • Ramona as Señora Moreno
  • The Home Towners as Mrs. Calhoun
  • The Iron Mask as Madame Peronne
  • Coquette as Miss Jenkins
  • The Drake Case as 'Miss' Drake
  • Wide Open as Mrs. Hathaway, Agatha's Mother
  • Strictly Unconventional as Duchess of Brocklehurst
  • Just Imagine as 1980 Census Taker
  • Command Performance as Queen Elizabeth
  • Night Nurse as Miss Dillon
  • King Kong as New York Theatergoer
  • Hold Your Man as Mrs. Gargan
  • My Lips Betray as Gossipy Woman in Curlers
  • Meet the Baron as Head Housekeeper
  • After Tonight as Anna Huber, a Cleaner
  • The Meanest Gal in Town as Woman at Mayor's Outing
  • Roaring Roads as Aunt Harriet
  • Alias Mary Dow as Party Guest
  • The Daring Young Man as Secretary to the Duchess
  • Man on the Flying Trapeze as Mrs. Cordelia Neselrode
  • Navy Wife as Bridge Player
  • Way Down East as Mrs. Poole
  • Never Too Late as Mother Hartley
  • Paddy O'Day as Aunt Flora
  • Don't Get Personal as Spinster
  • Dancing Pirate as Orville's Mother
  • Missing Girls as Ma Barton
  • Maid of Salem as Townswoman
  • Nothing Sacred as Miss Sedgewick
  • In Old Chicago as Wedding Witness
  • Crime School as Aunt Liz
  • Little Miss Thoroughbred as Accident Spectator
  • Racket Busters as Jordan's Neighbor
  • The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse as Juror
  • Mr. Chump as Mrs. Fletcher
  • Four Daughters as Mrs. Ridgefield
  • Boy Meets Girl as Studio Cleaning Woman
  • Broadway Musketeers as Landlady
  • The Sisters as Dowager at Ball
  • Girls on Probation as Miss Lewis, Secretary
  • Nancy Drew... Detective as Miss Van Deering
  • Angels with Dirty Faces as Soapy's Mother
  • Comet Over Broadway as Mrs. Appleton
  • Devil's Island as Gaudet's Housekeeper
  • Blackwell's Island as Hospital Desk Nurse
  • Torchy Blane in Chinatown as Dowager
  • Yes, My Darling Daughter as Mrs. Dibble
  • Dodge City as League Member in Polka-Dot Dress
  • On Trial as Mrs. Leeds, Juror #8
  • Women in the Wind as Farmer's Wife
  • Sweepstakes Winner as Mrs. McCarthy
  • Naughty but Nice as Aunt Annabella Hardwick
  • Hell's Kitchen as Sarah Krispan
  • Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase as Miss Rosemary Turnbull
  • Espionage Agent as American Tourist Going to Desert
  • Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as Mrs. Edwards
  • The Roaring Twenties as Mrs. Gray
  • Kid Nightingale as Woman Crashing Vase Over Husband's Head
  • The Return of Doctor X as Miss Sweetman
  • Private Detective as Mrs. Widner
  • Four Wives as Mrs. Ridgefield
  • Granny Get Your Gun as Carrie
  • Adventure in Diamonds as Mrs. MacPherson
  • The Courageous Dr. Christian as Mrs. Norma Stewart
  • An Angel from Texas as Mrs. Gates
  • Women in War as Pierre's Wife
  • The Man Who Talked Too Much as Minor Role
  • All This, and Heaven Too as Queen Amélia of France
  • They Drive By Night as Landlady
  • Money and the Woman as Mrs. Leslie, First Bank Depositor
  • Calling All Husbands as Mrs. McGillicuddy
  • Always a Bride as Second Old Maid
  • Father Is a Prince as Carrie
  • A Night at Earl Carroll's as Maidy, Wardrobe Woman
  • She Couldn't Say No as Pansy Hawkins
  • Four Mothers as Mrs. Ridgefield
  • Honeymoon for Three as Book Club Member
  • Here Comes Happiness as Mrs. James
  • Knockout as Mrs. Turner
  • Model Wife as Mrs. Leahy
  • Million Dollar Baby
  • Bad Men of Missouri as Mrs. Jordan
  • Manpower as Wife of the Justice of the Peace
  • The Smiling Ghost as Mrs. Crockett
  • Nine Lives Are Not Enough as Mrs. Slocum
  • Passage from Hong Kong as Tourist
  • One Foot in Heaven as Mrs. Simpson
  • Three Girls About Town as Clubwoman
  • Miss Polly as Elvira Pennywinkle
  • They Died with Their Boots On as Head Nurse
  • The Body Disappears as Mrs. Moggs
  • Remember the Day as Teacher
  • Bullet Scars as Charles' Wife
  • Lady Gangster as Ma Silsby
  • Larceny, Inc. as First Customer
  • Moontide as Mrs. Simpson
  • Yankee Doodle Dandy as Actress
  • The Gay Sisters as Courtroom Visitor with Dog
  • Busses Roar as Mrs. Dipper
  • The Hard Way as Actress as 'Aunt Vera Elliott' in 'Morning Melody'
  • The Gorilla Man as Landlady
  • Someone to Remember as Aggressive Miss Green
  • Princess O'Rourke as Matilda
  • Mr. Skeffington as Wife of Justice of the Peace
  • The Suspect as Hannah Barlow
  • The Captain from Köpenick
  • Hollywood and Vine as Fanny
  • Rhythm Round-Up as Mrs. Squimp
  • Cinderella Jones as Woman in Courtroom
  • The Cat Creeps as Cora Williams
  • Spook Busters as Mrs. Grimm
  • The Killers as Ma Hirsch
  • The Time, the Place and the Girl as Scrubwoman
  • It's a Joke, Son! as Hortense Dimwitty
  • Stallion Road as Mrs. Pelton, Engagement Party Guest
  • It Happened on Fifth Avenue as Woman in Chauffeured Car
  • It Had to Be You as Mrs. Brown