Gerda Holmes, née Gerda Helen Elfrida Henius (April 2, 1891[1] – October 11, 1943), was an actress during the silent film era and in theater.[2][3][4] She had major roles in numerous films including The Fable of Elvira and Farina and the Meal Ticket (1915) and The Iron Ring (1917) with Arthur Ashley.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Holmes was Danish.[5] Her grandfather managed the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen for more than two decades,[6] and her father was a doctor in Chicago.[citation needed] She studied music in Denmark and began performing on stage there at about age 14.[6] Her first marriage was to Rapley Holmes.

The cover of the December 1916 issue of The Masses magazine featured a "stylish and very modern" portrait of Holmes by Frank Walts.[7]

Selected filmography

With Arthur Ashley in The Iron Ring (1917)
List of acting performances in feature films
Year Title Role Notes Source
1913 Robin Hood Marian Silent film starring William Russell [8]
1915 The Ambition of the Baron
1915 The Fable of Elvira and Farina and the Meal Ticket
1916 The Gilded Cage Queen Vesta [9]
1916 Friday the 13th Beulah Sands
1916 His One Big Chance Starring Willard Mack and Clara Whipple
1916 Husband and Wife Starring Ethel Clayton and Holbrook Blinn
1916 The Chain Invisible Anne Dalton [10]
1917 The Man Who Forgot The woman, also known as Mary Leslie [11]
1917 The Iron Ring Bess Hulette [12]
1917 A Hungry Heart Louis Bregard [13]

References

  1. ^ Heiberg, Gert Falch. Slaegten Heiberg (PDF). p. 117.
  2. ^ "Movie Pictorial, July-August 1914" – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ Chalmers Publishing Company (2 January 2019). "Moving Picture World (Oct 1915)". New York, Chalmers Publishing Company – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ Wollstein, Hans J. (1994). Strangers in Hollywood: The history of Scandinavian actors in American films from 1910 to World War II. ISBN 9780810829381.
  5. ^ "Calisphere: Gerda Holmes". Calisphere.
  6. ^ a b "Gerda Holmes (World)". Cumberland Evening Times. Maryland, Cumberland. November 23, 1916. p. 11. Retrieved December 25, 2020 – via ProQuest.
  7. ^ Morrisson, Mark S. (2001). The Public Face of Modernism: Little Magazines, Audiences, and Reception, 1905-1920. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 195. ISBN 978-0-299-16924-4. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  8. ^ "Robin Hood (1913)". American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films: The First 100 Years (1893-1993). Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  9. ^ "The Gilded Cage (1916)". American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films: The First 100 Years (1893-1993). Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  10. ^ "The Chain Invisible (1916)". American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films: The First 100 Years (1893-1993). Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  11. ^ "The Man Who Forgot (1917)". American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films: The First 100 Years (1893-1993). Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  12. ^ "The Iron Ring (1917)". American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films: The First 100 Years (1893-1993). Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  13. ^ "A Hungry Heart (1917)". American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films: The First 100 Years (1893-1993). Retrieved 2 January 2019.
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