Olive Carey

Olive Carey (January 31, 1896 – March 13, 1988) was an American film and television actress.

Life and career

Carey was born as Olive Fuller Golden in New York City, the daughter of Ada (Maxwell), who was from Surrey, and George Fuller Golden (originally George Michael Fuller), a vaudeville entertainer. In 1912, her father died, "leaving a wife and four children destitute." She had a sister, Ruth Fuller Golden, who also acted in films.

Film

Carey's screen debut was in Sorrowful Jones (1913). She next acted in Tess of the Storm Country (1914). (An obituary indicates that the name of her initial film was The Sorrowful Shore.) She appeared in more than 50 films, mostly westerns, including Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, often playing tough tomboy parts.

Television

In 1956, Carey guest starred in the episode "Death in the Snow" of NBC's anthology series, The Joseph Cotten Show. In 1957 and 1958, Carey played Elsie, the live-in housekeeper, on the CBS sitcom Mr. Adams and Eve, which starred the then real-life married acting couple, Howard Duff and Ida Lupino. She subsequently appeared on the CBS sitcom Dennis the Menace, starring Jay North.

About this time, Carey was cast on two NBC westerns Cimarron City, with George Montgomery and John Smith, and The Restless Gun, starring John Payne. In 1960 and 1961, Carey performed the role of Casey, Macdonald Carey's (no relation) secretary, in several episodes of the television series Lock-Up.

On November 7, 1961, Carey played Ma Tolliver, the owner of a former stagecoach stop, in the episode "Deadly Is the Night" of NBC's Laramie western series. On April 22, 1962, she delivered a noteworthy performance as a bullying mother, "Ma" Martin, of three grown sons in the episode "The Youngest" of the ABC-Warner Brothers western series, Lawman.

Personal life

In 1920, she wed actor Harry Carey, with whom she remained until his death in 1947. They had two children, a daughter Ellen and a son, actor Harry Carey, Jr. In 1928, the failure of the St. Francis Dam northwest of Los Angeles caused a flood, the damages of which included seven deaths on the Careys' ranch and a loss estimated at $750,000 ($11.2 million today). As a result, when Carey died in 1946, his estate was worth only about $15,000 ($197,000 today).

Death

Carey died of natural causes at the age of 92 at her home in Carpinteria, California.

Television

• Wagon Train – episode – Jesse Cowan Story – Porcas Beal (1958)
• The Rifleman – episode – Shivaree – Ma Wilson (1959)
• Dennis the Menace - episode - Man of the house - Mrs. Rafferty (1960)