Beryl Mercer

Beryl Mercer (August 13, 1882 – July 28, 1939) was a Spanish-born British-American actress of stage and screen long based in the United States.

Early years Beryl Mercer was born to British parents in Seville on August 13, 1882. Her father was Edward Sheppard Mercer, said to be Spanish despite his name, and her mother was actress Effie Martin.

Career She became a child actress, making her debut on August 14, 1886, at the Theatre Royal, Great Yarmouth, when she was age 4 and returned to the stage when she was ten. In London, she appeared in The Darling of the Gods and the production by Oscar Asche of A Midsummer Night's Dream. She travelled with this play to the United States, where she received good reviews. That 1906 play marked her Broadway debut.

Mercer was honored by Dowager Queen Alexandra for her work as an entertainer during World War I.

Mercer's film debut came in The Christian. She was best known as a film actress for her motherly roles. She played Lew Ayres' mother in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and James Cagney's mother in The Public Enemy (1931) as Ma Powers. She also regularly appeared as a grandmother, cook or maid in some high-profile films. She appeared in more than 50 films between 1916 and 1939, and her career was at a peak in the 1930s when she regularly appeared in several films per year. Mercer appeared in Cavalcade (1933), Jane Eyre, The Little Minister, and The Richest Girl in the World (all 1934). She was in two versions of Three Live Ghosts (1929 and 1935) and The Little Princess (1939) as Queen Victoria.

Personal life Mercer was married to Maitland Paisley early in her life. Her only other marriage was to actor Holmes Herbert in the late 1920s. She had one child, Joan Mercer, later Bitting, born on 16 September 1917.

Death On July 28, 1939, Mercer died in Santa Monica, California, aged 56, following surgery for an undisclosed ailment. She was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

Filmography

The Shulamite (1915) The Final Curtain (1916) – Mary Broken Chains (1922) – Mrs. Mulcahy The Christian (1923) – Liza We Americans (1928) – Mrs. Levine Mother's Boy (1929) – Mrs.O'Day Three Live Ghosts (1929) – Mrs. Gubbins Seven Days' Leave (1930) – Sarah Ann Dowey All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) – Paul's Mother Dumbbells in Ermine (1930) – Grandma Corey In Gay Madrid (1930) – Doña Concha Common Clay (1930) – Mrs. Neal The Matrimonial Bed (1930) – Corinne An Intimate Dinner in Celebration of Warner Bros. Silver Jubilee (1930, Short) – Mrs. Warner Bros. Pictures Outward Bound (1930) – Mrs. Midget Inspiration (1931) – Marthe, Yvonne's Maid East Lynne (1931) – Joyce The Public Enemy (1931) – Ma Powers (Tom's Mother) The Sky Spider (1931) – Mother Morgan The Man in Possession (1931) – Mrs. Dabney The Miracle Woman (1931) – Mrs. Higgins Merely Mary Ann (1931) – Mrs. Leadbatter Are These Our Children? (1931) – Mrs. Martin – Eddie's Grandma Forgotten Women (1931) – Fern Madden Lovers Courageous (1932) – Mrs. Smith Devil's Lottery (1932) – Mrs. Mary Ann Meech Lena Rivers (1932) – Grandmother Nichols Young America (1932) – Grandma Beamish Unholy Love (1932) – Mrs. Cawley No Greater Love (1932) – Mrs. Burns Midnight Morals (1932) – Mother O'Brien, the Prison Matron Smilin' Through (1932) – Mrs. Crouch Six Hours to Live (1932) – The Widow Cavalcade (1933) – Cook Her Splendid Folly (1933) – Mrs. McAllister Supernatural (1933) – Madame Gourjan, Paul's Landlady Blind Adventure (1933) – Elsie Berkeley Square (1933) – Mrs. Barwick Broken Dreams (1933) – Mom Change of Heart (1934) – Harriet Hawkins Jane Eyre (1934) – Mrs. Fairfax The Richest Girl in the World (1934) – Marie The Little Minister (1934) – Margaret Age of Indiscretion (1935) – Mrs. Williams Forbidden Heaven (1935) – Agnes, 'The Duchess' Hitch Hike Lady (1935) – Mrs. Bayne Magnificent Obsession (1935) – Mrs. Eden Three Live Ghosts (1936) – Mrs. Gibbins My Marriage (1936) – Mrs. Dolan Call It a Day (1937) – Mrs. Elkins, the Cook Night Must Fall (1937) – Saleslady The Little Princess (1939) – Queen Victoria The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) – Mrs. Jennifer Mortimer The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939) – Queen Victoria A Woman Is the Judge (1939) – Mrs. Butler (final film role)