La Collectionneuse: Gertrude Olmsted

Gertrude Olmsted never quite reached the first rank of Hollywood silent film stars. Nevertheless, she was in high demand in the 1920s and was featured in about sixty films. After ten years of intense activity, she decided it was time to retire and enjoy a happy married life.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 1304/1, 1927-1928. Photo: Loew Metro Goldwyn.


British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. 265.


Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Editore, Milano, no. 787.

Beauty contest winner

Gertrude Olmsted (The spelling 'Olmstead' has also been used) was born on the 13th of November 1904 in Chicago, U.S.A. Some sources give the year as 1897 but the 1920 U.S. Census lists her as a 16-year-old girl and articles published in 1920 refer to her as a teenager.

Her parents were Adelbert Thomas Olmsted and Minnie Sellers.

In 1920, she won a beauty contest and was chosen to represent the 'Spirit of America' in the parade at the Elk’s National Convention in July in Chicago. As a result, she was signed by Universal.

In the first years of her film career, she was often used as a leading lady to Western stars such as Hoot Gibson in Tipped Off (1920), Kickaroo (1921), The Fightin’ Fury (1921), The Cactus Kid (1921) and The Loaded Door (1922), Harry Carey in The Fox (1921) or Roy Stewart in The Guilty Hand (1923), Hard to Beat (1923), The Fight for a Mine (1923) and Better Than Gold (1923).

After she had left Universal, she got a big break when she was cast as John Gilbert’s love interest in John Ford’s Cameo Kirby (1923).


Spanish postcard by Ediciones Adolfo Zerkowitz, no. C-52.


Mexican postcard by CIF, no. 2241.


American postcard by Exhibit Supply Co., Chicago. There are several Ben Hur publicity portraits of May McAvoy wearing a similar wig and a similar headband as Gertrude Olmsted on this postcard which were issued by M.G.M. at the time (see for example McAvoy’s Wikipedia page). May McAvoy later stated that the blonde wigs which had been originally created for Gertrude Olmsted for the role of Esther were too big for her, as the two actresses didn’t have the same size, and had to be remade when she was finally chosen to play in Ben Hur. So, it’s possible that the photo used on this Exhibit Supply postcard was a publicity shot of Gertrude taken at the time she was expected to appear in Ben Hur.

Ben Hur

In the early stages of the production of Ben Hur, George Walsh and Gertrude Olmsted were slated to play the leads but were soon replaced by Ramon Novarro and May MacAvoy.

According to film historian Anthony Slide, she later would philosophically state: "I was out. It was as simple as that. There was nothing to be said."

Would the role of Esther, Ben Hur’s beloved, have changed the course of her career? We will never know.


Spanish postcard by Editorial Fotografica Barcelona, no. A-52.


French postcard. Photo: Metro Goldwyn.


German postcard by Ross Foreign, no. 3391/1, produced for the British market. Photo: Paramount.

A very busy actress

However, after having lost the opportunity to appear in M.G.M.’s famous biblical epic, Gertrude Olmsted certainly didn’t stay idle and her filming schedule was fully booked.

She played for example opposite Rudolph Valentino in Cobra (1925) and Lon Chaney in The Monster (1925) and Mr. Wu (1927).

Her other films include Time, The Comedian (1925), Monte Carlo (1926), The Boob (1926), Puppets (1926), Sweet Adeline (1926), The Cheerful Fraud (1926), Buttons (1927), etc.

At the end of the 1920s, she mostly worked for minor Hollywood studios such as Gotham in The Cheer Leader (1928) and Midnight Life (1928), Tiffany-Stahl in A Woman Against the World (1928) and Green Grass Widows (1928), F.B.O. in Hit of the Show (1928) and Hey Rube! (1928), Trem Carr Pictures in Sweet Sixteen (1928) and Excellent Pictures in Passion Song (1928).

Her first talkie was Columbia’s The Lone Wolf’s Daughter (1929), as a reformed cracksman‘s adopted daughter. It was followed by Sonny Boy (1929), with child star Davey Lee, and The Time, The Place and the Girl (1929), supporting Betty Compson and Grant Withers. Her movie career ended with a musical number in Warner’s Show of Shows (1929).


Spanish postcard by M.C. Barcelona, no. 123.


French postcard by A.N., Paris, no. 454. Photo: Paramount.


British postcard in the Famous Cinema Stars Series by Beagles, no. 128-V. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Farewell to the cinema

Gertrude Olmsted then decided to retire.

For about ten years, she had been a prolific, competent, versatile and reliable actress, who never took herself seriously and had accepted whatever roles assigned to her.

Since 1926, she had been director Robert Z. Leonard’s wife.

Previously, he had been temperamental Mae Murray’s husband from 1918 to 1925 and must have found life with easy-going Gertrude a welcome change from his former marriage.

It was a happy union which lasted until his death in 1968. Gertrude Olmsted passed away on the 18th of January 1975.


Italian postcard by Ballerini & Fratini, Firenze, no. 517. Photo: Films Paramount, Roma. Gertrude Olmsted and Rudolph Valentino in Cobra (Joseph Henabery, 1925).


Italian postcard in the “Serie d’Oro” by Ballerini & Fratini, Firenze, no. 505. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn, Roma. Gertrude Olmsted (wrongly captioned as Louise Dresser) and Lon Chaney in Mr. Wu (William Nigh, 1927).

Text and postcards: Marlene Pilaete.