Irene Rich (October 13, 1891 – April 22, 1988) was a beautiful and versatile American actress who, after becoming a major star in the silent era, found a second wave of immense popularity as the host of her own national radio show.
Rich became a top leading lady in the 1920s, often playing sophisticated society women. She was a frequent co-star of the legendary humorist Will Rogers and gave one of her most acclaimed performances as the mysterious Mrs. Erlynne in Ernst Lubitsch’s celebrated silent adaptation of Lady Windermere’s Fan (1925).
In 1933, she launched the hugely popular radio anthology series, Dear John (also known as The Irene Rich Show), which she hosted for over a decade. She continued to act in films, transitioning gracefully into character roles, most notably as the gentle Quaker mother in the John Wayne classic Angel and the Badman (1947) and as Sergeant O’Rourke’s wife in John Ford’s epic Western, Fort Apache (1948).
