# Beryl Mercer

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Spanish-American actress (1882–1939)

Beryl Mercer Mercer in 1918 Born (1882-08-13)August 13, 1882 Seville, Spain Died July 28, 1939(1939-07-28) (aged 56) Santa Monica, California, U.S. Resting place Forest Lawn Memorial Park Occupation Actress Years active 1916–1939 Spouse(s) Maitland Paisley ​ ​ (m. 1896; div. 1909)​ Holmes Herbert (m. 1909; div. 19??) Children 1

**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.[1]

## Early years

Beryl Mercer was born to British parents in [Seville](/source/Seville) on 13 August 1882. Her father was Edward Sheppard Mercer, said to be Spanish despite his name, and her mother was actress Effie Martin.[2][note 1][3]

## Career

She became a child actress, making her debut on 14 August 1886 at the Theatre Royal, [Great Yarmouth](/source/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](/source/Oscar_Asche) of *[A Midsummer Night's Dream](/source/A_Midsummer_Night's_Dream)*.[2] In 1906 she appeared as a Kaffir slave in the [West End](/source/West_End_theatre) play *[The Shulamite](/source/The_Shulamite)*.[4] She travelled with this play to the United States, where she received good reviews.[2] That 1906 play marked her Broadway debut.[5]

Mercer with [Shirley Temple](/source/Shirley_Temple) in *[The Little Princess](/source/The_Little_Princess_(1939_film))* (1939)

Mercer was honored by [Dowager Queen Alexandra](/source/Alexandra_of_Denmark) for her work as an entertainer during World War I.[6]

Mercer's film debut came in *The Christian*.[7] 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](/source/Cavalcade_(1933_film))* (1933), *[Jane Eyre](/source/Jane_Eyre_(1934_film))*, *[The Little Minister](/source/The_Little_Minister_(1934_film))*, and *[The Richest Girl in the World](/source/The_Richest_Girl_in_the_World_(1934_film))* (all 1934). She was in two versions of *Three Live Ghosts* (1929 and 1935) and *[The Little Princess](/source/The_Little_Princess_(1939_film))* (1939) as [Queen Victoria](/source/Queen_Victoria).

## Personal life

Mercer was married to Maitland Paisley early in her life. Her only other marriage was to actor [Holmes Herbert](/source/Holmes_Herbert) in the late 1920s. She had one child, Joan Mercer, later Bitting, born on 16 September 1917.[8]

## Death

On July 28, 1939, Mercer died in [Santa Monica, California](/source/Santa_Monica%2C_California), aged 56, following surgery for an undisclosed ailment. She was buried in [Forest Lawn Memorial Park](/source/Forest_Lawn_Memorial_Park_(Glendale)) in Glendale, California.[9]

## Filmography

- *[The Shulamite](/source/The_Shulamite_(film))* (1915)

- *The Final Curtain* (1916) – Mary

- *[Broken Chains](/source/Broken_Chains_(film))* (1922) – Mrs. Mulcahy

- *[The Christian](/source/The_Christian_(1923_film))* (1923) – Liza

- *[We Americans](/source/We_Americans)* (1928) – Mrs. Levine

- *[Mother's Boy](/source/Mother's_Boy_(1929_film))* (1929) – Mrs.O'Day

- *[Three Live Ghosts](/source/Three_Live_Ghosts_(1929_film))* (1929) – Mrs. Gubbins

- *[Seven Days' Leave](/source/Seven_Days'_Leave_(1930_film))* (1930) – Sarah Ann Dowey

- *[All Quiet on the Western Front](/source/All_Quiet_on_the_Western_Front_(1930_film))* (1930) – Paul's Mother

- *[Dumbbells in Ermine](/source/Dumbbells_in_Ermine)* (1930) – Grandma Corey

- *[In Gay Madrid](/source/In_Gay_Madrid)* (1930) – Doña Concha

- *[Common Clay](/source/Common_Clay_(1930_film))* (1930) – Mrs. Neal

- *[The Matrimonial Bed](/source/The_Matrimonial_Bed)* (1930) – Corinne

- *An Intimate Dinner in Celebration of Warner Bros. Silver Jubilee* (1930, Short) – Mrs. Warner Bros. Pictures

- *[Outward Bound](/source/Outward_Bound_(film))* (1930) – Mrs. Midget

- *[Inspiration](/source/Inspiration_(1931_film))* (1931) – Marthe, Yvonne's Maid

- *[East Lynne](/source/East_Lynne_(1931_film))* (1931) – Joyce

- *[The Public Enemy](/source/The_Public_Enemy)* (1931) – Ma Powers (Tom's Mother)

- *[The Sky Spider](/source/The_Sky_Spider)* (1931) – Mother Morgan

- *[The Man in Possession](/source/The_Man_in_Possession)* (1931) – Mrs. Dabney

- *[The Miracle Woman](/source/The_Miracle_Woman)* (1931) – Mrs. Higgins

- *[Merely Mary Ann](/source/Merely_Mary_Ann)* (1931) – Mrs. Leadbatter

- *[Are These Our Children?](/source/Are_These_Our_Children%3F)* (1931) – Mrs. Martin – Eddie's Grandma

- *[Forgotten Women](/source/Forgotten_Women_(1931_film))* (1931) – Fern Madden

- *[Lovers Courageous](/source/Lovers_Courageous)* (1932) – Mrs. Smith

- *[Devil's Lottery](/source/Devil's_Lottery)* (1932) – Mrs. Mary Ann Meech

- *[Lena Rivers](/source/Lena_Rivers_(1932_film))* (1932) – Grandmother Nichols

- *[Young America](/source/Young_America_(1932_film))* (1932) – Grandma Beamish

- *[Unholy Love](/source/Unholy_Love)* (1932) – Mrs. Cawley

- *[No Greater Love](/source/No_Greater_Love_(1932_film))* (1932) – Mrs. Burns

- *[Midnight Morals](/source/Midnight_Morals)* (1932) – Mother O'Brien, the Prison Matron

- *[Smilin' Through](/source/Smilin'_Through_(1932_film))* (1932) – Mrs. Crouch

- *[Six Hours to Live](/source/Six_Hours_to_Live)* (1932) – The Widow

- *[Cavalcade](/source/Cavalcade_(1933_film))* (1933) – Cook

- *[Her Splendid Folly](/source/Her_Splendid_Folly)* (1933) – Mrs. McAllister

- *[Supernatural](/source/Supernatural_(1933_film))* (1933) – Madame Gourjan, Paul's Landlady

- *[Blind Adventure](/source/Blind_Adventure)* (1933) – Elsie

- *[Berkeley Square](/source/Berkeley_Square_(1933_film))* (1933) – Mrs. Barwick

- *[Broken Dreams](/source/Broken_Dreams_(1933_film))* (1933) – Mom

- *[Change of Heart](/source/Change_of_Heart_(1934_film))* (1934) – Harriet Hawkins

- *[Jane Eyre](/source/Jane_Eyre_(1934_film))* (1934) – Mrs. Fairfax

- *[The Richest Girl in the World](/source/The_Richest_Girl_in_the_World_(1934_film))* (1934) – Marie

- *[The Little Minister](/source/The_Little_Minister_(1934_film))* (1934) – Margaret

- *[Age of Indiscretion](/source/Age_of_Indiscretion)* (1935) – Mrs. Williams

- *[Forbidden Heaven](/source/Forbidden_Heaven)* (1935) – Agnes, 'The Duchess'

- *[Hitch Hike Lady](/source/Hitch_Hike_Lady)* (1935) – Mrs. Bayne

- *[Magnificent Obsession](/source/Magnificent_Obsession_(1935_film))* (1935) – Mrs. Eden

- *[Three Live Ghosts](/source/Three_Live_Ghosts_(1936_film))* (1936) – Mrs. Gibbins

- *[My Marriage](/source/My_Marriage)* (1936) – Mrs. Dolan

- *[Call It a Day](/source/Call_It_a_Day)* (1937) – Mrs. Elkins, the Cook

- *[Night Must Fall](/source/Night_Must_Fall_(1937_film))* (1937) – Saleslady

- *[The Little Princess](/source/The_Little_Princess_(1939_film))* (1939) – Queen Victoria

- *[The Hound of the Baskervilles](/source/The_Hound_of_the_Baskervilles_(1939_film))* (1939) – Mrs. Jennifer Mortimer

- *[The Story of Alexander Graham Bell](/source/The_Story_of_Alexander_Graham_Bell)* (1939) – Queen Victoria

- *[A Woman Is the Judge](/source/A_Woman_Is_the_Judge)* (1939) – Mrs. Butler (final film role)

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** The reference work *An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Women in Early American Films: 1895-1930* says of Mercer, "... her mother was the famed actor Beryl Montague."

## References

- [Biography portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Biography)
- [Spain portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Spain)
- [Film portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Film)
- [Theater portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Theater)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Erickson, Hal. ["Beryl Mercer: biography"](http://www.allmovie.com/artist/beryl-mercer-p48482). *[AllMovie](/source/AllMovie)*. Retrieved February 13, 2022.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Nissen2012_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Nissen2012_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Nissen2012_2-2) Nissen, Axel (February 21, 2012). [*Mothers, Mammies and Old Maids: Twenty-Five Character Actresses of Golden Age Hollywood*](https://books.google.com/books?id=iXqFB-YFYpYC&pg=PA149). McFarland. p. 149. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7864-9045-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7864-9045-5). Retrieved June 4, 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ed_4-0)** Lowe, Denise (2014). [*An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Women in Early American Films: 1895-1930*](https://books.google.com/books?id=68e2AgAAQBAJ&q=%22Beryl+Mercer%22&pg=RA2-PA1916). Routledge. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1317718963](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1317718963). Retrieved March 13, 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Wearing, J. P. (December 5, 2013). [*The London Stage 1900–1909: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel*](https://books.google.com/books?id=o5JWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA295). Scarecrow Press. p. 295. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8108-9294-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8108-9294-1). Retrieved June 4, 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Beryl Mercer"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180313193342/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/beryl-mercer-52777). *Internet Broadway Database*. Archived from [the original](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/beryl-mercer-52777) on March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Her Stage Career Began in Childhood"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/18265579/beryl_mercer/). *[Detroit Free Press](/source/Detroit_Free_Press)*. December 3, 1930. p. 18. Retrieved March 13, 2018 – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["The Show Window"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/18247291/beryl_mercer/). *[Hartford Courant](/source/Hartford_Courant)*. September 16, 1930. p. 19. Retrieved March 12, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Joan Mercer Bitting, 92; Founding Member of St. Matthew"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222106/http://www.palipost.com/joan-mercer-bitting-92-founding-member-of-st-matthew/). *[Palisadian-Post](/source/Palisadian-Post)*. Pacific Palisades, Calif. September 10, 2009. Archived from [the original](http://www.palipost.com/joan-mercer-bitting-92-founding-member-of-st-matthew/) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). [*Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory*](https://books.google.com/books?id=8bOJCgAAQBAJ&q=%22Beryl+Mercer%22&pg=PA62). McFarland. p. 52. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0786409839](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0786409839). Retrieved March 13, 2018.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Beryl Mercer](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Beryl_Mercer).

- [Beryl Mercer](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0580240/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

- [Beryl Mercer](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/52777) at the [Internet Broadway Database](/source/Internet_Broadway_Database)

- [Beryl Mercer](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10113) at [Find a Grave](/source/Find_a_Grave)

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF 2 GND FAST WorldCat 2 National United States France BnF data Israel Other IdRef SNAC

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