{{Short description|English-American actress (1881–1967)}} {{Use British English|date=September 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Infobox person | name = Sarah Padden | image = Sarah Padden - Hixon-Connelly.jpg | image_size = | caption = Padden in 1918 | birth_name = Sarah Ann Padden | birth_date = {{Birth date|1881|10|16|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Sunderland]], [[England]], UK | death_date = {{Death date and age|1967|12|04|1881|10|16|df=yes}} | death_place = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S. | resting_place = [[Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City|Holy Cross Cemetery]], [[Culver City, California]] | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1926–1958 | spouse = {{marriage|George Clarence Sackett|1916}} }}
'''Sarah Ann Padden''' (16 October 1881 – 4 December 1967) was an English-born American theatre and film [[character actress]]. She performed on stage in the early 20th century.<ref name=padden/> Her best-known single-act performance was in ''The Clod'', a stage production in which she played an uneducated woman who lived on a farm during the [[American Civil War]].<ref>''Fine Bill At Hillstreet'', [[Los Angeles Times]], 30 March 1926, pg. A11.</ref><ref>[http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=55411 ''Sarah Padden'' at IBDb.com database]</ref>
==Early life== Born in England to an Irish immigrant father, Michael Padden, and an English mother, the family emigrated to the United States on the S/S ''Ohio'' from England passing through the Port of Philadelphia in 1889.{{cn|date=May 2020}}
The future actress took part in recitations in the [[Catholic Church|Catholic school]] she attended in Chicago, where her fellow students enjoyed her talent as a [[mimic (entertainment)|mimic]]. Her parents wanted her to enter a convent, but a liberal-minded priest, Father Dorney, encouraged her ambition to become an actress. He assisted her in obtaining her first stage role, a theatrical featuring [[Otis Skinner]].<ref name=padden>{{cite news | title=Sarah Padden's Start | newspaper=[[New York Times]] | date=17 December 1916 | page=III4}}</ref>
For many years, Padden lived in the vicinity of the [[Broad River (South Carolina)|Broad River]], [[Gaston, South Carolina]]. On one occasion she ventured onto a dam, reaching its center just as the noon whistle blew near the power station. Frightened, she lost her balance and fell over, but she managed to cling to a steel [[eye bolt]]. She was rescued by an African American manservant of the power company superintendent. Afterwards Padden's parents hired the man and took him to New York City, where he died at age 108.<ref name=jim>{{cite news | title=Star Describes How Aged Negro Saved Her Life | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=22 November 1925 | page=C29}}</ref>
==Theatrical career== Padden was a featured player on the [[Orpheum Circuit]].<ref name=sarah/> She had a role in ''His Grace de Grammont'', a romantic comedy by [[Clyde Fitch]] which came to the [[Park Theatre (Boston)|Park Theatre]] in [[Boston]] in September 1905. The production starred Skinner and was based on the life of a [[knight|chevalier]] in the court of [[Charles II of England|Charles II]].<ref>"New Fitch Play In Boston", ''New York Times'', 15 September 1905, pg. 5.</ref> Padden appeared again with Skinner in a four-act play produced by [[Charles Frohman]], ''The Honor of the Family'', by [[Émile Fabre]], which was presented in [[New Rochelle, New York]] in September 1907.<ref>"Amusement Notes", ''New York Times'', 27 September 1907, pg. 9.</ref>
Another of her theatrical parts was in ''[[Hell-Bent Fer Heaven]]'', a [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning play by [[Hatcher Hughes]]. It was performed at the Wilkes Orange Grove Theater (Majestic Theater), 845 South [[Broadway (Los Angeles)]],<ref>''Cinema Treasures'', [http://cinematreasures.org/theater/2422/ "Majestic Theatre"] </ref> in November 1925.<ref name=jim/>
==Film== {{Unsourced|section|date=May 2020}} [[File:Sarah Padden in The Mad Monster (1942).png|thumb|right|180px|Padden in ''[[The Mad Monster]]'' (1942)]] Padden was also an active screen actress from 1926 to 1958, appearing in 178 films and TV shows. In 1938, she played "Ma" Thayer in MGM's ''[[Rich Man, Poor Girl]]'', directed by [[Reinhold Schünzel]] and starring [[Robert Young (actor)|Robert Young]], [[Ruth Hussey]], and [[Lana Turner]]. Bill Harrison (Robert Young) a wealthy young businessman moves in with secretary girlfriend Joan Thayer's (Ruth Hussey) eccentric family to convince her they can make their marriage work.
[[File:Song of Old Wyoming (1945) 1.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Sarah Padden, [[Eddie Dean (singer)|Eddie Dean]], and [[Lash LaRue]] in ''[[Song of Old Wyoming]]'' (1945).]]
In 1941, she played wealthy spinster Aunt Cassandra ("Cassie") Hildegarde Denham in ''[[Murder by Invitation]]'', directed by [[Phil Rosen]] and starring [[Wallace Ford]] and [[Marian Marsh]]. In this "closed room" murder comedy, after they unsuccessfully attempt to have her declared legally insane to gain control of her fortune, her nephews and nieces are invited to a week's visit at her mansion where they are murdered one by one.
==Avid golfer== She was athletic, taking part in skating, tennis, and swimming.<ref name=sarah/> She played 18 to 36 holes of golf daily. In 1919. she was considered one of the best female golfers in the United States.<ref>"Sarah Padden In Entirely New Role", ''Los Angeles Times'', 2 February 1919, pg. III9.</ref> In Los Angeles, she was fond of playing the municipal links at [[Griffith Park]].<ref name=sarah>"Sarah Padden A Golf Enthusiast", ''Los Angeles Times'', 5 February 1919, pg. I5.</ref>
==Death== She died 4 December 1967 in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], at the age of 86. She was buried in [[Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City|Holy Cross Cemetery]] in [[Culver City]].{{Citation needed |date=September 2021}}
==Selected filmography== {{div col|colwidth=22em}} * ''[[Obey the Law (1926 film)|Obey the Law]]'' (1926) - The Mother * ''[[Heroes of the Night]]'' (1927) - Mrs. Riley * ''[[Colleen (1927 film)|Colleen]]'' (1927) - Police Lieutenant's Wife * ''[[The Woman Who Did Not Care]]'' (1927) - Mrs. Carroll * ''[[The Bugle Call]]'' (1927) - Luke's Wife * ''Sarah Padden in The Eternal Barrier'' (1927) (*Vitaphone short) * ''Sarah Padden in Souvenirs'' (1928) (*Vitaphone short) * ''[[Companionate Marriage]]'' (1928) - Mrs. Williams * ''[[Wonder of Women]]'' (1929) - Anna * ''[[The Sophomore]]'' (1929) - Mrs. Collins * ''[[Trifles (1930 film)|Trifles]]'' (1930, Short) - Mrs. Wright * ''[[Hide-Out (1930 film)|Hide-Out]]'' (1930) - Mrs. Dorgan * ''[[Our Blushing Brides]]'' (1930) - Mrs. Hinkle - the Landlady (uncredited) * ''[[Billy the Kid (1930 film)|Billy the Kid]]'' (1930) - Homesteader Mrs. Foster (uncredited) * ''[[Today (1930 film)|Today]]'' (1930) - Emma Warner * ''[[The Great Meadow]]'' (1931) - Mistress Molly Hall * ''[[Bad Girl (1931 film)|Bad Girl]]'' (1931) - Mrs. Gardner (uncredited) * ''[[Sob Sister]]'' (1931) - Ma Stevens * ''[[The Yellow Ticket (1931 film)|The Yellow Ticket]]'' (1931) - Mother Kalish (uncredited) * ''[[Mata Hari (1931 film)|Mata Hari]]'' (1931) - Nursing Sister Teresa (uncredited) * ''[[Cross-Examination (film)|Cross-Examination]]'' (1932) - Mary Stevens * ''[[Grand Hotel (1932 film)|Grand Hotel]]'' (1932) - Chambermaid in Room 174 (uncredited) * ''[[Young America (1932 film)|Young America]]'' (1932) - Mrs. Mary Taylor * ''[[The Midnight Lady]]'' (1932) - Nita St. George * ''[[Red-Headed Woman]]'' (1932) - Mary - Legendre Maid (uncredited) * ''[[Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1932 film)|Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm]]'' (1932) - Mrs. Cobb * ''[[The Washington Masquerade]]'' (1932) - Pardoned Boy's Mother (uncredited) * ''[[Blondie of the Follies]]'' (1932) - Ma McClune * ''[[Two Against the World (1932 film)|Two Against the World]]'' (1932) - Mrs. Polansky (uncredited) * ''[[Kongo (1932 film)|Kongo]]'' (1932) - Nun in Convent School (uncredited) * ''[[Wild Girl (film)|Wild Girl]]'' (1932) - Lize * ''[[Women Won't Tell]]'' (1932) - Aggie Specks * ''[[Tess of the Storm Country (1932 film)|Tess of the Storm Country]]'' (1932) - Old Martha * ''[[Rasputin and the Empress]]'' (1932) - Duna - Landlady (uncredited) * ''[[Face in the Sky]]'' (1933) - Ma Brown * ''[[Pilgrimage (1933 film)|Pilgrimage]]'' (1933) - Mother of Soldier Missing in Action (uncredited) * ''[[The Important Witness]]'' (1933) - Deaf Woman * ''[[The Power and the Glory (1933 film)|The Power and the Glory]]'' (1933) - Henry's Wife * ''[[Doctor Bull]]'' (1933) - Mary the Canning Cook (uncredited) * ''[[Ann Vickers (film)|Ann Vickers]]'' (1933) - Lil-Black Woman * ''[[The Wolf Dog]]'' (1933) - Mrs. Stevens * ''[[The Sin of Nora Moran]]'' (1933) - Mrs. Watts * ''[[Man of Two Worlds (film)|Man of Two Worlds]]'' (1934) - Olago * ''[[As the Earth Turns (1934 film)|As the Earth Turns]]'' (1934) - Mrs. Janowski * ''[[David Harum (1934 film)|David Harum]]'' (1934) - Widow Cullon * ''[[Men in White (1934 film)|Men in White]]'' (1934) - Rose Smith (uncredited) * ''[[All Men Are Enemies]]'' (1934) - Proprietress (uncredited) * ''[[He Was Her Man]]'' (1934) - Mrs. Gardella * ''[[Marrying Widows]]'' (1934) * ''[[Little Man, What Now? (1934 film)|Little Man, What Now?]]'' (1934) - Widow Scharrenhofer * ''[[The Defense Rests]]'' (1934) - Mrs. Evans * ''[[Tomorrow's Children]]'' (1934) - Mrs. Mason * ''[[When Strangers Meet]]'' (1934) - Mrs. Tarman * ''[[A Dog of Flanders (1935 film)|A Dog of Flanders]]'' (1935) - Frau Keller * ''[[The Hoosier Schoolmaster (1935 film)|The Hoosier Schoolmaster]]'' (1935) - Sarah * ''[[Stranded (1935 film)|Stranded]]'' (1935) - Workman's Wife (uncredited) * ''[[Mad Love (1935 film)|Mad Love]]'' (1935) - Mother of Lame Girl (uncredited) * ''[[Anna Karenina (1935 film)|Anna Karenina]]'' (1935) - Governess * ''[[Youth on Parole]]'' (1937) - Mrs. Blair * ''[[Exiled to Shanghai]]'' (1937) - Aunt Jane * ''[[Women in Prison (film)|Women in Prison]]'' (1938) - Martha Wilson * ''[[Three Comrades (1938 film)|Three Comrades]]'' (1938) - Frau Schultz (uncredited) * ''[[Romance of the Limberlost]]'' (1938) - Sarah * ''[[Woman Against Woman]]'' (1938) - Dora * ''[[Rich Man, Poor Girl]]'' (1938) - Ma * ''[[Little Tough Guys in Society]]'' (1938) - Victim (uncredited) * ''[[Little Orphan Annie]]'' (1938) - Mrs. Nora Moriarty * ''[[Off the Record (film)|Off the Record]]'' (1939) - Mrs. Fallon (uncredited) * ''[[The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939 film)|The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]'' (1939) - Woman Wanting Needle Threaded (uncredited) * ''[[Let Freedom Ring (film)|Let Freedom Ring]]'' (1939) - 'Ma' Logan * ''[[Man of Conquest]]'' (1939) - Houston's Mother (uncredited) * ''[[The Zero Hour (1939 film)|The Zero Hour]]'' (1939) - Sister Theodosia * ''Should a Girl Marry?'' (1939) - Mrs. Wilson * ''[[I Stole a Million]]'' (1939) - Lady in Post Office (uncredited) * ''[[The Angels Wash Their Faces]]'' (1939) - Mrs. Smith (scenes deleted) * ''[[Forgotten Girls]]'' (1940) - Miss Donaldson * ''[[Son of the Navy]]'' (1940) - Mrs. Baker - Landlady * ''[[Street of Memories]]'' (1940) - Mother (uncredited) * ''[[Lone Star Raiders]]'' (1940) - Lydia 'Granny' Phelps * ''[[Chad Hanna]]'' (1940) - Mrs. Tridd * ''[[In Old Colorado]]'' (1941) - Ma Woods * ''[[The Man Who Lost Himself (1941 film)|The Man Who Lost Himself]]'' (1941) - Maid * ''[[City of Missing Girls]]'' (1941) - Mrs. Randolph * ''[[A Woman's Face]]'' (1941) - Police Matron * ''[[Tight Shoes (film)|Tight Shoes]]'' (1941) - Mrs. Rupert * ''[[Murder by Invitation]]'' (1941) - Cassandra 'Cassie' Denham * ''[[Reg'lar Fellers (film)|Reg'lar Fellers]]'' (1941) - Hetty Carter * ''[[Outlaws of Cherokee Trail]]'' (1941) - The Nun (uncredited) * ''[[It Started with Eve]]'' (1941) - Jenny - Coat Check (uncredited) * ''[[The Corsican Brothers (1941 film)|The Corsican Brothers]]'' (1941) - Nurse * ''[[Private Snuffy Smith]]'' (1942) - Lowizie Smith * ''[[Wild Bill Hickok Rides]]'' (1942) - Mrs. Kimball (uncredited) * ''The Power of God'' (1942) - Esther Worne * ''[[Heart of the Rio Grande]]'' (1942) - Skipper Forbes * ''[[The Mad Monster]]'' (1942) - Grandmother * ''[[This Gun for Hire]]'' (1942) - Mrs. Mason (uncredited) * ''[[Lady in a Jam]]'' (1942) - Miner's Wife (uncredited) * ''[[The Pride of the Yankees]]'' (1942) - Mrs. Roberts (uncredited) * ''[[Law and Order (1942 film)|Law and Order]]'' (1942) - Aunt Mary Todd * ''[[Riders of the West]]'' (1942) - Ma Turner * ''[[Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant]]'' (1942) - Neighbor (uncredited) * ''[[Assignment in Brittany]]'' (1943) - Albertine * ''[[Hangmen Also Die!]]'' (1943) - Mrs. Georgia Dvorak * ''[[Hostages (1943 film)|Hostages]]'' (1943) - Old Woman (uncredited) * ''[[So This Is Washington]]'' (1943) - Aunt Charity Speers * ''[[The North Star (1943 film)|The North Star]]'' (1943) - Old Lady (uncredited) * ''[[Jack London (film)|Jack London]]'' (1943) - Cannery Woman * ''[[The Navy Way]]'' (1944) - Mrs. Margaret Gimble (uncredited) * ''[[This Is the Life (1944 film)|This Is the Life]]'' (1944) - Sarah (uncredited) * ''[[Range Law (1944 film)|Range Law]]'' (1944) - Boots Annie * ''[[Summer Storm (1944 film)|Summer Storm]]'' (1944) - Beggar Woman (uncredited) * ''[[Trail to Gunsight]]'' (1944) - Grandma Wagner * ''[[Casanova Brown]]'' (1944) - Mrs. Smith (uncredited) * ''[[San Diego, I Love You]]'' (1944) - Mrs. Gulliver (uncredited) * ''[[Girl Rush]]'' (1944) - Mrs. Emma Mason * ''[[Ghost Guns]]'' (1944) - Aunt Sally * ''[[Three Is a Family]]'' (1944) - Middle-Aged Woman (uncredited) * ''[[Identity Unknown (1945 film)|Identity Unknown]]'' (1945) - Mrs. Anderson * ''[[It's in the Bag! (1945 film)|It's in the Bag!]]'' (1945) - Woman in Elevator (uncredited) * ''[[The Master Key (1945 serial)|The Master Key]]'' (1945, Serial) - Aggie * ''[[Honeymoon Ahead]]'' (1945) - Mrs. Halett * ''[[The Unseen (1945 film)|The Unseen]]'' (1945) - Alberta (uncredited) * ''[[Wildfire (1945 film)|Wildfire]]'' (1945) - Aunt Agatha * ''[[Riders of the Dawn (1945 film)|Riders of the Dawn]]'' (1945) - Melinda Pringle * ''[[Apology for Murder]]'' (1945) - Maggie - the Janitress * ''[[Marshal of Laredo]]'' (1945) - Mrs. Randall * ''[[Song of Old Wyoming]]'' (1945) - Ma Conway * ''[[Dakota (1945 film)|Dakota]]'' (1945) - Mrs. Plummer * ''[[Idea Girl]]'' (1946) - Old lady #1 * ''[[Breakfast in Hollywood (film)|Breakfast in Hollywood]]'' (1946) - Mrs. Marie Edgedaw (uncredited) * ''[[So Goes My Love]]'' (1946) - Bridget * ''[[Joe Palooka, Champ]]'' (1946) - Mom Palooka * ''[[Earl Carroll Sketchbook]]'' (1946) - Mrs. Murphy (uncredited) * ''[[Angel on My Shoulder (film)|Angel on My Shoulder]]'' (1946) - Agatha (uncredited) * ''[[Gentleman Joe Palooka]]'' (1946) - Mom Palooka * ''[[Wild West (1946 film)|Wild West]]'' (1946) - Carrie Bannister * ''[[My Dog Shep]]'' (1946) - Aunt Carrie Hodgkins * ''[[That Brennan Girl]]'' (1946) - Mrs. Graves, the Nice Landlady * ''[[Trail Street]]'' (1947) - Mrs. Ferguson (uncredited) * ''[[Ramrod (film)|Ramrod]]'' (1947) - Mrs. Parks * ''[[Love and Learn (1947 film)|Love and Learn]]'' (1947) - Mrs. Grant (uncredited) * ''[[The Millerson Case]]'' (1947) - Emma Millerson (uncredited) * ''[[Possessed (1947 film)|Possessed]]'' (1947) - Mrs. Norris - Caretaker's Wife (uncredited) * ''[[Joe Palooka in the Knockout]]'' (1947) - Mom Palooka * ''[[Joe Palooka in Fighting Mad]]'' (1948) - Mom Palooka * ''[[The Return of the Whistler]]'' (1948) - Mrs. Hulskamp * ''[[The Dude Goes West]]'' (1948) - Mrs. Hallahan * ''[[Frontier Revenge]]'' (1948) - Widow Owens * ''[[Homicide (1949 film)|Homicide]]'' (1949) - Mrs. Webb * ''[[Range Justice]]'' (1949) - Ma Curtis * ''[[The Doctor and the Girl]]'' (1949) - Miss Newton (uncredited) * ''[[House by the River]]'' (1950) - Mrs. Beach * ''[[Gunslingers (1950 film)|Gunslingers]]'' (1950) - Rawhide Rosie Rawlins * ''[[A Life of Her Own]]'' (1950) - Overseer (uncredited) * ''[[Again Pioneers]]'' (1950) - Ma Ashby * ''[[The Missourians]]'' (1950) - Mother Kovacs * ''[[Oh! Susanna (film)|Oh! Susanna]]'' (1951) - Mrs. Ledbetter (uncredited) * ''[[Utah Wagon Train]]'' (1951) - Sarah Wendover * ''[[She's Working Her Way Through College]]'' (1952) - Wardrobe Woman at Burlesque Theatre (uncredited) * ''[[Big Jim McLain]]'' (1952) - Mrs. Lexiter * ''[[Prince of Players]]'' (1955) - Mary Todd Lincoln (uncredited) * ''[[The Kettles in the Ozarks]]'' (1956) - Miz Tinware (uncredited) * ''[[No Time for Sergeants (film)|No Time for Sergeants]]'' (1958) - Sgt. King's Mother (uncredited) * ''[[Screaming Mimi (film)|Screaming Mimi]]'' (1958) - Thelma (uncredited) * ''Girl With an Itch'' (1958) - Cookie {{div col end}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{Internet Archive author |sname=Sarah Padden}} * {{IMDb name|0655605}} * {{IBDB name|55411}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Padden, Sarah}} [[Category:1881 births]] [[Category:1967 deaths]] [[Category:Actresses from Chicago]] [[Category:American stage actresses]] [[Category:English vaudeville performers]] [[Category:American vaudeville performers]] [[Category:20th-century American actresses]] [[Category:English emigrants to the United States]] [[Category:Actresses from Sunderland]]