Olga Grey
From The Photo-Play Journal, 1916.
Born
Anushka Zacsek

November 10, 1896
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedApril 25, 1973 (aged 76)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesOlga Gray
OccupationActress
Years active1915 - 1920

Olga Grey (born Anushka Zacsek[1][2] or Anna Zacsek, November 10, 1896 – April 25, 1973[3]) was an American silent film actress, sometimes billed with the alternate spelling of her last name, Olga Gray.[4]

She was born in New York City[5][6] to Hungarian immigrants. Her father wanted her to become a violinist, so she studied music while harboring dreams of being an actress. She appeared in some amateur productions before joining a Little Theatre in Los Angeles. Her success there paved the way for her work in films.[1]

By her late teens, she was pursuing an acting career in Hollywood. She began working as an extra.[1] Her first film appearance was in the 1915 film His Lesson, in which she had the lead role. She would have twelve film roles that year, including a role (as the actress Laura Keene) in the now classic and controversial film The Birth of a Nation, starring Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, and directed by D. W. Griffith.

In 1916 she appeared in seven films, including the role of "Lady Agnes" in Macbeth. She would have another eleven roles between 1917 and 1920, with a steady decline of quality roles.

In 1920 she married film actor Arnold Gregg (real name: Arnold Ray Samberg).[7] She later became an attorney under her original name, Anna Zacsek, passing the California bar in 1932.[8] In 1942 she was one of the defense attorneys in the "Sleepy Lagoon" trials, defending gang members Henry Leyvas, Victor Segobia, and Edward Grandpré.[9] She was the only woman attorney in the courtroom for these trials.[10]

Anna Zacsek was residing in Los Angeles at the time of her death on April 25, 1973, aged 76.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1915The Birth of a NationLaura KeeneUncredited
1915The AbsenteeRuth Farwell / JusticeLost film
1915The FailureRoseLost film
1915Double TroubleMadame Leclaire
1916MacbethLady AgnesLost film
1916A Wild Girl of the SierrasMollLost film
1916Pillars of SocietyMadame Linda DorfLost film
1916IntoleranceAdultress
1917The Little LiarFannyLost film
1917Jim BludsoGabrielleLost film
1917Love's LawJealousyLost film
1917The Girl at HomeDiana Parish
1917The Ghost HouseAlice AtwellLost film
1917The Woman God ForgotAztec woman
1917FanaticsLola MonroeLost film
1919When a Man Rides AloneBeatriz de TaosLost film
1919The Modern HusbandCleoLost film
1919The Mayor of FilbertMiss Greta SchwartzLost film
1919Trixie from BroadwayGertie BrownLost film
1920The Third EyeZaida SavoySerial
Lost film

References

  1. 1 2 3 "A Vamp With a Goulash Name". Photoplay Magazine. XI (3): 73. February 1917. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  2. ↑ Slide, Anthony (2010). Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813127088. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  3. ↑ Social Security Death Index, listed as Anna Zacsek Accessed April 25, 2009
  4. ↑ "Olga Gray". American Film Institute. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  5. ↑ Redmond, Jennifer Ann. "Silents of the Vamps: Bad Girls You Don't Know - But Should".
  6. ↑ 1940 United States Federal Census, retrieved September 28, 2023
  7. ↑ "Film favorite bares secret marriage". The Los Angeles Herald. April 13, 1921. p. 1.
  8. ↑ "Retired actress passes bar exam". San Pedro News Pilot. AP. December 10, 1932. p. 4.
  9. ↑ Pagán, Eduardo Obregón (2004). Murder at the Sleepy Lagoon: Zoot Suits, Race, and Riot in Wartime L.A. Univ of North Carolina Press. pp. 77–87. ISBN 9780807862094. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  10. ↑ Catherine Sue Ramirez, The Woman in the Zoot Suit: Gender, Nationalism, and the Cultural Politics of Memory (Duke University Press 2008): 99-100.
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