Tried his hand at various occupations, including the writing of melodramas, before entering films with Biograph in 1909. Appeared in many early D.W. Griffith productions and by 1917 had emerged as a star of Westerns and action pictures under John Ford and other directors. He worked closely with Ford on 26 productions, often as a character called Cheyenne Harry, occasionally collaborating with him on stories, scripts, producing, and directing. In the 30s, following an impressive performance in TRADER HORN (1931), Carey began a second phase of his career as a reliable character actor, a phase that continued until his death in 1947 of a coronary thrombosis. The following year John Ford dedicated the film 3 GODFATHERS (1948) "to the memory of Harry Carey -- bright star of the early Western." His widow, Olive (1896-1988), also appeared in films using the professional names Olive Fuller Gordon and Olive Carey. Their son is actor Harry Carey Jr. (born 1921).  Nominated for Supporting Actor 1939: MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON 1 nomination