A Graduate of New York's Sargent School of Acting, brunette Olive Tell appeared in stock in such plays as The Intruder and Under Pressure prior to making her screen bow with the Mutual company in 1917. She became a star later that year in The Unforseen, a hoary old melodrama in which she eloped with a bounder who later commits suicide. Stardom proved fleeting, however, and by 1920 she was playing the "Other Woman." A busy bit player in the sound era as well, Tell is probably best remembered for playing Princess Johanna, Marlene Dietrich's mother in Joseph Von Sternberg's The Scarlet Empress (1934). Her younger sister, Alma, was also in films.
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Zaza
Actor |
1939 | |||
|
Brilliant Marriage
Actor |
1936 | |||
|
In His Steps
Actor |
1936 | |||
|
Polo Joe
Actor |
1936 | |||
|
Yours for the Asking
Actor |
1936 | |||
|
Four Hours to Kill
Actor |
1935 | |||
|
Shanghai
Actor |
1935 | |||
|
Baby, Take a Bow
Actor |
1934 | |||
|
Private Scandal
Actor |
1934 | |||
|
The Scarlet Empress
Actor |
1934 | |||
|
The Witching Hour
Actor |
1934 | |||
|
Strictly Personal
Actor |
1933 | |||
|
Delicious
Actor |
1931 | |||
|
Devotion
Actor |
1931 | |||
|
Ladies' Man
Actor |
1931 | |||
|
The Right of Way
Actor |
1931 | |||
|
Woman Hungry
Actor |
1931 | |||
|
Cock O' The Walk
Actor |
1930 | |||
|
Lawful Larceny
Actor |
1930 | |||
|
Hearts in Exile
Actor |
1929 | |||
|
The Trial of Mary Dugan
Actor |
1929 | |||
|
The Very Idea
Actor |
1929 | |||
|
Soft Living
Actor |
1928 | |||
|
Slaves of Beauty
Actor |
1927 | |||
|
Prince of Tempters
Actor |
1926 | |||
|
Summer Bachelors
Actor |
1926 | |||
|
Chickie
Actor |
1925 | |||
|
Womanhandled
Actor |
1925 | |||
|
Worlds Apart
Actor |
1921 | |||
|
A Woman's Business
Actor |
1920 | |||
|
The Trap
Actor |
1919 | |||
|
Secret Strings
Actor |
1918 |