Irene Howley

Irene Howley was an American performer who worked across stage, vaudeville, and film during the early twentieth century. Beginning her career as a chorus girl, Howley advanced to principal performer status in vaudeville productions before establishing herself in other entertainment mediums.

Her Broadway career included an appearance in 1908 in the musical The Merry Widow Burlesque. Beyond the stage, Howley's name was attached to sheet music for The Cosey Rag, which credits her as the piece's original introducer.

Filmmaker D. W. Griffith recruited Howley for film work, and she went on to take leading roles in a number of productions. Her screen credits span from 1913 through 1924 and include a range of character roles. Among her film appearances, she played Pearl Courtland in Under the Gaslight (1914), Mary Austin in A Yellow Streak (1915) alongside Lionel Barrymore, and Agnes Murray in The Heart of Jennifer (1915). That same year she appeared as Jeannette Graham in The Moth and the Flame. Howley also took the role of Madge Morrow in Life's Shadows (1916) and Fifi Melotte in The Purple Lady (1916). Her later silent film credits include Claire Masters in Her Father's Keeper (1917), Betty Arden in His Father's Son (1917), and Mrs. Rowland in Is Love Everything? (1924). Her earliest screen appearance on record is the 1913 short film Her Rosary.