1890–1913: Early life and theater Rhea Ginger Mitchell was born on December 10, 1890, in
Portland, Oregon, to Lillie and Willis N. Mitchell. She was raised in Portland, and was an only child. At the age of seventeen, Mitchell was given her first role in a local theater production, She also performed in local
vaudeville shows.
1913–1919: Film career beginnings in
Don Quixote (1915) Mitchell made her film debut in 1912 with the New York Motion Picture Corporation Another early credit was in
The Heart of Maggie Malone (1914), in which she portrayed a miner's daughter. She appeared a number of times with
Western star
William S. Hart playing a leading role in those films, including 1914's
In the Sage Brush Country, and 1915's
On the Night Stage directed by
Reginald Barker. She also appeared in the
Thomas Ince film adaptation of
The Devil (also released in 1915, and directed by Barker). Mitchell had a small role in the serial film
The Diamond from the Sky with
Lottie Pickford, and in
Edward Dillon's adaptation of
Don Quixote (both released in 1915). In 1916 she played in
The Brink with Forrest Winant and Arthur Maude, in the sociological drama
A Camille of the Barbary Coast (1916), and as Constance Bonacieux in
Charles Swickard's
The Three Musketeers.
1920–1952: Later career After 1917, her roles became smaller and she appeared in a handful of films through the mid-30s and in several bit parts during the early 1950s which often went uncredited. In 1936, she appeared in an uncredited part in
San Francisco, starring
Clark Gable, and directed by
W. S. Van Dyke, who had directed Mitchell in ''
The Hawk's Trail in 1916. In 1927, Mitchell wrote two films: The Dude Desperado
and The Home Trail'', the latter of which was directed by
William Wyler. She later had uncredited roles in
Jacques Tourneur's
The Ship That Died (1938), as a nurse in the
Lana Turner-led romantic comedy
Marriage Is a Private Affair (1944), and as a seamstress in
The Unfinished Dance (1947). In 1948, Mitchell had a minor role as Jeny in
Frank Capra's
State of the Union. Her last screen credit was in director
Fred Zinnemann's film adaptation of
The Member of the Wedding (1952), portraying a townswoman. ==Death==