Agnes Ayres (born Agnes Henkel; April 4, 1892 – December 25, 1940) was an American actress who rose to fame during the period of silent films. She was known for her role as Lady Diana Mayo in The Sheik opposite Rudolph Valentino. During this period Ayres began a romance with Lasky.

right|250px|thumb|Agnes Ayres as Helen Allen in the 1920 film Go and Get It - Munsey's Magazine, 1920

In 1921, Ayres shot to stardom when she was cast as Lady Diana Mayo, an English heiress, with "Latin lover" Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik. Ayres later reprised her role as Lady Diana in the 1926 sequel The Son of the Sheik. Following the release of The Sheik, she had major roles in many other films, including The Affairs of Anatol (1921) starring Wallace Reid, Forbidden Fruit (1921), and Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1923).

250px|thumb|Ayres, c. 1921

By 1923, Ayres' career began to wane following the end of her relationship with Jesse Lasky. She married Mexican diplomat S. Manuel Reachi in 1924. The couple had a daughter, then divorced in 1927.

Ayres lost her fortune and real estate holdings in the Wall Street Crash of 1929. She is interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. In 1960, Ayres was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a motion pictures star at 6504 Hollywood Boulevard for her contributions to the film industry.

Her daughter Maria Reachi had a small part in the movie East Side, West Side (1949).

Selected filmography

250px|thumb|Ayres on a lobby card for The Sheik

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|+

|-

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

|-

| 1914|| '|||| Uncredited

|-

| 1915|| His New Job|| Extra, Secretary || Alternative title: Charlie's New Job

|-

|rowspan=8|1917|| Motherhood|| The Mother|| Credited as Agnes Eyre<br>Lost film

|-

| The Debt|| Countess Ann || Credited as Agnes Eyre<br>Lost film

|-

| Mrs. Balfame|| Alys Crumley || Credited as Agnes Eyre

|-

| Hedda Gabler|||| Credited as Agnes Eyre

|-

| The Mirror|| undetermined|| Credited as Agnes Eyre<br>Lost film

|-

| The Dazzling Miss Davison|| Lillian, Miss Davison's sister|| Credited as Agnes Eyre<br>Lost film

|-

| '|| Alicia Van Der Pool || Credited as Agnes Eyre

|-

| The Bottom of the Well || Alice Buckingham ||Lost film

|-

|rowspan=4|1918|| '|| Maida ||*short

|-

| '|| Ida Bates||

|-

| Sisters of the Golden Circle|| Mrs. James Williams||

|-

| One Thousand Dollars|| Margarett Hayden ||

|-

|rowspan=5|1919|| '|| Helen Reeves ||

|-

| '|| Lela Trevor ||

|-

| In Honor's Web|| Carson||Lost film

|-

| Sacred Silence|| ||Lost film

|-

| '|| Isabel Merson||

|-

|rowspan=4|1920

| A Modern Salome|| Helen Torrence || Lost film

|-

|| '|| Barbara||Survives; Library of Congress, Cineteca Nazionale

|-

| Go and Get It|| Helen Allen||Survives; Cineteca Nazionale

|-

| Held by the Enemy|| Rachel Hayne || Lost film

|-

|rowspan=6|1921

| The Love Special|| Laura Gage||Survives

|-

| Forbidden Fruit|| Mary Maddock ||Survives

|-

| Too Much Speed|| Virginia MacMurran|| Unknown/presumably Lost

|-

| Cappy Ricks|| Florrie Ricks || Incomplete film

|-

| The Affairs of Anatol|| Annie Elliott ||Survives

|-

| '|| Lady Diana Mayo||Survives

|-

|rowspan=5|1922

| '|| Madelinette || Lost film

|-

| Bought and Paid For|| Virginia Blaine || Lost film

|-

| The Ordeal|| Sybil Bruce|| Lost film

|-

| A Daughter of Luxury|| Mary Fenton||Lost film

|-

| Clarence|| Violet Pinney|| Lost film

|-

|rowspan=6|1923|| The Heart Raider|| Muriel Gray (a speed girl) ||

|-

| Racing Hearts|| Virginia Kent|| Lost film

|-

| The Ten Commandments|| The Outcast||Survives

|-

| The Marriage Maker|| Alexandra Vancy || Lost film

|-

| Don't Call It Love|| Alice Meldrum ||Lost film

|-

| Hollywood|| Herself (cameo)||Lost film

|-

|rowspan=5|1924|| When a Girl Loves|| Sasha Boroff ||Survives

|-

| Bluff|| Betty Hallowell ||Survives

|-

| The Guilty One|| Irene Short ||Lost

|-

| Detained|||| Short film Survives

|-

| The Story Without a Name|| Mary Walsworth|| Lost film

|-

|rowspan=4|1925|| Tomorrow's Love|| Judith Stanley ||Lost film

|-

| Her Market Value|| Nancy Dumont ||Survives

|-

| The Awful Truth|| Lucy Satterlee ||Survives

|-

| Morals for Men|| Bessie Hayes||Survives

|-

| 1926 || '|| Lady Diana|| Survives

|-

| 1927 || Eve's Love Letters|| The Wife || Survives; *short

|-

| 1928 || Into the Night || Billie Mardon || Lost film

|-

| rowspan=2|1929 || The Donovan Affair|| Lydia Rankin ||? Survives

|-

| Bye, Bye, Buddy || Glad O'Brien|| Lost film

|-

| 1936 || Small Town Girl|| Catherine || Uncredited

|-

|rowspan=4|1937 || Maid of Salem|| Bit Part || Uncredited

|-

| Midnight Taxi|| Society woman|| Uncredited

|-

| Souls at Sea|| Bit Role || Uncredited

|-

| Morning Judge|| Mrs. Kennedy||

|}

Further reading

  • Louise Carley Lewisson.The Sheik and I: the life and career of Agnes Ayres. BearManor (2024). ISBN 979-8887714011.

References

<!-- Census:

  • 5.1900 United States Federal Census, Cobden, Union, Illinois; Roll: T623_346; Page: 24B; Enumeration District: 95.
  • 6.1910 United States Federal Census, Chicago Ward 34, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T624_281; Page: 8B; Enumeration District 1461.-->
  • Photographs and literature at Virtual History