Olive Carey began her long career acting in silent films under the name Olive Golden. She made her film debut in 1913 with The Sorrowful Shore. She later became one of D.W. Griffith's original stock players. Golden married cowboy star Harry Carey in 1916 and went on to play the female lead in many of his silent westerns. She is said to have had a role in helping illustrious director John Ford get his start; she even worked as his manager. From the '30s through 1947, she was semi-retired, but following her husband's death in 1947, she staged a comeback using her married name. She is best remembered for appearing opposite John Wayne in The Searchers and The Alamo.