Charleston is a deeply rooted historical place, so much that one of the many attractions are the cemeteries and graveyards. One of the larger graveyards is the
St Philip Episcopal Church cemetery and buried there is former actress
Alicia Rhett.
 |
| Alicia Rhett |
Alicia Rhett was born on February 1, 1915, in Savannah, Georgia to Edmund and Isobel Rhett. She and her family lived in Georgia until her father's death in World War I (1918). They moved to Charleston, South Carolina with her mother and developed an interest in the arts, specifically theater.
 |
| Alica Rhett and Susan Myrick |
While in Charleston, Alica took up painting, illustrating, and theater. Director George Cukor was in town and recruiting for the cast of a film to be based on a novel about the Civil War south, and Cukor found Rhett. Rhett initially auditioned as Melanie Hamilton but was casted as India Wilkes
in the renowned film
Gone With the Wind.
 |
| Alicia Rhett as India Wilkes in Gone With the Wind |
As stated above, she loved painting and sketching. In fact, in between takes of the movie, she would sketch anything she could, even the cast! She later gave thumbnail portraits to the News & Courier as an inside peek into the set of Gone With the Wind. Some of her paintings can be found in homes and public buildings around South Carolina.
 |
| Alicia Rhett on set |
However, Gone With the Wind was the only movie role she ever did, she was not a fan of the "Hollywood spotlight" and felt as though she was not right for the parts she was offered. After the movie, Rhett moved back to Charleston and lived a semi-normal life. She became a voice acting coach, focusing on accents, and a radio personality.
 |
| Alicia Rhett in a nursing home |
Alicia Rhett died of natural causes on January 3, 2014, in Charleston, South Carolina. She spent her last few years in the
Bishop Gadsen Episcopal Retirement Community and lived to be 98 years old and lived a long and successful life who we can all learn from.
No comments:
Post a Comment