Katherine MacDonald
Encyclopedia
Katherine Agnew MacDonald (December 14, 1881–June 4, 1956) was an American actress and film producer. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.
MacDonald was among the top ranks of actresses financially in 1920, earning about $50,000 per picture from a contract with First National
. She achieved the peak of her popularity between 1920 and 1923. From 1922 to 1925 produced by B.P. Schulberg. However, she was considered only a minor talent in the film industry, although her curvaceous figure resulted in the nickname of the "American Beauty".
Her first significant role was her lead role in Shark Monroe (1918) opposite William S. Hart
. She would be featured in a number of silent films, including The Squaw Man
(1918), Mr. Fix-It
(1918), Passion's Playground (1920), Beautiful Liar
(1921), Stranger Than Fiction (1921), and The Infidel (1922). Her films typically were romantic dramas. MacDonald only made two pictures after 1923, one each in 1925 and 1926.
. The gossip columns also held rumors of an affair with U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
, which was unlikely given his poor health after his 1919 stroke.
While working as a model in New York City, Katherine met her first husband, artist K. Malcolm Struss. They married in 1910 but the marriage was short-lived, and they officially divorced in 1919. She married Charles S. Johnston, a young Chicago millionaire, in 1924 and they soon had one son, Britt. They divorced in 1926.
In 1928, she was married to Christian R. Holmes, an heir to the Fleischmann's yeast company, but that marriage ended in a sensational divorce suit in 1931. MacDonald claimed cruelty—that her husband had fired a revolver at her through a locked door, had deliberately burnt her with lit cigarettes, and had sometimes locked her in a cage. Holmes counter-sued, claiming that MacDonald had embarrassed him by having affairs. MacDonald and Holmes had one daughter, Ann.
Silent film actress Mary MacLaren
was her sister.
After leaving the movie industry MacDonald ran a successful cosmetics business in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Her statistics list her height as 5 ft. 8 in. (172 cm) with a weight of 130 lb. (59 kg), having blond hair and blue eyes. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6777 Hollywood Boulevard.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
Career
Starting her career as a popular model in New York City in the 1910s, MacDonald moved to Los Angeles in 1917. She became one of the first women to produce films in Hollywood, and did nine features for her company, Katherine MacDonald Pictures from 1919-1921.MacDonald was among the top ranks of actresses financially in 1920, earning about $50,000 per picture from a contract with First National
First National
First National was an association of independent theater owners in the United States that expanded from exhibiting movies to distributing them, and eventually to producing them as a movie studio, called First National Pictures, Inc. It later merged with Warner Bros.-Early history:The First National...
. She achieved the peak of her popularity between 1920 and 1923. From 1922 to 1925 produced by B.P. Schulberg. However, she was considered only a minor talent in the film industry, although her curvaceous figure resulted in the nickname of the "American Beauty".
Her first significant role was her lead role in Shark Monroe (1918) opposite William S. Hart
William S. Hart
William Surrey Hart was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered for having "imbued all of his characters with honor and integrity."-Biography:...
. She would be featured in a number of silent films, including The Squaw Man
The Squaw Man (1918 film)
The Squaw Man is a 1918 Western film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It is a remake of DeMille's 1914 film of the same name. It would be remade again by DeMille in 1931...
(1918), Mr. Fix-It
Mr. Fix-It (1918 film)
Mr. Fix-It is a silent film comedy starring Douglas Fairbanks, Marjorie Daw, and Wanda Hawley, directed by Allan Dwan at Artcraft Pictures, and released by Paramount Pictures.-Preservation status:...
(1918), Passion's Playground (1920), Beautiful Liar
Beautiful Liar
"Beautiful Liar" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé and Colombian Latin pop singer Shakira. The song was written by Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench, and Stargate members Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, and produced by Stargate and Knowles for the re-release of Knowles'...
(1921), Stranger Than Fiction (1921), and The Infidel (1922). Her films typically were romantic dramas. MacDonald only made two pictures after 1923, one each in 1925 and 1926.
Personal life
MacDonald's career was surrounded by controversy in her private life. She had a public feud with her sister, fellow actress Mary MacLarenMary MacLaren
Mary MacLaren was an American film actress. She appeared in 136 films between 1916 and 1949.Born Mary MacDonald in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she received her education at Greensburgh , Pennsylvania...
. The gossip columns also held rumors of an affair with U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, which was unlikely given his poor health after his 1919 stroke.
While working as a model in New York City, Katherine met her first husband, artist K. Malcolm Struss. They married in 1910 but the marriage was short-lived, and they officially divorced in 1919. She married Charles S. Johnston, a young Chicago millionaire, in 1924 and they soon had one son, Britt. They divorced in 1926.
In 1928, she was married to Christian R. Holmes, an heir to the Fleischmann's yeast company, but that marriage ended in a sensational divorce suit in 1931. MacDonald claimed cruelty—that her husband had fired a revolver at her through a locked door, had deliberately burnt her with lit cigarettes, and had sometimes locked her in a cage. Holmes counter-sued, claiming that MacDonald had embarrassed him by having affairs. MacDonald and Holmes had one daughter, Ann.
Silent film actress Mary MacLaren
Mary MacLaren
Mary MacLaren was an American film actress. She appeared in 136 films between 1916 and 1949.Born Mary MacDonald in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she received her education at Greensburgh , Pennsylvania...
was her sister.
After leaving the movie industry MacDonald ran a successful cosmetics business in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Her statistics list her height as 5 ft. 8 in. (172 cm) with a weight of 130 lb. (59 kg), having blond hair and blue eyes. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6777 Hollywood Boulevard.