Kathleen Clifford
Encyclopedia
Kathleen Clifford was an American vaudeville
and Broadway
stage and film actress of the early twentieth century.
, Kathleen Clifford's career acting was initially built on the vaudeville
stages as a comedienne. Clifford was renowned for her impersonations of men and was often humorously billed as "The Smartest Chap in Town".
In January 1907, Clifford made her Broadway stage debut at the Lincoln Square Theatre in the J.J. and Lee Schultz produced musical The Bell of London Town. Clifford's stage career was prolific and lasted throughout the 1910s. Some of her most notable roles were in the 1911 musical triple bill Hell, Tempations and Gaby at the Folies Bergère theatre, the 1911-1912 original musical comedy Vera Violetta at the Winter Garden Theatre
, the Florenz Ziegfeld
musical production A Winsome Widow (1912) and the 1916 H. H. Frazee
produced A Pair of Queens opposite actor Edward Abeles at the Longacre Theatre
.
Kathleen Clifford made her screen debut in the 1917 William Bertram directed mystery serial Who Is Number One? opposite silent film actor Cullen Landis
. She would appear in several high profile roles throughout the late 1910s and early 1920s. Most notably: opposite Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. in the 1919 comedy When the Clouds Roll By, in the Ouida Bergère
penned and George Fitzmaurice directed crime drama Kick In opposite Betty Compson
, May McAvoy
and Bert Lytell
(1922), and in the role of 'Queen Berengaria' opposite Wallace Beery
and the young actress Marguerite De La Motte
in Richard the Lion-Hearted (1923). Clifford's last silent film would be in the 1928 James Cruze
directed comedy Excess Baggage opposite the popular silent film actor William Haines
.
With the advent of talkies
Clifford settled into semi-retirement. She would make only one film during the early years of sound film; The Bride's Bereavement, a comedy short featuring several former silent film stars such as Aileen Pringle
, Montagu Love
Luis Alberni and Charles Ray
.
In 1945, Kathleen Clifford penned a book for children entitled The Enchanted Glen: Never Trod By the Feet of Men that was illustrated by Kim Weed and published by Beverly Publishing, Los Angeles, California.
Kathleen Clifford died at the age of 75 in Los Angeles, California in 1962.
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
stage and film actress of the early twentieth century.
Biography
Born in Charlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
, Kathleen Clifford's career acting was initially built on the vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
stages as a comedienne. Clifford was renowned for her impersonations of men and was often humorously billed as "The Smartest Chap in Town".
In January 1907, Clifford made her Broadway stage debut at the Lincoln Square Theatre in the J.J. and Lee Schultz produced musical The Bell of London Town. Clifford's stage career was prolific and lasted throughout the 1910s. Some of her most notable roles were in the 1911 musical triple bill Hell, Tempations and Gaby at the Folies Bergère theatre, the 1911-1912 original musical comedy Vera Violetta at the Winter Garden Theatre
Winter Garden Theatre
The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1634 Broadway in midtown Manhattan.-History:The structure was built by William Kissam Vanderbilt in 1896 to be the American Horse Exchange....
, the Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. , , was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the Ziegfeld Follies , inspired by the Folies Bergère of Paris. He also produced the musical Show Boat...
musical production A Winsome Widow (1912) and the 1916 H. H. Frazee
Harry Frazee
Harry Herbert Frazee was an American theatrical agent, producer and director, and former owner of the Major League Baseball Boston Red Sox from 1916 to 1923.- Life as owner of the Red Sox :...
produced A Pair of Queens opposite actor Edward Abeles at the Longacre Theatre
Longacre Theatre
The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 220 West 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.-Theatre History:Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts in 1912, it was named for Longacre Square, the original name for Times Square...
.
Kathleen Clifford made her screen debut in the 1917 William Bertram directed mystery serial Who Is Number One? opposite silent film actor Cullen Landis
Cullen Landis
Cullen Landis was an American motion picture actor and director whose career began in the early years of the silent film era.-Biography:...
. She would appear in several high profile roles throughout the late 1910s and early 1920s. Most notably: opposite Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. in the 1919 comedy When the Clouds Roll By, in the Ouida Bergère
Ouida Bergère
Ouida Bergère was an American screenwriter and actress.-Biography:Her name was said to be Ouida DuGaze, the daughter of Stephen and Marion DuGaze. Her father was Spanish, and her mother of French and English ancestry...
penned and George Fitzmaurice directed crime drama Kick In opposite Betty Compson
Betty Compson
Betty Compson was an American actress. Born Eleanor Luicime Compson in Beaver, Utah, she had an extensive film career. Her father died when she was young, and she was forced to drop out of school and earn a living for herself and her mother...
, May McAvoy
May McAvoy
May McAvoy was an American actress, who worked mainly during the silent film era. She starred in Hollywood's revolutionary part talking film, The Jazz Singer.-Career:...
and Bert Lytell
Bert Lytell
Bert Lytell , Born Bertram Lytell, he was a popular screen star of the silent film era who starred in romantic, melodrama and adventure films....
(1922), and in the role of 'Queen Berengaria' opposite Wallace Beery
Wallace Beery
Wallace Fitzgerald Beery was an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in Min and Bill opposite Marie Dressler, as Long John Silver in Treasure Island, as Pancho Villa in Viva Villa!, and his titular role in The Champ, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
and the young actress Marguerite De La Motte
Marguerite De La Motte
Marguerite De La Motte was an American film actress, most notably of the silent film era.-Career:Born in Duluth, Minnesota, De La Motte began her entertainment career studying ballet under Anna Pavlova. In 1919 she became the dance star of Sid Grauman on the stage of his theater...
in Richard the Lion-Hearted (1923). Clifford's last silent film would be in the 1928 James Cruze
James Cruze
James Cruze was a silent film actor and film director.-Life:Cruze was born as Jens Vera Cruz Bosen. The Vera Cruz middle name came from the battle of Vera Cruz. He was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but did not practice the religion after his teenage years...
directed comedy Excess Baggage opposite the popular silent film actor William Haines
William Haines
Charles William "Billy" Haines was an American film actor and interior designer. He was a star of the silent era until the 1930s, when Haines' career was cut short by MGM Studios due to his refusal to deny his homosexuality...
.
With the advent of talkies
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
Clifford settled into semi-retirement. She would make only one film during the early years of sound film; The Bride's Bereavement, a comedy short featuring several former silent film stars such as Aileen Pringle
Aileen Pringle
Aileen Pringle was an American stage and film actress during the silent film era.-Early life:Born Aileen Bisbee into a prominent and wealthy San Francisco, California family and educated in Europe, Pringle began her acting career shortly after her 1916 marriage to Charles McKenzie Pringle, the son...
, Montagu Love
Montagu Love
Montagu Love , also known as Montague Love, was an English screen, stage and vaudeville actor.Born Harry Montague Love in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, and educated in Great Britain, Love began his career as an artist and military correspondent. His first important job was as a London newspaper...
Luis Alberni and Charles Ray
Charles Ray
Charles Ray was a silent film star. Extremely popular in a series of films casting him in juvenile roles, primarily rural young men, Ray's career faded as he lost his youthful looks- he also had a reputation of being demanding and having an outsized ego...
.
In 1945, Kathleen Clifford penned a book for children entitled The Enchanted Glen: Never Trod By the Feet of Men that was illustrated by Kim Weed and published by Beverly Publishing, Los Angeles, California.
Kathleen Clifford died at the age of 75 in Los Angeles, California in 1962.
Filmography
- The Bride's Bereavement (alternate title: The Snake in the Grass) (1932)
- Excess Baggage (1928)
- Sporting Life (1925)
- The Love Gamble (1925)
- Grandpa's Girl (1924)
- No More Women (1924)
- Richard the Lion-Hearted (1923)
- Kick InKick In (1922 film)Kick In is a silent film crime drama produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures.-Production background:...
(1922) - Cold Steel (1921)
- When the Clouds Roll By (1919)
- Angel Child (1919)
- The Law That Divides (1918)
- Who Is Number One? (1917)
External links
- AllMovies.com
- MSN Movies
- Kathleen Clifford at AFI - American Film Institute