Kathleen Key
Encyclopedia
Kathleen Key was an American
actress who achieved a brief period of fame during the silent era. She is best remembered for playing Tirzah in the 1925 film Ben-Hur
. Key was the great-great granddaughter of Francis Scott Key
, composer of "The Star Spangled Banner", and a distant cousin of author F. Scott Fitzgerald
.
, she first debuted in films in 1920 in the film The Jackeroo of Coolabong
, playing a lead role. From that point on to the end of the 1920s, Kathleen Key, sometimes credited as Kathleen Keys, starred in several films, but never really reached stardom, and was never given much credit for the roles she had, although there were some exceptions.
In 1922, she was featured in Omar Khayyam and played a vampire in Where's My Wandering Boy Tonight. The same year she signed to play with Charles Buck Jones
in Vamoos for Fox Film. In this role she wore the dress once worn by Sara Sothern
in the stage production of Smilin' Through at the Majestic Theater in Los Angeles, California
. Key spent a year in Australia
as a leading woman in productions of Snow Baker around this time. Prior to making Vamoos, Kathleen starred with John Gilbert
in St. Elmo, also for Fox. She was cast as an innocent young thing rather than playing her frequent vampire part. In 1923, as her career slowly progressed, she was selected one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars
. In 1929, Key appeared in The Phantom of the North, which appeared to be her last film. However, she made three, very small and uncredited roles in 1930, 1935, and 1936, as a dance hall girl in Klondike Annie
. After these minuscule appearances, Key retired from film altogether.
Buster Keaton
, who was married at the time. As told in Keaton's biography, the actor attempted to call off the relationship, but Key flew into a jealous rage and ransacked his MGM dressing room, which caused her to be virtually blacklisted afterward by the movie industry. It is also stated that Keaton refused to give Key a monetary loan. A telegram, sent by one of Keaton's friends who had heard about the argument, comically read: "Congratulations. Hear you are off Key."
, where she died at the age of 51 in 1954. Her interment was located at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress who achieved a brief period of fame during the silent era. She is best remembered for playing Tirzah in the 1925 film Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur (1925 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1925 silent film directed by Fred Niblo. It was a blockbuster hit for newly merged Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. This was the second film based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace...
. Key was the great-great granddaughter of Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet, from Georgetown, who wrote the lyrics to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".-Life:...
, composer of "The Star Spangled Banner", and a distant cousin of author F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
.
Early life and career
Born Kitty Lanahan in Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, she first debuted in films in 1920 in the film The Jackeroo of Coolabong
The Jackeroo of Coolabong
The Jackeroo of Coolabong is a 1920 Australian silent film starring renowned Australian sportsman Snowy Baker. It was made with the husband and wife team of director Wilfred Lucas and writer Bess Meredyth, both of whom had been imported from Hollywood. The film was re-edited and released in the USA...
, playing a lead role. From that point on to the end of the 1920s, Kathleen Key, sometimes credited as Kathleen Keys, starred in several films, but never really reached stardom, and was never given much credit for the roles she had, although there were some exceptions.
In 1922, she was featured in Omar Khayyam and played a vampire in Where's My Wandering Boy Tonight. The same year she signed to play with Charles Buck Jones
Buck Jones
Buck Jones was an American motion picture star of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, best known for his work starring in many popular western movies...
in Vamoos for Fox Film. In this role she wore the dress once worn by Sara Sothern
Sara Sothern
Sara Sothern was an American stage actress.She was born Sara Viola Warmbrodt in Arkansas City, Kansas, the daughter of Samuel Sylvester Warmbrodt and Elizabeth Ann Wilson...
in the stage production of Smilin' Through at the Majestic Theater in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Key spent a year in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
as a leading woman in productions of Snow Baker around this time. Prior to making Vamoos, Kathleen starred with John Gilbert
John Gilbert (actor)
John Gilbert was an American actor and a major star of the silent film era.Known as "the great lover," he rivaled even Rudolph Valentino as a box office draw...
in St. Elmo, also for Fox. She was cast as an innocent young thing rather than playing her frequent vampire part. In 1923, as her career slowly progressed, she was selected one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars
WAMPAS Baby Stars
The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers in the United States which honored thirteen young women each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. They were selected from 1922 to 1934, and annual...
. In 1929, Key appeared in The Phantom of the North, which appeared to be her last film. However, she made three, very small and uncredited roles in 1930, 1935, and 1936, as a dance hall girl in Klondike Annie
Klondike Annie
Klondike Annie is a 1936 black-and-white comedy film starring Mae West and Victor McLaglen. The film was co-written by West from her play "Frisco Kate", which she wrote in 1921. The film was directed by Raoul Walsh....
. After these minuscule appearances, Key retired from film altogether.
Personal life
In the early '20s, Key had a well-known love affair with silent-film actorActor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
, who was married at the time. As told in Keaton's biography, the actor attempted to call off the relationship, but Key flew into a jealous rage and ransacked his MGM dressing room, which caused her to be virtually blacklisted afterward by the movie industry. It is also stated that Keaton refused to give Key a monetary loan. A telegram, sent by one of Keaton's friends who had heard about the argument, comically read: "Congratulations. Hear you are off Key."
Death
After her retirement in 1936, Keys spent the rest of her days in moderate comfort at the Motion Picture Country House in Woodland Hills, CaliforniaWoodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
Woodland Hills is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California.Woodland Hills is located in the southwestern area of the San Fernando Valley, east of Calabasas and west of Tarzana, with Warner Center in its northern section...
, where she died at the age of 51 in 1954. Her interment was located at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood, California.The cemetery has a special section called the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation that is the final resting place for a number of aviation pioneers — barnstormers, daredevils and...
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | The Jackeroo of Coolabong | Edith MacDonald | |
| The Rookie's Return | Gloria | ||
| 1921 | The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (film) The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a 1921 silent movie produced by Metro Pictures Corporation, adapted by June Mathis, directed by Rex Ingram and starring Rudolph Valentino, Pomeroy Cannon, Josef Swickard, Wallace Beery, and Alice Terry... |
Georgette | Uncredited |
| 1922 | Where's My Wandering Boy Tonight? | Veronica Tyler | |
| West of Chicago | Señoria Gonzales | ||
| Bells of San Juan | Florrie Engel | ||
| The Beautiful and Damned | |||
| 1923 | Hell's Hole | Mabel Grant | |
| The Rendezvous | Varvara | ||
| North of Hudson Bay North of Hudson Bay North of Hudson Bay is a 1923 action film directed by John Ford. Approximately 40 minutes of footage still exist.-Cast:* Tom Mix - Michael Dane* Kathleen Key - Estelle McDonald* Jennie Lee - Dane's mother* Frank Campeau - Cameron McDonald... |
Estelle McDonald | Alternative title: North of the Yukon | |
| Reno | Yvette, the governess | ||
| The Man from Brodney's | Neenah | ||
| 1924 | The Trouble Shooter | Nancy Brewster | |
| The Sea Hawk | Andalusian Slave Girl | ||
| Revelation | Madonna | ||
| 1925 | A Lover's Oath | Sherin | |
| The Big Parade The Big Parade The Big Parade is a 1925 silent film. It tells the story of an idle rich boy who joins the US Army's Rainbow Division and is sent to France to fight in World War I, becomes friends with two working class men, experiences the horrors of trench warfare, and finds love with a French girl.The film was... |
Miss Apperson | ||
| Ben Hur Ben-Hur (1925 film) Ben-Hur is a 1925 silent film directed by Fred Niblo. It was a blockbuster hit for newly merged Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. This was the second film based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace... |
Tirzah | Alternative title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ | |
| 1926 | Under Western Skies | Milly Leewis | |
| The Flaming Frontier | Lucretia | ||
| Money Talks Money Talks (1926 film) Money Talks is a 1926 comedy film directed by Archie Mayo. The film stars Claire Windsor, Bert Roach, Owen Moore and Ned Sparks. It is written by Jessie Burns and Bernard Vorhaus, based on the story by Rupert Hughes. The film is considered partially lost.... |
Vamp | ||
| College Days | Louise | ||
| The Desert's Toll The Desert's Toll The Desert's Toll is a 1926 western film, directed by Clifford Smith. A print is preserved at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York.-Plot:... |
Muriel Cooper | ||
| 1927 | Hey! Hey! Cowboy' | Emily Decker | |
| Irish Hearts | Clarice | ||
| 1928 | Golf Widows | Ethel Dixon | |
| 1929 | The Family Picnic | Cleo of Paris | |
| The Phantom of the North The Phantom of the North The Phantom of the North is a 1929 drama film directed by Harry S. Webb and featuring Boris Karloff.-Cast:* Edith Roberts - Doris Rayburn* Donald Keith - Bob Donald* Kathleen Key - Colette* Boris Karloff - Jules Gregg* Joe Bonomo - Pierre Blanc... |
Colette | Alternative title: Phantoms of the North | |
| 1930 | Sweeping Against the Winds | Rosalie Lawrence | |
| 1935 | Thunder in the Night | Guest | Uncredited |
| 1936 | Klondike Annie Klondike Annie Klondike Annie is a 1936 black-and-white comedy film starring Mae West and Victor McLaglen. The film was co-written by West from her play "Frisco Kate", which she wrote in 1921. The film was directed by Raoul Walsh.... |
Dance Hall Girl | Uncredited |
| One Rainy Afternoon One Rainy Afternoon One Rainy Afternoon is a 1936 romantic comedy film directed by Rowland V. Lee, starring Francis Lederer and Ida Lupino and featuring Hugh Herbert, Roland Young and Erik Rhodes... |
Bit Role | Uncredited Alternative title: Matinee Scandal |
|