Kay Laurell was an American actress. She appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies

Ziegfeld Follies

The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....

 before moving on to plays and motion pictures. She died of pneumonia

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 at the age of 37. She married Fox Film Company executive Winfield R. Sheehan in 1916.

H.L. Mencken said she possessed "all the arts of the really first-rate harlot" and was "the most successful practitioner of her trade of her generation in New York." He said "Much of what I
got from her, in fact, went into In Defense of Women

In Defense of Women

In Defense of Women is H. L. Mencken's 1918 book on women and the relationship between the sexes. Some laud the book as progressive while others brand it as reactionary...

", his 1918 book. Playwright Channing Pollock

Channing Pollock (writer)

Channing Pollock was an American playwright, critic and writer of film scenarios.-External links:* from Howard University*...

wrote, however, "Kay could have gone far if she had been willing to exchange her favors for advancement, but she didn't 'want to get ahead that way'."

External links

• http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0491042/
• http://www.shorpy.com/node/6307
• http://www.shorpy.com/node/6301
• 1920 passport photo