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Kathleen Key

Kathleen Key

Actor

Born April 1, 1903 in Buffalo, New York, USA

Died December 22, 1954

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Biography

From Wikipedia:

Kathleen Key (April 1, 1903 – December 22, 1954) 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.

Born Kitty Lanahan in Buffalo, New York, she 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 the early '20s, Key had a well-known love affair with silent-film actor 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."

After her retirement in 1936, Keys spent the rest of her days in moderate comfort at the Motion Picture Country House in Woodland Hills, California, where she died at the age of 51 in 1954. Her interment was located at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery.

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Filmography

Actor

34

Type

Year

Klondike Annie Poster

Klondike Annie Feature Film1936Dance Hall Girl

One Rainy Afternoon Poster

One Rainy Afternoon Feature Film1936Bit Role

Thunder in the Night Poster

Thunder in the Night Feature Film1935Party Guest

Sweeping Against the Winds Feature Film1930

The Phantom of the North Poster

The Phantom of the North Feature Film1929Colette

Golf Widows Poster

Golf Widows Feature Film1928Ethel Dixon

The Family Picnic Short Film1928The Wife

Hey! Hey! Cowboy Poster

Hey! Hey! Cowboy Feature Film1927Emily Decker

Irish Hearts Poster

Irish Hearts Feature Film1927Clarice

College Days Poster

College Days Feature Film1926Louise

Money Talks Feature Film1926Vamp

The Desert's Toll Poster

The Desert's Toll Feature Film1926Muriel Cooper

The Flaming Frontier Poster

The Flaming Frontier Feature Film1926Lucretia

Under Western Skies Poster

Under Western Skies Feature Film1926Milly Lewis

1925 Studio Tour Poster

1925 Studio Tour Short Film1925Self

A Lover's Oath Poster

A Lover's Oath Feature Film1925Sherin

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ Poster

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ Feature Film1925Tirzah

The Big Parade Poster

The Big Parade Feature Film1925Miss Apperson

Revelation Poster

Revelation Feature Film1924Madonna

The Sea Hawk Poster

The Sea Hawk Feature Film1924Andalusian Slave Girl

The Trouble Shooter Poster

The Trouble Shooter Feature Film1924Nancy Brewster

Hell's Hole Poster

Hell's Hole Feature Film1923Mabel Grant

North of Hudson Bay Poster

North of Hudson Bay Feature Film1923Estelle McDonald

Reno Feature Film1923Yvette - The Governess

The Man from Brodney's Poster

The Man from Brodney's Feature Film1923Neenah

The Rendezvous Poster

The Rendezvous Feature Film1923Varvara

Bells of San Juan Poster

Bells of San Juan Feature Film1922Florrie Engel

The Beautiful and Damned Poster

The Beautiful and Damned Feature Film1922Rachel

West of Chicago Poster

West of Chicago Feature Film1922Señoria Gonzales

Where's My Wandering Boy Tonight? Poster

Where's My Wandering Boy Tonight? Feature Film1922Veronica Tyler

The Fighting Breed Feature Film1921Enid MacDonald

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Poster

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Feature Film1921Georgette

The Rookie's Return Poster

The Rookie's Return Feature Film1921Gloria

The Jackeroo of Coolabong Feature Film1920Edith MacDonald

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