
Kathleen Key
- Born
- April 1, 1903
- Died
- December 22, 1954 (51 years old)
- Place of birth
- Buffalo, New York, USA
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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Known for
Filmography
- 1936Klondike AnnieFilm

- 1935Thunder in the NightFilm · Party Guest

- 1930Sweeping Against the WindsSweeping Against the WindsFilm
- 1929The Phantom of the NorthThe Phantom of the NorthFilm · Colette
- 1928Golf WidowsFilm · Ethel Dixon

- 1927Irish HeartsFilm · Clarice

- 1927Hey! Hey! CowboyFilm · Emily Decker

- 1926The Desert's TollFilm · Muriel Cooper

- 1926The Flaming FrontierFilm · Lucretia

- 1926Money TalksFilm · Vamp

- 1926Under Western SkiesFilm · Milly Lewis

- 1925Ben-Hur: A Tale of the ChristFilm · Tirzah★ 7.3

- 1925The Big ParadeFilm · Miss Apperson (uncredited)★ 7.6

- 1925A Lover's OathFilm · Sherin

- 19251925 Studio TourFilm · Self★ 6.2

- 1924RevelationFilm · Madonna

- 1924The Sea HawkFilm · Andalusian Slave Girl

- 1924The Trouble ShooterFilm · Nancy Brewster

- 1923The Man from Brodney'sFilm · Neenah

- 1923RenoFilm · Yvette - The Governess

- 1923North of Hudson BayFilm · Estelle MacDonald

- 1923The RendezvousFilm · Varvara

- 1923Hell's HoleFilm · Mabel Grant

- 1922Bells of San JuanFilm · Florrie Engel

- 1922West of ChicagoFilm · Señoria Gonzales

- 1922Where's My Wandering Boy Tonight?Where's My Wandering Boy Tonight?Film
- 1921The Fighting BreedThe Fighting BreedFilm · Enid MacDonald (as Ethel Payton)
- 1921The Four Horsemen of the ApocalypseFilm · Georgette (uncredited)★ 6.6

- 1920The Rookie's ReturnFilm · Gloria

- 1920The Jackeroo of CoolabongFilm · Edith MacDonald
