
Kathleen Key
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.
Filmography (30)
MOVIE★ 6.3Klondike Annie1936
MOVIE★ 6.0Thunder in the Night1935as Party Guest- MOVIE★ 7.0Sweeping Against the Winds1930
- MOVIE★ 8.0The Phantom of the North1929as Colette
MOVIE★ 3.7Golf Widows1928as Ethel Dixon
MOVIE★ 10.0Irish Hearts1927as Clarice
MOVIE★ 9.0Hey! Hey! Cowboy1927as Emily Decker
MOVIE★ 7.0The Desert's Toll1926as Muriel Cooper
MOVIE★ 8.0The Flaming Frontier1926as Lucretia
MOVIEMoney Talks1926as Vamp
MOVIE★ 8.0Under Western Skies1926as Milly Lewis
MOVIE★ 7.3Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ1925as Tirzah
MOVIE★ 7.6The Big Parade1925as Miss Apperson (uncredited)
MOVIE★ 7.0A Lover's Oath1925as Sherin
MOVIE★ 6.31925 Studio Tour1925as Self
MOVIE★ 9.0Revelation1924as Madonna
MOVIE★ 6.8The Sea Hawk1924as Andalusian Slave Girl
MOVIE★ 9.0The Trouble Shooter1924as Nancy Brewster
MOVIE★ 10.0The Man from Brodney's1923as Neenah
MOVIE★ 9.0Reno1923as Yvette - The Governess
MOVIE★ 5.9North of Hudson Bay1923as Estelle MacDonald
MOVIE★ 8.0The Rendezvous1923as Varvara
MOVIE★ 9.0Hell's Hole1923as Mabel Grant
MOVIE★ 10.0Bells of San Juan1922as Florrie Engel
MOVIE★ 9.0West of Chicago1922as Señoria Gonzales- MOVIE★ 7.0Where's My Wandering Boy Tonight?1922
- MOVIE★ 8.0The Fighting Breed1921as Enid MacDonald (as Ethel Payton)
MOVIE★ 6.6The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse1921as Georgette (uncredited)
MOVIE★ 8.0The Rookie's Return1920as Gloria
MOVIE★ 9.0The Jackeroo of Coolabong1920as Edith MacDonald