Kathleen Key
Kathleen Key
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.
Known For
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
28
Gender
Female
Birthday
1903-04-01 (122 years old)
Place of Birth
Buffalo, New York, USA
Acting

1936

Klondike Annie as Not available

1935

Thunder in the Night as Party Guest

1930

Sweeping Against the Winds as Not available

1929

The Phantom of the North as Colette

1927

Hey! Hey! Cowboy as Emily Decker

1927

Irish Hearts as Clarice

1926

Money Talks as Vamp

1926

The Desert's Toll as Muriel Cooper

1926

The Flaming Frontier as Lucretia

1926

Under Western Skies as Milly Lewis

1925

The Big Parade as Miss Apperson (uncredited)

1925

1925 Studio Tour as Self

1925

A Lover's Oath as Sherin

1924

Revelation as Madonna

1924

The Sea Hawk as Andalusian Slave Girl

1924

The Trouble Shooter as Nancy Brewster

1923

Reno as Yvette - The Governess

1923

North of Hudson Bay as Estelle MacDonald

1923

The Rendezvous as Varvara

1923

The Man from Brodney's as Neenah

1923

Hell's Hole as Mabel Grant

1922

Where's My Wandering Boy Tonight? as Not available

1922

West of Chicago as Señoria Gonzales

1922

Bells of San Juan as Florrie Engel

1921

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as Georgette (uncredited)

1921

The Fighting Breed as Enid MacDonald (as Ethel Payton)

1920

The Rookie's Return as Gloria