Dorothy Katherine Standing, Lady Clements (18 February 1909 – 4 May 1980), known professionally as Kay Hammond, was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

stage and film actress.

Family

Kay Hammond was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England as Dorothy Katherine Standing, the daughter of Sir Guy Standing and his wife, Dorothy Hammond (Dorothy Plaskitt).University of Kent: Theatre collections
/ref> Her grandfather was Herbert Standing (1846–1923) and her uncles were Wyndham, Percy and

Jack Standing Jack Standing (10 February 1886 – 25 October 1917) was an English born American actor. Biography The son of stage actor Herbert Standing and brother of Wyndham Standing (1880–1963), who also was a famous actor in the early days of film, Ja ...

, as well as Herbert Standing Jr., father of Joan Standing.

Career

She studied at

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the S ...

and first appeared on the London stage in 1927. Her most famous role was that of Elvira in

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

's ''

Blithe Spirit Blithe Spirit may refer to: * ''Blithe Spirit'' (play), a 1941 comic play written by Noël Coward * ''Blithe Spirit'' (1945 film), a British comedy film based on the play * ''Blithe Spirit'' (2020 film), a British-American comedy film based on th ...

'', which she played in the original stage production. She reprised her role in the 1945 film version opposite

Rex Harrison Sir Reginald Carey "Rex" Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage in 1924. He made his West End debut in 1936 appearing in the Terence Rattigan play '' French Without Tears'', in wh ...

, Margaret Rutherford and Constance Cummings. She appeared as a guest of Roy Plomley on ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usua ...

'' on 25 February 1951.

Personal life

Hammond's first husband was baronet Sir Ronald George Leon. Their sons were John Ronald Leon (the actor John Standing) and Timothy George Leon. Her second husband was the stage actor Sir John Clements.

Death

Kay Hammond died in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, aged 71, from undisclosed causes, on 4 May 1980. She was

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre ...

and her ashes scattered in the memorial garden at Downs Crematorium, Brighton, East Sussex

Filmography

Selected stage credits

* '' Can the Leopard...?'' by Ronald Jeans (1931) * ''

Hollywood Holiday ''Hollywood Holiday'' is a comedy play by the British writers John Van Druten and Benn Levy. It is a satire on Hollywood scriptwriting, and sees a female playwright's script turned into half a dozen unrecognisable screenplays. It ran at the New ...

'' by

John Van Druten John William Van Druten (1 June 190119 December 1957) was an English playwright and theatre director. He began his career in London, and later moved to America, becoming a U.S. citizen. He was known for his plays of witty and urbane observation ...

(1931)

References

* ''Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies'' - John Walker (editor), 14th edition, 2001,

External links

* *
Cine Morgue

sultry portrait
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammond, Kay 1909 births 1980 deaths English film actresses English stage actresses Actresses from London 20th-century English actresses Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Standing family Wives of knights