Kenneth MacKenna (born Leo Mielziner Jr.; August 19, 1899 – January 15, 1962) was an American actor and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

Family

MacKenna was born as Leo Mielziner Jr. in Canterbury, New Hampshire, to portrait artist Leo Mielziner (December 7, 1868 - August 11, 1935), the son of a prominent Reform

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

(

Moses Mielziner Moses Mielziner (August 12, 1828 in Schubin, Grand Duchy of Posen, Prussia - February 18, 1903 in Cincinnati) was an American Reform rabbi and author. Life Mielziner received his first instruction in Talmudic literature from his father, Benjamin ...

) and Ella Lane McKenna Friend (March 18, 1873 – February 2, 1968). Although Kenneth changed his name from Mielziner to MacKenna for stage purposes, it was taken from family roots. Ella's mother’s maiden name was Margaret A. McKenna, and Ella was also named McKenna. So it seemed natural for Leo, Jr., to take MacKenna as his stage surname, changing the spelling slightly. In Mary C. Henderson's book about his brother,

Jo Mielziner Joseph "Jo" Mielziner (March 19, 1901 – March 15, 1976) was an American theatrical scenic design, scenic, and lighting design, lighting designer born in Paris, France. He was described as "the most successful set designer of the Golden era of Br ...

, ''Mielziner: Master of Modern Stage Design'' (2001), she states, "Kenneth MacKenna was the classic example of the first born son. On reaching manhood, he felt that it was his duty to take care of his entire family: mother, father and sibling. Responsible, intelligent and clear-headed he was constantly setting up strategies for his family as if he knew instinctively what was best—and he was usually right." (p. 92). Kenneth's devotion to his wife, Mary Philips, and to his brother, Jo, as well as to Jo's adopted son, Michael Mielziner, continued until his death and then beyond. His own professional success as a story director with MGM allowed him to help support his brother's career, give generously to others, and contribute to the theatre, even after his own death. Mielziner was a five-time

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

winner. Kenneth and his wife, Mary Philips, both actors, were also long-time supporters of the arts. As angels for the first production of ''

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

'', Kenneth first brought the book to

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most well-known American ...

, suggesting its production as a stage musical. The Rodgers had been long-time friends with the MacKennas/Mielziners.

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in ''South Pacific'' (194 ...

, who starred in that production, created an embroidered signature scarf of all the stars in that first production of ''South Pacific'' and presented it as a gift of thanks to Kenneth and Mary. This scarf was later given as a gift to Lucille Hackett (née Bardorf), cousin and beloved "sister" to Mary Philips. Kenneth's role as an angel and his position as a director with MGM can be further researched through the Mielziner papers at the New York Public Library and through the library at MGM. Mary Philips had a successful career as a stage and film star during the golden age of the theatre. In September 1924,

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

had appeared in the Broadway play ''Nerves'' with Kenneth and Mary Philips. They all became good and lifelong friends. Philips was later married to Bogart (1928–1938), but the marriage ended in divorce. Kenneth MacKenna married Mary Philips in 1938. It was the second and final marriage for both. MacKenna was first married to actress Kay Francis on January 17, 1931. They divorced in February 1934. He married Mary Philips in August 1938 and they remained married until his death from cancer. As his wife, long-time friend, and companion, Philips described Kenneth as her true soulmate and felt as though her own life had come to an end when Kenneth died. MacKenna died on January 15, 1962, in Santa Monica, California, at age 62. He and Philips were buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth-larges ...

Biography

MacKenna was involved with bonds and stocks until he was discovered by William Brady and became a member of the cast of ''At 9:45''. He debuted on Broadway in ''Opportunity'' (1920). While in New York, he also directed and produced plays for the Theater Guild. After sound films arrived, he signed a contract with Fox Film Corporation in 1929 and moved to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Starting in 1931, he directed a few films in Hollywood, then resumed his

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''T ...

career in the mid-1930s. Soon

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

hired him as a story editor in New York. Later, back in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

, he was made department head. He returned to acting in the late 1950s both on stage and in film. One of MacKenna's last roles was portraying fictional Judge Kenneth Norris in the film '' Judgment at Nuremberg'', which was released less than a month before MacKenna's death.

Broadway stage

*1920: ''Opportunity'' as Jimmy Dow *1920: ''Immodest Violet'' as Arthur Bodkin *1922: ''The Nest'' as Max Hamelin *1922: ''The Endless Chain'' as Kenneth Reeves *1922: ''The World We Live In'' as Commander-in-Chief of Yellow Ants and as Felix *1923: ''The Mad Honeymoon'' as Wally Spencer *1923: ''The Crooked Square'' as Robert Colby *1923: ''Windows'' as Johnny March *1923: ''Dumb-bell'' as Ted Stone *1924: ''We Moderns'' as Richard *1924: ''Catskill Dutch'' as Peetcha *1924: ''Nerves'' as Jack Coates *1924: ''The Far Cry'' as Dick Clayton *1925: ''The Sapphire Ring'' as Dr. Erno Nemeth *1925: ''Oh, Mama'' as Georges La Garde *1926: ''The Masque of Venice'' as Jack Cazeneuve *1926: ''What Every Woman Knows'' as John Shand *1928: ''The Big Pond'' as Pierre Dimarande *1928: ''A Play without a Name'' as John Russell *1930: '' Man Trouble'' as Graham *1934: ''By Your Leave'' as David MacKenzie *1934: ''Wife Insurance'' as Gregory Landon *1934: '' Merrily We Roll Along'' as Richard Niles *1935: ''Othello'' as Iago *1935: ''Macbeth'' as Macduff *1936: ''Aged 26'' as Charles Armitage Brown *1937: ''Penny Wise'' as Gordon *1959: ''The Highest Tree'' as Aaron Cornish Produced & directed *1936: ''Co-respondent Unknown''

Film appearances (acting)

*1925: ''

Miss Bluebeard ''Miss Bluebeard'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Bebe Daniels. It is based on a play, ''Little Miss Bluebeard'', by Avery Hopwood. Synopsis Larry Charters is a composer who is visiting Paris, and i ...

'' as Bob Hawley *1925: '' A Kiss in the Dark'' as Johnny King *1926: ''

The American Venus ''The American Venus'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle, and starring Esther Ralston, Ford Sterling, Lawrence Gray, Fay Lanphier, Louise Brooks, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. The film was based on an original story ...

'' as Horace Niles *1927: ''

The Lunatic at Large ''The Lunatic at Large'' is a 1921 British silent comedy film directed by Henry Edwards and starring Edwards, Chrissie White and Gwynne Herbert. The screenplay concerns an aristocratic matron who attempts to arrange a suitable marriage for ...

'' as William Carroll / Henry Carroll *1929: ''

Pleasure Crazed ''Pleasure Crazed'' is a 1929 American drama film directed by Donald Gallaher and Charles Klein and written by Douglas Z. Doty and Clare Kummer. The film stars Marguerite Churchill, Kenneth MacKenna, Dorothy Burgess, Campbell Gullan, Douglas Gi ...

'' as Capt. Anthony Dean *1929: ''

South Sea Rose ''South Sea Rose'' is a 1929 American comedy-drama film distributed by the Fox Film Corporation and produced and directed by Allan Dwan. This picture was Dwan's second collaboration with star Lenore Ulric, their first being ''Frozen Justice''. ...

'' as Dr. Tom Winston *1930: '' Sin Takes a Holiday'' as Gaylord Stanton *1930: ''Forever Yours'' (film left unfinished by

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

) *1930: '' Men Without Women'' as Chief Torpedoman Burke *1930: ''

Crazy That Way ''Crazy That Way'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Hamilton MacFadden and starring Kenneth MacKenna, Joan Bennett and Regis Toomey,Kellow, p. 466 and based on the play ''In Love With Love'' by Vincent Lawrence. Cast * Kenne ...

'' as Jack Gardner *1930: '' The Three Sisters'' as Count d'Amati *1930: '' Temple Tower'' as

Bulldog Drummond Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who, ...

*1930: '' The Virtuous Sin'' as Lt. Victor Sablin *1930: ''Forever Yours'' *1931: '' The Man Who Came Back'' (1931) as Capt. Trevelyan *1931: ''

The Spider The Spider is an American pulp-magazine hero of the 1930s and 1940s. The character was created by editor Harry Steeger and written by a variety of authors for 118 monthly issues of '' The Spider'' from 1933 to 1943. A 119th Spider novel manuscr ...

'' (1931) as Cashier (uncredited) *1931: '' Good Sport'' (1931) as Rental Agent (uncredited) *1932: '' Those We Love'' as Freddie Williston *1933: '' Sensation Hunters'' as Jimmy Crosby *1960: '' High Time'' (1960) as President Byrne of Pinehurst *1961: '' Judgment at Nuremberg'' as Judge Kenneth Norris *1962: '' 13 West Street'' as Paul Logan (final film role)

Films (directing)

*1931: '' Always Goodbye'' Fox Film Corp. *1931: ''The Spider'' Fox Film Corp. *1931: '' Good Sport'' Fox Film Corp. *1932: '' Careless Lady'' Fox Film Corp. *1933: '' Walls of Gold'' Fox Film Corp. *1934: ''

Sleepers East ''Sleepers East'' is a 1934 American crime film directed by Kenneth MacKenna and written by Lester Cole. It is based on the 1933 novel ''Sleepers East'' by Frederick Nebel. The film stars Wynne Gibson, Preston Foster, Mona Barrie, Harvey Stephe ...

'' Fox Film Corp.

References

* Mary C. Henderson, ''Mielziner: Master of Modern Stage Design'' (2001)

External links

Mielziner Family Papers collection
* *
photo gallery of Kenneth MacKenna
NY Public Library, Billy Rose Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Mackenna, Kenneth American male film actors American male stage actors Bisexual male actors American LGBT actors 1899 births 1962 deaths Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) People from Canterbury, New Hampshire Male actors from New Hampshire Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American male actors Film directors from New Hampshire 20th-century LGBT people