Katherine MacDonald
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Katherine Agnew MacDonald (December 14, 1891 – June 4, 1956) was an American stage and film actress, film producer, and model. She was born in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
and was the older sister of actresses Miriam MacDonald and
Mary MacLaren Mary MacLaren (born Mary Ida MacDonald, also credited Mary McLaren; January 19, 1900 – November 9, 1985) was an American film actress in both the silent and sound eras."Thirteenth Census of the United States: 1910 Population", digital cop ...
.


Career

Starting her career as a popular model in New York City in the 1910s, MacDonald moved to Los Angeles in 1917. She became one of the first women to produce films 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) * Hollywood ...
, and produced nine features for her company, Katherine MacDonald Pictures, from 1919 to 1921. MacDonald was among the top ranks of actresses financially in 1920, earning about $50,000 per picture from a contract with First National. She achieved the peak of her popularity between 1920 and 1923. From 1922 to 1925 she appeared in films produced by B. P. Schulberg. She was considered a minor talent in the film industry, but her curvaceous figure nevertheless resulted in the nickname given her of the "American Beauty".Larry Lee Holland, "Mary MacLaren and Katherine MacDonald" ''Films in Review'' (1985), pp. 221-27 Her first significant role was her lead role in ''Shark Monroe'' (1918) opposite
William S. Hart William Surrey Hart (December 6, 1864 – June 23, 1946) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered as a foremost Western star of the silent era who "imbued all of his characters with honor and integ ...
. She was featured in a number of silent films, including '' The Squaw Man'' (1918), '' Mr. Fix-It'' (1918), ''
Passion's Playground ''Passion's Playground'' is a 1920 American silent drama film produced by and starring Katherine MacDonald. Rudolph Valentino has a featured part in the film billed as Rudolph Valentine. The film is based on the novel ''The Guests of Hercules'' ...
'' (1920) and '' The Infidel'' (1922). Her films typically were romantic dramas. MacDonald made only two pictures after 1923, one each in 1925 and 1926.


Personal life

MacDonald had a public feud with her sister, fellow actress
Mary MacLaren Mary MacLaren (born Mary Ida MacDonald, also credited Mary McLaren; January 19, 1900 – November 9, 1985) was an American film actress in both the silent and sound eras."Thirteenth Census of the United States: 1910 Population", digital cop ...
, nine years her junior. While working as a model in New York City, Katherine met her first husband, the well-known artist and writer Malcolm Atherton Strauss. They married in New York in June 1911, but the union ended after eight years."Malcolm Strauss, Writer, Artist, Dies", ''The New York Times'', April 11, 1936, p. 15. ProQuest Historical Newspapers. In its May 17, 1919 issue, the New York-based trade journal ''Motion Picture World'' tersely announces, "Katherine MacDonald Strauss has been granted a decree of divorce by Judge Crail, of Los Angeles, from Malcolm A. Strauss, New York artist.""Studio Shots"
''Motion Picture World'' (New York, N.Y.), May 17, 1919, p. 1026. Internet Archive. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
Four years later in
Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...
, she married Charles Schoen Johnson, a young Chicago millionaire. That marriage also ended in divorce in 1926 but produced one son, Britt. After retiring from the movie industry MacDonald ran a successful cosmetics business in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1928 she married Christian Rasmus Holmes (1898-1944), an heir to the
Fleischmann's yeast Fleischmann's Yeast is an American brand of yeast founded by Hungarian-American businessman Charles Louis Fleischmann. It is currently owned by Associated British Foods and is sold to both consumer and industrial markets in the United States and C ...
company, but that marriage ended in a sensational divorce suit in 1931, one widely covered in the press."Millionaire Divorced by Ex-Actress: Katherine MacDonald of Screen Wins Suit Against Christian Holmes", ''Los Angeles Times'', July 26, 1931, p. 1. ProQuest. MacDonald claimed cruelty, alleging that her husband had fired a revolver at her through a locked door, had deliberately burnt her with lit cigarettes, and had sometimes locked her in a cage. Holmes counter-sued, claiming that MacDonald had embarrassed him by having affairs. MacDonald and Holmes had one daughter, Ann. Her statistics list her height as with a weight of , with brown hair and blue eyes. She has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
at 6777 Hollywood Boulevard.


Death

MacDonald later in life suffered from
diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
, which in 1954 finally required the amputation of her right leg. Two years later, after a series of debilitating
stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
s, she died at St. Francis Hospital in
Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...
. She is buried in the
Santa Barbara Cemetery Santa Barbara Cemetery is a cemetery located at 901 Channel Drive in Santa Barbara, California. Founded in 1867, it serves as a nonsectarian cemetery. Notable interments * Heather Angel (1909–1986), actress * Peter J. Barber (1830–1905), arc ...
in California.


Filmography

*'' The Spirit of '17'' (1918) Lost *''
Headin' South ''Headin' South'' is a 1918 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Arthur Rosson with supervision from Allan Dwan and starring Douglas Fairbanks. The film is now considered to be lost. Plot As described in a film magazine, a for ...
'' (1918) Lost *'' Mr. Fix-It'' (1918) Surviving *'' His Own Home Town'' (1918) Lost *'' Shark Monroe'' (1918) Surviving *''
Riddle Gawne ''Riddle Gawne'' is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by William S. Hart and Lambert Hillyer, and featuring William S. Hart, Katherine MacDonald and Lon Chaney. The film was co-produced by William S. Hart and Thomas H. Ince. The ...
'' (1918) Incomplete *'' Battling Jane'' (1918) Lost *'' The Squaw Man'' (1918) Incomplete *'' Speedy Meade'' (1919) Lost *'' The Woman Thou Gavest Me'' (1919) Lost *'' High Pockets'' (1919) Surviving * '' The Thunderbolt'' (1919) Lost *''
The Beauty Market ''The Beauty Market'' is a 1919 American drama film directed by Colin Campbell and written by Margery Land May. The film stars Katherine MacDonald, Roy Stewart, Kathleen Kirkham, Wedgwood Nowell, Winter Hall, and Robert Brower. The film was re ...
'' (1919) Lost *'' The Turning Point'' (1920) Lost *''
Passion's Playground ''Passion's Playground'' is a 1920 American silent drama film produced by and starring Katherine MacDonald. Rudolph Valentino has a featured part in the film billed as Rudolph Valentine. The film is based on the novel ''The Guests of Hercules'' ...
'' (1920) Lost * ''
The Notorious Miss Lisle ''The Notorious Miss Lisle'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by James Young and starring Katherine MacDonald, Nigel Barrie, and Margaret Campbell. The film's sets were designed by the art director Milton Menasco. Plot Cast * K ...
'' (1920) Lost * ''
Curtain A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain) water. Curtains are often hung on the inside of a building's windows to block the passage of light. For instan ...
'' (1920) Lost *''
My Lady's Latchkey ''My Lady's Latchkey'' is a 1921 American mystery film directed by Edwin Carewe and written by Finis Fox. It is based on the 1920 novel ''The Second Latchkey'' by Charles Norris Williamson and Alice Muriel Williamson. The film stars Katherine M ...
'' (1921) Lost *''Stranger Than Fiction'' (1921) Lost *'' Her Social Value'' (1921) Lost *''The Beautiful Liar'' (1921) Lost * ''
The Woman's Side ''The Woman's Side'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by J.A. Barry and starring Katherine MacDonald, Edmund Burns and Henry A. Barrows. Cast * Katherine MacDonald as Mary Gray * Edmund Burns as Theodore Van Ness Jr. * Henry A ...
'' (1922) Lost *''The Infidel'' (1922) Lost *''
Domestic Relations In the common law tradition, the law of domestic relations is a broad category that encompasses: * divorce; * property settlements; * alimony, spousal support, or other maintenance; * the establishment of Paternity (law), paternity; * the establ ...
'' (1922)Lost * ''
Heroes and Husbands ''Heroes and Husbands'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Chester Withey and starring Katherine MacDonald, Nigel Barrie and Charles K. Gerrard. Plot Cast * Katherine MacDonald as Susanne Danbury * Nigel Barrie as Walter Gaylo ...
'' (1922) Lost *''
White Shoulders ''White Shoulders'' is a lost film, lost 1931 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by Melville W. Brown and starring Mary Astor and Jack Holt (actor), Jack Holt, with major supporting roles by Ricardo Cortez and Sidn ...
'' (1922) Lost *''
The Woman Conquers ''The Woman Conquers'' is a 1922 American silent drama film written by Violet Clark and directed by Tom Forman. It starred Katherine MacDonald and Bryant Washburn and featured a young Boris Karloff. The film is considered lost. Plot Young so ...
'' (1922) Lost *''
Money! Money! Money! ''Money, Money, Money'' is a lost 1923 silent film drama directed by Tom Forman and starring Katherine MacDonald. It was produced by B. P. Schulberg under his production company Preferred Pictures and released through Associated First Nationa ...
'' (1923) Lost * '' Refuge'' (1923) Lost *'' The Lonely Road'' (1923) Lost * ''
The Scarlet Lily ''The Scarlet Lily'' is a lost 1923 American silent drama film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Katherine MacDonald, Orville Caldwell and Stuart Holmes.Parish & Pitts p.336 Cast * Katherine MacDonald as Dora Mason * Orville Cald ...
'' (1923) Lost * ''
Chastity Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is ''chaste'' refrains from sexual activity that is considered immoral or from any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for exampl ...
'' (1923) Lost *''Trust Your Wife'' (1924) Lost * ''
The Unnamed Woman ''The Unnamed Woman'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Harry O. Hoyt and starring Katherine MacDonald, Herbert Rawlinson and Wanda Hawley.Connelly p.426 Cast * Katherine MacDonald as Flora Brookes * Herbert Rawlinson as Donald ...
'' (1925) Lost *''
Old Loves and New ''Old Loves and New'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur in one of his final American films. The setting and story are completely typical of the desert-romance genre novelist Edith Maude Hull invented and speci ...
'' (1926) Lost


References


Further reading

*


External links

*
AllMovieKatherine MacDonald
at Virtual History *
kinotv.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Katherine 1891 births 1956 deaths American film actresses American silent film actresses Film producers from Pennsylvania Actresses from Pittsburgh 20th-century American actresses American women film producers