Kathleen Burke
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Kathleen B. Burke (September 5, 1913 – April 9, 1980) was an American movie actress of the 1930s and former model.


Early years

Born in Hammond, Indiana, in 1913, Burke was a graduate of Hammond High School. She moved with her parents to Chicago when she was 15, and she acted in amateur productions there. She worked as a dental assistant in Chicago.


Career

Burke was a fashion model and acted on radio in Chicago before winning a talent contest sponsored by
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
to play Lota the Panther Woman in '' Island of Lost Souls'' (1932), the first sound film adaptation of
H.G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...
's novel ''
The Island of Dr. Moreau ''The Island of Doctor Moreau'' is an 1896 science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was published on 1 January 1896. The novel is set between 1 February 1887 and 5 January 1888. The text of the novel is the narration of Edward Pr ...
''. The contest, announced in July 1932, reportedly had 60,000 applicants from around the country. Burke was announced as the winner on September 29. This success led to more than a score of screen appearances over the following six years, most notably as the leading lady in '' The Lives of a Bengal Lancer'' (1935) opposite
Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, silent screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...
, and '' The Last Outpost'' with
Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...
that same year. Her final film role was in 1938, whereupon she retired from screen acting at the age of 25. By the early 1940s, Burke sought to escape the Panther Woman image by acting on stage in other kinds of roles. In 1942, she acted in both a drama, ''Night Must Fall'', and a comedy, ''Yes, My Darling Daughter'' in summer theater at
Great Neck, New York Great Neck is a region contained within Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, on Long Island, which covers a peninsula on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore and includes nine incorporated villages, among th ...
.


Personal life

Burke married Glenn Rardin, a photographer whose pictures of her helped her to win a nationwide Panther Girl contest. They separated less than two months after the wedding, reconciled, then separated again and eventually divorced on November 8, 1934. She was also married to Jose Fernandez, a Spanish dancer from Mexico. Her last marriage was to Forrest Smith, who survived her.


Death

Burke died on April 9, 1980, in Chicago, at age 66.


Partial filmography

*'' Island of Lost Souls'' (1932) - Lota, the Panther Woman *''
Murders in the Zoo ''Murders in the Zoo'' is a 1933 pre-Code horror film directed by A. Edward Sutherland, written by Philip Wylie and Seton I. Miller. Particularly dark, even for its time, film critic Leonard Maltin called the film "astonishingly grisly." Plot B ...
'' (1933) - Evelyn Gorman *'' Sunset Pass'' (1933) - Jane Preston *''
Torch Singer ''Torch Singer'' is a 1933 American pre-Code Paramount Pictures film directed by Alexander Hall and George Somnes and starring Claudette Colbert, Ricardo Cortez, David Manners and Lyda Roberti. The screenplay was written by Lenore J. Coffee ...
'' (1933) - Sobbing Girl (uncredited) *''
The Mad Game ''The Mad Game'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code crime drama film starring Spencer Tracy and Claire Trevor and directed by Irving Cummings. Plot An imprisoned bootlegger is recruited from incarceration to help capture his own gang after they kidna ...
'' (1933) - Marilyn Kirk *''
Six of a Kind ''Six of a Kind'' is an American 1934 pre-Code comedy film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Charles Ruggles, Mary Boland, W.C. Fields, George Burns, and Gracie Allen. A critical and box office success, ''Six of a Kind'' features the fam ...
'' (1934) - Woman (uncredited) *''
Good Dame ''Good Dame'' is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film directed by Marion Gering and written by Sam Hellman, Vincent Lawrence and William R. Lipman. The film stars Sylvia Sidney, Fredric March, Jack La Rue, Noel Francis, Russell Hopton, Bradley P ...
'' (1934) - Zandra *''
School for Girls ''School for Girls'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by William Nigh and starring Sidney Fox, Paul Kelly and Lois Wilson.Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back'' (1934) - Jane Sothern (uncredited) *''
The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...
'' (1934) - Prisoner (uncredited) *'' The Lives of a Bengal Lancer'' (1935) - Tania Volkanskaya *'' Rocky Mountain Mystery'' (1935) - Flora Ballard *'' Mutiny Ahead'' (1935) - Carol Bixby *''
The Awakening of Jim Burke ''The Awakening of Jim Burke'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by Lambert Hillyer and written by Michael L. Simmons. The film stars Jack Holt, Florence Rice, Jimmy Butler, Kathleen Burke, Robert Middlemass and Ralph Remley. The film was ...
'' (1935) - Laura *'' Navy Wife'' (1935) - Serena Morrison *'' The Last Outpost'' (1935) - Ilya *''
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
'' (1935) - Hettie Ide *'' The Lion Man'' (1936) - Adelaide Passmore *''
Craig's Wife ''Craig's Wife'' is a 1925 play written by American playwright George Kelly. It won the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and has been adapted for three feature films. Production ''Craig's Wife'' premiered on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre on ...
'' (1936) - Eulilah *'' The Sheik Steps Out'' (1937) - Gloria Parker *''
Boy of the Streets ''Boy of the Streets'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by William Nigh and written by Gilson Brown and Scott Darling. The film stars Jackie Cooper, Maureen O'Connor, Kathleen Burke, Robert Emmett O'Connor, Marjorie Main and Matty Fain. Th ...
'' (1938) - Julie Stone *'' Rascals'' (1938) - Dr. Carter's Nurse (final film role)


References


External links

*
Photographs and literature

Kathleen Burke Wins Nationwide Contest! The Road to Panther Woman in Island of Lost Souls
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Kathleen American film actresses 1913 births 1980 deaths Actresses from Indiana Actresses from Chicago People from Hammond, Indiana 20th-century American actresses American radio actresses American stage actresses