Kathleen Key (born Kitty Lanahan; April 1, 1903 – December 22, 1954) was an American

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

who achieved a brief period of fame during the

silent era A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

. She is best remembered for playing Tirzah in the 1925 film ''

Ben-Hur Ben-Hur or Ben Hur may refer to: Fiction *'' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', an 1880 novel by American general and author Lew Wallace ** ''Ben-Hur'' (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in 1899 ** ''Ben Hur'' (1907 film), a one-reel silent ...

''.

Early life and career

Born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, Key made her debut in the 1920 Australian film ''

The Jackeroo of Coolabong ''The Jackeroo of Coolabong'' is a 1920 Australian silent film starring renowned Australian sportsman Snowy Baker. It was the last of three films he made with the husband and wife team of director Wilfred Lucas and writer Bess Meredyth, both of ...

'', 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 itself, and never gained much notice for the roles she had, although there were some exceptions. In 1922, she was featured in ''Omar Khayyam'' (which was not released until 1925 as ''A Lover's Oath'') and played a vamp in '' Where's My Wandering Boy Tonight?'' The same year she signed to play with Charles Buck Jones in ''Vamoos'' for

Fox Film The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox. It was the corporate successor to his earlier Greater Ne ...

. Key spent a year in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

as a leading lady in Snow Baker productions around this time. Prior to making ''Vamoos'', Kathleen starred with John Gilbert in ''St. Elmo'', also for Fox studios. She was cast as an "innocent young thing" rather than playing her usual vamp role. An early career highpoint was her selection as one of the 1923

WAMPAS Baby Stars The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. ...

; however, by the end of the decade Key had her last significant film role, as Colette in 1929's ''The Phantom of the North''. Her name does not appear in the credits of her four final films: as Rosalie Lawrence in ''Sweeping Against the Winds'' (1930), as an unnamed Guest in ''Thunder in the Night'' (1935), and in 1936, as a Dance Hall Girl in ''

Klondike Annie ''Klondike Annie'' is a 1936 American Western film starring Mae West and Victor McLaglen. The film was co-written by West from her play ''Frisco Kate'', which she wrote in 1921 and a story written by the duo Marion Morgan and George Brendan Do ...

,'' and finally, a bit part in ''One Rainy Afternoon.'' After these last, tiny roles, Key apparently retired from film altogether.

Personal life

In the early 1930s, Key had a well-known love affair with silent-film actor

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

, who was married at the time. As told in Marion Meade's biography of Keaton, the actor attempted to call off the relationship, but Key flew into a jealous rage and ransacked his

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

dressing room, which caused her to be virtually blacklisted afterward by the movie industry. Sidney Skolsky, a Daily News columnist, sent Keaton a joking telegram, reading: "Congratulations. Hear you are off Key." It was also reported that the dressing-room fracas was sparked by Keaton refusing to give Key a monetary loan.

Death

On December 22, 1954, Key died from

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure or chronic hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease, is a chronic condition of the liver in which the normal functioning tissue, or parenchyma, is replaced ...

of the liver. She was buried at Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood, California.''Resting Places''
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Filmography

References

External links