Kay Christopher (June 3, 1926 – June 18, 2012) was an American actress and model.

Early life and career

Christopher was born into a

middle-class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...

family. Her father was a

newspaper editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held account ...

and her mother a

librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

. She was educated at

New Rochelle High School New Rochelle High School (NRHS), a public secondary school in New Rochelle, New York, is part of the City School District of New Rochelle and is the city's sole public high school. Its buildings were designed by the noted architectural firm ...

from which she graduated in 1944. Christopher was raised as a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

. She began her career as a

pin-up A pin-up model is a model (person), model whose mass-produced pictures and photographs have wide appeal within the popular culture of a society. Pin-up models are usually glamour photography, glamour, actresses, or fashion models whose pictures ...

model, and was so successful that she received the title of "Miss Photo Flash 1945". Following this success, she received a film contract with

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...

, and made her screen debut in the uncredited role of a bridesmaid to

Laraine Day Laraine Day (born La Raine Johnson, October 13, 1920 – November 10, 2007) was an American actress, radio and television commentator, and former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) contract star. As a leading lady, she was paired opposite major film sta ...

in '' The Locket'' (1946). She then had the lead role of Tess Trueheart in ''

Dick Tracy's Dilemma ''Dick Tracy's Dilemma'', released in the United Kingdom as ''Mark of the Claw'', is a 1947 American action film based on the Dick Tracy, 1930s comic-strip character of the same name created by Chester Gould. Ralph Byrd stars as Dick Tracy, rep ...

'' (1947), opposite

Ralph Byrd Ralph Byrd (April 22, 1909 – August 18, 1952) was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, films and television. Early life and career The son of George and Edna May ...

. She later had turns in such motion pictures as '' Desperate'' (1947), '' I Cheated the Law'' (1949), ''

If You Knew Susie "If You Knew Susie" is the title of a popular song written by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Meyer. It was published by Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. in 1925. The sheet music included ukulele tabs by Richard Konter. In the largely comic song, a man sings ...

'' (1949), ''

Code of the Silver Sage ''Code of the Silver Sage'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Fred C. Brannon and starring Allan Lane. Plot Cast *Allan Lane as Lieutenant Rocky Lane *Eddy Waller as Nugget Clark *Roy Barcroft as Hulon Champion * Kay Christopher a ...

'' (1950), and ''

Gasoline Alley Gasoline Alley may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Gasoline Alley'' (comic strip), a comic strip by Frank King, first published in 1918 ** ''Gasoline Alley'' (radio series), a 193149 radio series based on the eponymous comic stri ...

'' (1951). She also made TV appearances on such programs as ''

Lux Video Theatre ''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays. Overview The ''Lux Vi ...

'' and had a recurring role on '' Doctor I.Q.'' in the mid-1950s. She retired from acting and modeling in 1954, to focus on her marriage to Donald Griffin, although she did come out of retirement once in 1958 for an appearance on ''

The Perry Como Show Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

''. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, she supported the campaign of

Adlai Stevenson Adlai Stevenson may refer to: * Adlai Stevenson I Adlai Ewing Stevenson (October 23, 1835 – June 14, 1914) was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 23rd vice president of the United States from 1893 to 1897 under President Gr ...

during the 1952 presidential election.''Motion Picture and Television Magazine'', November 1952, page 33, Ideal Publishers she died on June 18 2012

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1951) * ''

Corky of Gasoline Alley ''Corky of Gasoline Alley'' is a 1951 American comedy film directed by Edward Bernds and starring Scotty Beckett, Jimmy Lydon, and Susan Morrow. It is based on the comic strip ''Gasoline Alley'' by Frank King, and is the sequel to the previous ...

'' (1951)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Christopher, Kay 1926 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from New Rochelle, New York Female models from New York (state) American film actresses American television actresses Deaths from diabetes in the United States Methodists from New York (state) New Rochelle High School alumni