Kittens Reichert (March 3, 1910 – January 11, 1990) was an American

child actress The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated te ...

silent film 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, w ...

Biography

The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George C. Reichert, she was born Catherine Alma Reichert in

Yonkers Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, but was nicknamed "Kittens", which she adopted as her stage name. When she was 2 years old, Reichert was a stand-in for a film that was being made in Yonkers. Beginning in 1914, she played supporting juvenile roles to many of filmdom's biggest stars, including

Theda Bara Theda Bara ( ; born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatal ...

Pauline Frederick Pauline Frederick (born Pauline Beatrice Libbey; August 12, 1883 – September 19, 1938) was an American stage and film actress. Early life Frederick was born Pauline Beatrice Libbey (later changed to Libby) in Boston in 1883 (some sources stat ...

and

William Farnum William Farnum (July 4, 1876 – June 5, 1953) was an American actor. He was a star of American silent cinema, and he became one of the highest-paid actors during this time. Biography Farnum was born on July 4, 1876, in Boston, Massachuset ...

. Her career effectively ended when she was 9 in 1919 because her family did not want to move out to California, where the film industry had shifted, though she did make a further appearance in ''

So's Your Old Man ''So's Your Old Man'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava and starring W. C. Fields and Alice Joyce. It was written by J. Clarkson Miller based on the story "Mr. Bisbee's Princess" by Julian Leonard Street as ad ...

'' (1926), starring

W. C. Fields William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American actor, comedian, juggler and writer. His career in show business began in vaudeville, where he attained international success as a ...

. In 1927, Reichert portrayed Hope Toombs in a Fiske O'Hara Players production of ''The Circus Girl'' at the New Warburton Theatre in Yonkers. Reichert died in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

on January 11, 1990, at the age of 79.

Selected filmography

*'' The Eternal City'' (1915) *'' A Soldier's Oath'' (1915) *'' The Eternal Sapho'' (1916) * '' The Great Problem'' (1916) * '' The Fool's Revenge'' (1916) *''

Ambition Ambition, Ambitions or Ambitious may refer to: * Ambition (character trait) Music * Ambitions (album), ''Ambitions'' (album), a 2017 album by One Ok Rock * Ambition (Tommy Shaw album), ''Ambition'' (Tommy Shaw album), 2014 * Ambition (Wale al ...

'' (1916) * ''

The Primitive Call ''The Primitive Call'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Bertram Bracken and starring Gladys Coburn, Fritz Leiber Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ( ; December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, h ...

'' (1917) * ''

Every Girl's Dream ''Every Girl's Dream'' is a 1917 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Harry F. Millarde and starring June Caprice, Kittens Reichert, and Harry Hilliard (actor), Harry Hilliard. Cast * June Caprice as Gretchen * Kittens Reichert a ...

'' (1917) *''

'' (1926)

References

*''The Ultimate Directory of Silent Screen Performers'' pp. 64–65 by Billy H. Doyle.

Metuchen, New Jersey Metuchen ( ) is a suburban Borough (New Jersey), borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan River, Raritan Valle ...

Scarecrow Press Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an American independent academic publishing company founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns ...

External links

* 1910 births 1990 deaths American silent film actresses Actresses from Louisville, Kentucky 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Yonkers, New York American child actresses {{Louisville-stub