About

Known credits:
28
Birthday:
1903-04-01
Place of birth:
Buffalo, New York, USA
Website:
N/A

Kathleen Key

Overview

From Wikipedia:

Kathleen Key (April 1, 1903 – December 22, 1954) was an American actress who achieved a brief period of fame during the silent era. She is best remembered for playing Tirzah in the 1925 film Ben-Hur. Key was the great-great granddaughter of Francis Scott Key, composer of "The Star Spangled Banner", and a distant cousin of author F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Born Kitty Lanahan in Buffalo, New York, she debuted in films in 1920 in the film The Jackeroo of Coolabong, 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, and was never given much credit for the roles she had, although there were some exceptions.

In the early '20s, Key had a well-known love affair with silent-film actor Buster Keaton, who was married at the time. As told in Keaton's biography, the actor attempted to call off the relationship, but Key flew into a jealous rage and ransacked his MGM dressing room, which caused her to be virtually blacklisted afterward by the movie industry. It is also stated that Keaton refused to give Key a monetary loan. A telegram, sent by one of Keaton's friends who had heard about the argument, comically read: "Congratulations. Hear you are off Key."

After her retirement in 1936, Keys spent the rest of her days in moderate comfort at the Motion Picture Country House in Woodland Hills, California, where she died at the age of 51 in 1954. Her interment was located at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery.

Known for

Acting

1936 Klondike Annie Actor 59
Average
1935 Thunder in the Night Actor Party Guest 59
Average
1930 Sweeping Against the Winds Actor N/A
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1929 The Phantom of the North Actor Colette N/A
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1927 Irish Hearts Actor Clarice N/A
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1927 Hey! Hey! Cowboy Actor Emily Decker N/A
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1926 The Desert's Toll Actor Muriel Cooper N/A
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1926 The Flaming Frontier Actor Lucretia 59
Average
1926 Money Talks Actor Vamp N/A
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1926 Under Western Skies Actor Milly Lewis N/A
N/A
1925 Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ Actor Tirzah 61
Fair
1925 The Big Parade Actor Miss Apperson (uncredited) 61
Fair
1925 A Lover's Oath Actor Sherin 58
Average
1925 1925 Studio Tour Actor Self 59
Average
1924 Revelation Actor Madonna N/A
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1924 The Sea Hawk Actor Andalusian Slave Girl 59
Average
1924 The Trouble Shooter Actor Nancy Brewster N/A
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1923 The Man from Brodney's Actor Neenah N/A
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1923 Reno Actor Yvette - The Governess N/A
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1923 North of Hudson Bay Actor Estelle MacDonald 58
Average
1923 The Rendezvous Actor Varvara N/A
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1923 Hell's Hole Actor Mabel Grant N/A
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1922 Bells of San Juan Actor Florrie Engel N/A
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1922 West of Chicago Actor Señoria Gonzales N/A
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1922 Where's My Wandering Boy Tonight? Actor N/A
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1921 The Fighting Breed Actor Enid MacDonald (as Ethel Payton) N/A
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1921 The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Actor Georgette (uncredited) 59
Average
1920 The Rookie's Return Actor Gloria N/A
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