Kathleen Key
Acting

Kathleen Key

Born 1903-04-01 · Buffalo, New York, USA · Died 1954-12-22

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

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ★ 7.3
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
1925
The Big Parade★ 7.6
The Big Parade
1925
The Sea Hawk★ 6.4
The Sea Hawk
1924
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse★ 6.9
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
1921
1925 Studio Tour★ 6.2
1925 Studio Tour
1925
Thunder in the Night★ 5.5
Thunder in the Night
1935
A Lover's Oath
A Lover's Oath
1925
West of Chicago
West of Chicago
1922
Klondike Annie★ 6.6
Klondike Annie
1936
Money Talks
Money Talks
1926
The Trouble Shooter
The Trouble Shooter
1924
Hey! Hey! Cowboy
Hey! Hey! Cowboy
1927
Irish Hearts
Irish Hearts
1927
The Rookie's Return
The Rookie's Return
1920
Bells of San Juan
Bells of San Juan
1922
Under Western Skies
Under Western Skies
1926
Hell's Hole
Hell's Hole
1923
The Man from Brodney's
The Man from Brodney's
1923
Revelation
Revelation
1924
North of Hudson Bay★ 5.4
North of Hudson Bay
1923
Reno
Reno
2022