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Kathleen Key

Personal Information

Known ForActing
GenderFemale
Born / DiedApr 1, 1903 (Died at 51)
Zodiac Sign♈Aries
Place of BirthBuffalo, New York, USA
Career Span1920 – 1954
Known Credits26 Titles
Official Links
ActingPopularity Score 0.8

Kathleen Key

Also known as:Kitty LanahanKathleen Keys
Total Works

26

26 movies • 0 shows

Avg Rating

6.8 / 10

across rated releases

Box Office

—

worldwide gross

Global Reach

#1

TMDB star index

Biography

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.

Signature Roles & Milestones

The Big Parade
7.6
The Big Parade
1925•movie
as Miss Apperson (uncredited)
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
7.3
as Tirzah
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
6.6
as Georgette (uncredited)

Full Filmography & Credits

Showing 26 titles featuring Kathleen Key

The Big Parade
7.6
The Big Parade
1925•movie

as Miss Apperson (uncredited)

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
7.3

as Tirzah

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
6.6

as Georgette (uncredited)

1925 Studio Tour
6.2
1925 Studio Tour
1925•movie

as Self

Klondike Annie
6.3
Klondike Annie
1936•movie
The Sea Hawk
6.8
The Sea Hawk
1924•movie

as Andalusian Slave Girl

North of Hudson Bay
5.9

as Estelle MacDonald

Thunder in the Night
6.0

as Party Guest

Golf Widows
3.7
Golf Widows
1928•movie

as Ethel Dixon

The Flaming Frontier
8.0

as Lucretia

A Lover's Oath
7.0
A Lover's Oath
1925•movie

as Sherin

The Trouble Shooter
9.0

as Nancy Brewster

The Rookie's Return
8.0

as Gloria

Bells of San Juan
10.0
Bells of San Juan
1922•movie

as Florrie Engel

Hell's Hole
9.0
Hell's Hole
1923•movie

as Mabel Grant

Under Western Skies
8.0

as Milly Lewis

Revelation
9.0
Revelation
1924•movie

as Madonna

Hey! Hey! Cowboy
9.0
Hey! Hey! Cowboy
1927•movie

as Emily Decker

Irish Hearts
10.0
Irish Hearts
1927•movie

as Clarice

The Man from Brodney's
10.0

as Neenah

Reno
9.0
Reno
1923•movie

as Yvette - The Governess

The Desert's Toll
7.0
The Desert's Toll
1926•movie

as Muriel Cooper

West of Chicago
9.0
West of Chicago
1922•movie

as Señoria Gonzales

The Rendezvous
8.0
The Rendezvous
1923•movie

as Varvara

The Jackeroo of Coolabong
9.0

as Edith MacDonald

Money Talks
Money Talks
1926•movie

as Vamp