Kitty Gordon
Kitty Gordon (22 April 1878 – 26 May 1974) was an English stage and silent film actress.
Kitty Gordon | |
---|---|
Gordon, early 1900s | |
Born | Folkestone, Kent, U.K. | 22 April 1878
Died | 26 May 1974 96) Brentwood, New York, U.S. | (aged
Other names | Constance Minnie Blades |
Occupation | Actor |
Spouse(s) | Maxwell James Michael Levenston (Dec 10, 1903–Mar 29, 1904) (his death) Captain Henry Beresford (Oct. 1904 – 1924. his death) Ralph Ranlet (1932 – ?) |
Career
Her first professional stage appearance was at the Princes Theatre in Bristol in 1901 in the touring production of San Toy.[1] She appeared in The Duchess of Dantzic in 1903, the operetta Véronique in 1904 and The Three Kisses in 1907. In 1909 she moved to New York City, where she became a regular on the New York stage.
She made her first film appearance in 1916 in As in a Looking Glass. During the next three years she made twenty-one films. On 19 October 1911, she starred in the debut of composer Victor Herbert's musical The Enchantress at the New York Theatre.[2] She continued her stage work from 1919 onwards. She also made television appearances.
On 25 June 1920, during a vaudeville performance in Chicago with her husband, Jack Wilson, and her daughter, Vera Beresford, Gordon's stage gun discharged a live round and shot Joseph A. Hack, an offstage acrobat.[3]
Personal life
Her first and never mentioned husband was Maxwell James with whom she had a child, Vera.[4] After his death, she married theatre manager Michael Levenston on 10 December 1903. He died on 29 March 1904 less than four months later. In October 1904, Kitty married Captain Harry Beresford (Born 1876, Died 28 January 1924. See The Times 29 January 1924.) Kitty's child became Cynthia Vera Beresford, who became an actress. In 1932 Kitty married Ralph Ranlet.[5]
Kitty Gordon died in a nursing home in New York City in 1974.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1916 | As in a Looking Glass | Lila Despard | |
1916 | Her Maternal Right | Nina Seabury | |
1916 | The Crucial Test | Thanya | |
1917 | Vera, the Medium | Vera | |
1917 | Forget Me Not | Stefanie Paoli | |
1917 | The Beloved Adventuress | Juliette La Monde | |
1917 | Her Hour | Rita Castle | |
1917 | National Red Cross Pageant | Bruges | Flemish episode |
1917 | Diamonds and Pearls | Violetta D'Arcy | |
1917 | The Volunteer | Herself, Cameo Appearance | |
1918 | The Divine Sacrifice | Madeline Spencer | |
1918 | The Wasp | Grace Culver | |
1918 | The Purple Lily | Marie Burguet | |
1918 | Stolen Orders | Felicia Gaveston | |
1918 | The Interloper | Jane Cameron | |
1918 | Tinsel | Princess Sylvia Carzoni | *her only surviving film |
1918 | Merely Players | Nadine Trent | |
1919 | Adele | Adele Bleneau | |
1919 | Mandarin's Gold | Betty Cardon | |
1919 | The Unveiling Hand | Margaret Ellis | |
1919 | The Scar | Cora | |
1919 | Playthings of Passion | Helen Rowland | (final film role) |
- The Crucial Test (1916)
- Vera the Medium (1916)
- Advertisement (1916)
- Mandarin's Gold (1919)
References
- "Don Gillan (www.stagebeauty.net)"
- Music that charms by Victor Herbert. New York Times, 20 October 1911
- Actor is shot by Kitty Gordon. New York Times, 26 June 1920
- Kitty Gordon: Actress 1878-1974. By Michael Levenston. Ebook. 2015.
- Mrs. Beresford wed to Ralph Ranlet. New York Times, 16 September 1932
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kitty Gordon. |
- Kitty Gordon photo gallery NY Public Library Billy Rose Collection
- portrait of Kitty Gordon
- portraits of Kitty and daughter Vera:1, ..2
- Kitty Gordon: Actress 1878-1974. By Michael Levenston. Ebook. 2015