Kitty Gordon
Kitty Gordon | |
|---|---|
 Gordon, early 1900s | |
| Born | Constance Minnie Blades 22 April 1878 Folkestone, Kent, U.K. |
| Died | 26 May 1974 (aged 96) Brentwood, New York, U.S. |
| 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 – ?) |
Kitty Gordon (born Constance Minnie Blades; 22 April 1878 – 26 May 1974) was an English stage and silent film actress.
Career
[edit]Constance Minnie Blades was born in Folkestone, Kent, to Col. Blades of the Royal Artillery.[1][2] Her first professional stage appearance was at the Princes Theatre in Bristol in 1901 in the touring production of San Toy.[3] 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.
On 19 October 1911, Gordon starred in the premiere of composer Victor Herbert's operetta The Enchantress at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C.[4] Herbert wrote the title role specifically for her.[5] She remained with the production when it transferred to the New York Theatre on Broadway later that month[6] and toured in the piece for two years,[7] until she fell ill.[8]
She made her first film appearance in 1916 in As in a Looking Glass. During the next three years she made twenty-one films. She continued her stage work from 1919 onwards. She also made television appearances. Her final appearance on television was in 1952 on the program Life Begins at Eighty.[5]
Personal life
[edit]Her first husband was Maxwell James with whom she had a child, Vera. She later also had a career as an actress known on the stage and in film as Vera Beresforf.[9] After his death, she married theatre manager Michael Levenston on 10 December 1903. He died on 29 March 1904 , and in October 1904, Kitty married Captain Henry "Harry" Horsley-Beresford (1876– 1924), a son of the 3rd Baron Decies.[10] Kitty's child became Cynthia Vera Beresford, who became an actress. In 1932 Kitty married Ralph Ranlet.[11] Kitty's daughter Vera died in 1945.[9]
Kitty Gordon died in a nursing home in Brentwood, New York in 1974.[12]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | As in a Looking Glass | Lila Despard | Lost film |
| 1916 | Her Maternal Right | Nina Seabury | Lost film |
| 1916 | The Crucial Test | Thanya | Lost film |
| 1917 | Vera, the Medium | Vera | Lost film |
| 1917 | Forget Me Not | Stefanie Paoli | Lost film |
| 1917 | The Beloved Adventuress | Juliette La Monde | Lost film |
| 1917 | Her Hour | Rita Castle | Lost film |
| 1917 | National Red Cross Pageant | Bruges | Flemish episode Lost film |
| 1917 | Diamonds and Pearls | Violetta D'Arcy | Lost film |
| 1917 | The Volunteer | Herself, Cameo Appearance | Lost film |
| 1918 | The Divine Sacrifice | Madeline Spencer | Lost film |
| 1918 | The Wasp | Grace Culver | Lost film |
| 1918 | The Purple Lily | Marie Burguet | Lost film |
| 1918 | Stolen Orders | Felicia Gaveston | Lost film |
| 1918 | The Interloper | Jane Cameron | Lost film |
| 1918 | Tinsel | Princess Sylvia Carzoni | |
| 1918 | Merely Players | Nadine Trent | Lost film |
| 1919 | Adele | Adele Bleneau | Lost film |
| 1919 | Mandarin's Gold | Betty Cardon | Lost film |
| 1919 | The Unveiling Hand | Margaret Ellis | Lost film |
| 1919 | The Scar | Cora | Lost film |
| 1919 | Playthings of Passion | Helen Rowland | Lost film |
-
The Crucial Test (1916) -
Vera the Medium (1916) -
Advertisement (1916) -
Mandarin's Gold (1919)
References
[edit]- ^ Metcalfe, Cranstoun (1913). Peeresses of the Stage. London: A. Melrose. p. 227.
- ^ Gänzl, Kurt (2001). The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre (2nd ed.). New York: Schirmer Books. p. 792. ISBN 9780028649702.
- ^ Gillan, Don. "Kitty Gordon (1878-1974)". www.stagebeauty.net.
- ^ "The Enchantress Staged; Kitty Gordon Appears in Title Role of Victor Herbert's Opera Comique". The New York Times. 10 October 1911. p. 13.
- ^ a b "Kitty Gordon, Star of 1911 Enchantress, Is Dead". The New York Times. 29 May 1974. p. 44.
- ^ "Music That Charms by Victor Herbert; in The Enchantress, Which Raises Kitty Gordon to the Stars". The New York Times. 20 October 1911. p. 13.
- ^ "Kitty Gordon in "The Enchantress"". Los Angeles Morning Tribune. 26 October 1913. p. 37.
- ^ "Kitty Gordon Illness Found to Be Serious". The San Francisco Call. 1 November 1913. p. 23.
- ^ a b “Deaths.” The New York Times, 8 Oct. 1945, p. 15.
- ^ The Times 29 January 1924.
- ^ Mrs. Beresford wed to Ralph Ranlet. New York Times, 16 September 1932
- ^ “Kitty Gordon, Star of 1911 'Enchantress,' Is Dead.” The New York Times, 29 May 1974, p. 44.
External links
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| National | |
| People | |
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