Kitty Gordon

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Kitty Gordon
Kitty Gordon 1900s.jpg
Gordon, early 1900s
Born(1878-04-22)22 April 1878
Folkestone, Kent, U.K.
Died26 May 1974(1974-05-26) (aged 96)
Brentwood, New York, U.S.
Other namesConstance Minnie Blades
OccupationActor
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 (22 April 1878 – 26 May 1974) was an English stage and silent film actress.

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's daughter Vera died in 1945.[6]

Kitty Gordon died in a nursing home in Brentwood, New York in 1974.[7]

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[]

  1. ^ "Don Gillan (www.stagebeauty.net)"
  2. ^ Music that charms by Victor Herbert. New York Times, 20 October 1911
  3. ^ Actor is shot by Kitty Gordon. New York Times, 26 June 1920
  4. ^ Kitty Gordon: Actress 1878-1974. By Michael Levenston. Ebook. 2015.
  5. ^ Mrs. Beresford wed to Ralph Ranlet. New York Times, 16 September 1932
  6. ^ “Deaths.” The New York Times, 8 Oct. 1945, p. 15.
  7. ^ “Kitty Gordon, Star of 1911 'Enchantress,' Is Dead.” The New York Times, 29 May 1974, p. 44.

External links[]

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