Katherine Kiernan Griffith (September 30, 1876[1] – October 17, 1921), also seen as Catherine Kiernan,[2] was an American character actress on stage and in silent films.
Katherine Griffith | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Katherine Griffith, from a 1916 publication | |
| Born | September 30, 1876 San Francisco, California |
| Died | October 17, 1921 (aged 45) Los Angeles, California |
| Other names | Catherine Kiernan Griffith |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Children | 3, including Gordon Griffith |
Early life
editCatherine Kiernan was born in San Francisco, the daughter of Irish immigrants Peter Kiernan and Catherine Kiernan.[1]
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Career
editGriffith had a career in vaudeville and the musical theatre before moving into film work.[3] Described as a "large, commanding woman",[4] she appeared in dozens of silent films, including Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1913), The Gray Nun of Belgium (1915), The Greater Power (1916),[5] Murdered by Mistake (1916),[6] A Little Princess (1917) with Mary Pickford,[7] In Judgment Of (1918),[8] A Yankee Princess (1919) with Bessie Love,[9] The Woman Thou Gavest Me (1919),[10] The Spite Bride (1919) with Olive Thomas,[11] The Woman Next Door (1919), Pollyanna (1920), again with Mary Pickford,[12] Huckleberry Finn (1920), with her son Gordon Griffith as Tom Sawyer, Mid-Channel (1920), and They Shall Pay (1921).
Personal life
editKiernan married fellow actor Harry Sutherland Griffith in 1897.[2] They had three children, Gordon, Graham, and Gertrude;[13] her son Gordon became a child actor.[4] Katherine Griffith died suddenly from a stroke in 1921, aged 45 years, at her home in Los Angeles.[14][15]
References
edit- ^ a b Katherine Kiernan Griffith's birthdate varies in sources; September 30, 1876 is the date on her gravestone in Colma, California, via Ancestry, IMDB, and Find a Grave.
- ^ a b "Marriage License Issued". The Baltimore Sun. 1897-05-01. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-04-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Waddell, Al G. (1913-02-25). "Who's Who in Reel Drama: Katherine Griffith". The Los Angeles Times. p. 32. Retrieved 2022-04-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Flickers from the Camera of the Robards Players". Santa Cruz Evening News. March 7, 1917. p. 8. Retrieved April 18, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ^ "Batting Out the Big U's". The Moving Picture World. 30: 1336. December 2, 1916.
- ^ "L-Ko". The Moving Picture World. 30: 1693. December 16, 1916.
- ^ Frobose, Paul H. (2006). "The Film Adaptations of Frances Hodgson Burnett's Stories". In Carpenter, Angelica Shirley (ed.). In the Garden: Essays in Honor of Frances Hodgson Burnett. Scarecrow Press. pp. 140–141. ISBN 978-0-8108-5288-4.
- ^ America Film Institute (1997). Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American Feature Films, 1911-1960. University of California Press. p. 492. ISBN 978-0-520-20964-0.
- ^ "A Yankee Princess". Photo-Play World: 36. June 1919 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Theater Manager Says Play to Be Big Drawing Card". Los Angeles Herald. June 17, 1919. p. 20. Retrieved April 18, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ^ "On the Picture Screen". San Francisco Call. September 22, 1920. p. 17. Retrieved April 18, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ^ Vermilye, Jerry (1985). The films of the twenties. Internet Archive. Secaucus, N.J. : Citadel Press. pp. 36–37. ISBN 978-0-8065-0960-0 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Death Claims Mother of Noted Family". Oakland Tribune. 1921-10-30. p. 43. Retrieved 2022-04-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Katherine Griffith, Film Actress, Dies". The Los Angeles Times. 1921-10-19. p. 21. Retrieved 2022-04-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mrs. K. Griffith, Willis L. Robards, Pass Away in South". Santa Cruz Evening News. December 8, 1921. p. 2. Retrieved April 18, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
External links
edit- The Little Princess (1917), at Internet Archive
- Pollyanna (1920), at Internet Archive
- Huckleberry Finn (1920), at Internet Archive
- Katherine Griffith at IMDb