Kitty Gordon

Kitty Gordon (22 April 1878 – 26 May 1974) was an English stage and silent film actress.

Kitty Gordon
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 – ?)

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
1916As in a Looking GlassLila Despard
1916Her Maternal RightNina Seabury
1916The Crucial TestThanya
1917Vera, the MediumVera
1917Forget Me NotStefanie Paoli
1917The Beloved AdventuressJuliette La Monde
1917Her HourRita Castle
1917National Red Cross PageantBrugesFlemish episode
1917Diamonds and PearlsVioletta D'Arcy
1917The VolunteerHerself, Cameo Appearance
1918The Divine SacrificeMadeline Spencer
1918The WaspGrace Culver
1918The Purple LilyMarie Burguet
1918Stolen OrdersFelicia Gaveston
1918The InterloperJane Cameron
1918TinselPrincess Sylvia Carzoni*her only surviving film
1918Merely PlayersNadine Trent
1919AdeleAdele Bleneau
1919Mandarin's GoldBetty Cardon
1919The Unveiling HandMargaret Ellis
1919The ScarCora
1919Playthings of PassionHelen 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
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