movies
celebrities
tv
trailers
box office
photos
dvd
fans
Get Movie Showtimes
Select a Movie
Select a Movie
Now Playing
Act of Valor
(R)
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
(G)
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
(G)
Artist, The
(PG13)
Beauty and the Beast 3D
(G)
Big Miracle
(PG)
Chronicle
(PG13)
Contraband
(R)
Descendants, The
(R)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
(PG13)
Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance 3D
(PG13)
Grey, The
(R)
Iron Lady, The
(PG13)
Jack and Jill
(PG)
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
(PG)
Man on a Ledge
(PG13)
Muppets, The
(PG)
One for the Money
(PG13)
Red Tails
(PG13)
Safe House
(R)
This Means War
(R)
Underworld: Awakening
(R)
Vow, The
(PG13)
War Horse
(PG13)
Woman in Black, The
(PG13)
Go to
More Movies
OR
Find Theaters
Search
Sign up for our Newsletter
Fan Us
Follow Us
Kathleen Key
MAIN
PHOTOS
VIDEOS
NEWS
CREDITS
BIOGRAPHY
AWARDS
FANSITES
FORUM
BIRTHDAY
January 01, 1902
Buffalo, NY
DIED
January 01, 1954
RECENT CREDITS
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
(FILM)
Jan. 1, 1926
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
(FILM)
Mar. 6, 1921
View all
Kathleen Key Credits
BIOGRAPHY
A distant relative, her publicity insisted, of Francis Scott Key, dark-haired, exotic-looking Kathleen Key (née Lanahan) memorably played Tirzah to Ramon Novarro's Ben-Hur in the gigantic 1925 MGM production. Having....
Expand Full Bio
A distant relative, her publicity insisted, of Francis Scott Key, dark-haired, exotic-looking Kathleen Key (née Lanahan) memorably played Tirzah to Ramon Novarro's Ben-Hur in the gigantic 1925 MGM production. Having made her screen debut in, of all places, Australia, Key was picked by writer/producer/director Ferdiand Pinney Earle to play opposite a very young Novarro in a reportedly dazzling and imaginative screen adaptation of The Rubaiat of Omar Khayyam, which sat on a shelf for four years before enjoying a brief release in 1925 due to Novarro's newfound celebrity. (Sadly, the potentially interesting film, re-titled A Lover's Oath, apparently no longer exists.) Key was voted a 1923 Wampas Baby Star and went on to grace such popular films as the still extant The Sea Hawk and Revelation (both 1924), appearing as the Madonna in the latter. Ben-Hur should have made her a major star, but a highly public battle with comedian Buster Keaton -- he claimed she vandalized his dressing room after being refused a monetary loan -- virtually blacklisted her. Key played very minor roles in a couple of sound films, including a dance hall girl in Mae West's Klondike Annie (1936), but proved unable to pay a fine due to destitution when arrested for drunk driving in 1941. The former Wampas Baby spent her final years at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA.
~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Collapse Full Bio
- Portions of Content Provided by
Rovi Data Solutions
© 2009 Rovi Data Solutions, Inc.
Sponsored Links
Buy A Link Here
Recently Worked With...
Ramon Novarro
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Released: Jan. 1, 1926
Claire de Lorez
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Released: Mar. 6, 1921
Collapse
Fan Sites
Kathleen Key Fansites
No fan sites available. Create the first!
Are you the #1 Kathleen Key Fan? Sign Up To Create A Website Here.
Go
Build a Fan Site
Sponsored Links
Buy A Link Here
Top 5 Celebrities
Naomi Watts
September 28, 1968
Shoreham, England
Channing Tatum
April 26, 1980
Cullman, AL
Rachel McAdams
October 07, 1976
London, Ontario, Canada
Zooey Deschanel
January 17, 1980
Los Angeles, CA
Angelina Jolie
June 04, 1975
Los Angeles, CA
Go to
Top 100 Celebs