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

Kitty Gordon
Gordon, early 1900s
Born
Constance Minnie Blades

(1878-04-22)22 April 1878
Died26 May 1974(1974-05-26) (aged 96)
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 with her daughter, the actress Vera Beresford.

Career

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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.

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.[4] She continued her stage work from 1919 onwards. She also made television appearances.

Personal life

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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.[5] 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.[6] Kitty's child became Cynthia Vera Beresford, who became an actress. In 1932 Kitty married Ralph Ranlet.[7] Kitty's daughter Vera died in 1945.[5]

Kitty Gordon died in a nursing home in Brentwood, New York in 1974.[8]

Filmography

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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

References

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  1. ^ Metcalfe, Cranstoun (1913). Peeresses of the Stage. London: A. Melrose. p. 227.
  2. ^ Gänzl, Kurt (2001). The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre (2nd ed.). New York: Schirmer Books. p. 792. ISBN 9780028649702.
  3. ^ Gillan, Don. "Kitty Gordon (1878-1974)". www.stagebeauty.net.
  4. ^ Music that charms by Victor Herbert. New York Times, 20 October 1911
  5. ^ a b “Deaths.” The New York Times, 8 Oct. 1945, p. 15.
  6. ^ The Times 29 January 1924.
  7. ^ Mrs. Beresford wed to Ralph Ranlet. New York Times, 16 September 1932
  8. ^ “Kitty Gordon, Star of 1911 'Enchantress,' Is Dead.” The New York Times, 29 May 1974, p. 44.
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