Kate Lester

Kate Lester

Kate Lester (12 June, 1857 - 12 October, 1924) was an English theatrical and silent film actress from Souldham Trope, England. Her family, the Suydams of New York, were staying in England at the time.

Distinguished heritage

Her family had been well-known for some five hundred years. One of her ancestors, Sir William Butts, was physician to King Henry VIII. The character, "Dr. Butts", was in the play "Henry VIII" by William Shakespeare. His portrait hangs in the National Gallery in London, England. Lester was raised in New York and educated in the most exclusive schools. After completing Normal school she studied dramatic art, which was the custom of the time. She learned drama from Dion Boucicault, a famed instructor.

tage and film actress

Lester was a beauty of the stage in the late 19th century. Later she began to play maternal characters in motion pictures. It was as a "grand dame"that she made her debut on the New York stage. She was in her twenties. The woman scheduled to play "Lady Silverdale" in "Partners" became ill on the eve of the premiere. During Lester's stage career she acted with Richard Mansfield, John Drew Jr., William Crane, Mrs. Fiske, Robert Mantell, Henrietta Crossman, and Julia Marlowe.

Her first silent features were in 1916. The film titles are "Molly Make-Believe", "Destiny's Toy", "The Social Secretary", "The Kiss", and " A Coney Island Princess". Lester's last films were released in 1925. They are "The Meddler", "Raffles", and "The Price of Pleasure".She attained initial success in "emotional" roles. She began to develop her "grand dame" line of characters when her hair turned white prematurely.

Death

Lester died from burns she sustained during an explosion inside her dressing room at Universal Studios in Hollywood on October 12, 1924. She was taken to Hollywood Hospital where she succumbed from burns to her hair, face, hands, and upper body. She was taken unconscious to the emergency room. Studio personnel broke down the door to her dressing room.It was suspected that the connections to a gas stove in Lester's dressing room had been leaking. When she attempted to light the gas, an explosion followed.

Kate Lester's body was removed to the J.W. Todd undertaking establishment in Culver City, California. She was 55 years old. In private life she was Mrs. Sarah Cody. Her residence was 7131 Bagley Avenue, Culver City.

References

*The Los Angeles Times, "Mother In Film World Is Burned", October 12, 1924, Page 12.
*The Los Angeles Times, "Actress In Films Dies From Burns", October 13, 1924, Page A2.
*Oakland, California Tribune, "Veteran Actress Badly Burned in Mystery Blast at Movie Studio", Sunday, October 12, 1924, Page 1.

External links

*imdb name|id=0504476|name=Kate Lester


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kate Barker — Kate „Ma“ Barker (* 8. Oktober 1873 in Ashe Grove, Missouri als Arizona Donnie Clark; † 16. Januar 1935 in Oklawaha, Florida) ist eine legendäre Figur aus der US amerikanischen Staatsfeinde Ära, in der etwa zwischen 1930 und 1935 die Taten… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kate "Ma" Baker — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Kate Ma Barker (8 de Octubre de 1873 16 de Enero de 1935) fue una legendaria criminal estadounidense de la llamada era del enemigo público cuando las acciones de las bandas de criminales en el Medio Oeste de los… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Kate "Ma" Barker — (8 de octubre de 1873 16 de enero de 1935) fue una legendaria criminal estadounidense de la llamada era del enemigo público cuando las acciones de las bandas de criminales en el Medio Oeste de los Estados Unidos despertaron el interés de los… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Lester Allen — Nombre Lester Allen Nacimiento 17 de noviembre, 1981 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Lester Allen — Infobox actor name = Lester Allen imagesize = caption = birthname = birthdate = 17 November, 1891 birthplace = Utica, New York, USA deathdate = death date and age|1949|11|6|1891|11|17 deathplace = Hollywood, California USA othername = yearsactive …   Wikipedia

  • Normand Lester — (born July 10, 1945) is a Quebec investigative journalist.[1][2] Though he built his reputation through investigations of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Forces, he is… …   Wikipedia

  • 10 (Kate Rusby album) — Infobox Album Name = 10 Type = studio Longtype = Artist = Kate Rusby Released = 2002 Recorded = Genre = English folk Length = mm:ss Label = Producer = Reviews = Last album = Little Lights (2001) This album = 10 Next album = Heartlands (2003) 10… …   Wikipedia

  • The Wife of the Centaur — Infobox Film name = The Wife of the Centaur image size = caption = director = King Vidor producer = writer = Douglas Z. Doty Cyril Hume narrator = starring = Eleanor Boardman music = cinematography = John Arnold editing = Hugh Wynn distributor =… …   Wikipedia

  • 1857 — This article is about the year 1857. Millennium: 2nd millennium Centuries: 18th century – 19th century – 20th century Decades: 1820s  1830s  1840s  – 1850s –  1860s  187 …   Wikipedia

  • Original Dixieland Jass Band — A 1918 promotional postcard showing (from left), drummer Tony Sbarbaro (aka Tony Spargo), trombonist Edwin Daddy Edwards, cornetist Dominick James Nick LaRocca, clarinetist Larry Shields, and pianist Henry Ragas Background information …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”