Kathlyn Williams

Infobox actor
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name = Kathlyn Williams


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birthdate = birth date|1879|5|31|mf=y
location = Butte, Montana
deathdate = death date and age|1960|9|23|1879|5|31|mf=y
deathplace = Hollywood, California
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Kathlyn Williams (May 31, 1879 – September 23, 1960) was an American actress, known for her blonde beauty and daring antics, who performed on stage as well as in early silent film.

Early Life and Career

Kathlyn Williams was born to Joseph E., a miner, and Mary C. Boe Williams of Welsh and Norwegian descent in Butte, Montana on May 31, 1879. She displayed an early interest in becoming an actress in her youth which lead her to become a member of a community thespian group and the Woman's Relief Corps that allowed her to showcase her vocal prowess at local recitals. Williams also attended Montana Wesleyan University in Helena during the late 1890s and excelled in elocution. She lost her father when she was a teenager, and her mother made extra money by renting out homes in nearby Centerville. Her family was of limited means; therefore, Kathlyn had to rely on the charity of others to pay her way through school. Her acting aspiration also caught the attention of William A. Clark, a very wealthy Montana Senator, who helped finance her education and acting classes. In 1900, her friends held a concert for "Katie", as she was affectionately called, to gather funds to help pay her college tuition. By 1902, Williams joined a theater touring group called Norris & Hall and Company where she played the lead part of Phyllis Ericson in the popular play "When We Were Twenty One," mostly to good reviews.

Williams began her career with Selig Polyscope Company in Chicago, Illinois and made her first film in 1908 under the direction of Francis Boggs. By 1910, she was transferred to the company's Los Angeles film studio. Williams played "Cherry Malotte" in the first movie based upon Rex Beach's 1906 novel "The Spoilers" in 1914, a role portrayed in subsequent versions by Betty Compson (1930), Marlene Dietrich (1942), and Anne Baxter (1955). In 1916, she starred in the thirteen episode adventure film serial, "The Adventures of Kathlyn". She was busy throughout the silent film era but age and the advent of talkies saw her make only five sound films, the last in 1935. Kathlyn evolved from a comedienne and serial player in silents to portraying character roles in the early 1930s

Marriages

Williams was married three times. Although many biographies erroneously cite her first husband as being Victor Kainer, he was in fact named Otto H. Kainer, who ran an import and export business on Wall Street in New York City. They were wed on October 2, 1903, and their son, Victor Hugo, was born in 1905. On May 8, 1905, she successfully sued her husband for $20,000 dollars for not paying her $10,000 on the day of their marriage and for every year of their marriage. The case made its way all the way to the New York Supreme Court. They supposedly divorced over Kainer's disapproval of his wife having an acting career. After the death of her mother in December 1909 and the failure of her marriage, Williams decided to revive her acting career. On March 4, 1913, she married Frank R. Allen, also an actor, but the marriage was a failure from the start and lasted a little over a year. On June 30, 1914, she filed for divorce in Los Angeles and listed desertion as the reason as the failure of their marriage.

She later married Paramount Pictures executive Charles Eyton on June 2, 1916, in Riverside, California. The couple met approximately ten years earlier in Salt Lake City, Utah. Eyton went there to look over a new play. While there he met Kathlyn, who was a member of the Willard Mack stock company. Eyton and Williams were engaged earlier but a lover's quarrel broke them up. A second meeting in the movie camps of Los Angeles, California rekindled their love. Eyton was one of the owners of the Oliver Morosco Photoplay Company. On February 25, 1922, her beloved son, now called Victor Eyton, died suddenly at the age of 16 from complications from the influenza. In order to overcome her immense grief, the Eytons took an extended trip to Asia which lasted for four months. The Eytons eventually divorced in 1931.

Later Life

On December 29, 1949, Williams was involved in a deadly automobile accident, which claimed the life of her friend, Mrs. Mary E. Rose, while they were returning home from a social engagement in Las Vegas. As a result of the accident, Williams lost her right limb. On April 8, 1950, Williams sued the estate of Rose, citing negligence and claiming that the automobile had inefficient brakes. Kathlyn Williams died of a heart attack in Hollywood in 1960. She was found dead in her home, where she lived as a wheelchair invalid. She was cremated and her ashes were stored at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles.

After her death, Williams bequeathed most of her monetary assets, which amounted to nearly $287,000, to charitable institutions such as The McKinley Industrial Home for Boys, the Motion Picture Relief Fund, and to an orthopedic and children's hospital. One of her last dying wishes was for a plaque to be placed at The McKinley Industrial Home for Boys to celebrate the memory of her long ago departed son.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Kathlyn Williams has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7038 Hollywood Blvd.

References

*Galveston, Texas Daily News, "Screen Life in Hollywood", Friday, March 20, 1931, Page 4.
*New York Times, "Kathlyn Williams", September 25, 1960, Page 86.
*Reno, Nevada Evening Gazette, "Short Yarns About Many Favorites", Saturday, June 17, 1916, Page 10.
*Anaconda, Montana The Anaconda Standard, "A Benefit Concert. Chance to Help a Young Girl Through College." August 16, 1900, Page 4.
*Anaconda, Montana The Anaconda Standard, "Musical Entertainment: A Delightful Programme Prepared By the Woman's Relief Corps", September 1, 1901, Page 16.
*Anaconda, Montana The Anaconda Standard, "Butte Actress Loses Young Son", March 7, 1922, Page 6.
*Danville, Virginia The Bee, "Former Actress Sues For $136,615", Saturday, April 8, 1950, Page 11.
*New York City New York Times, "Husband Must Pay Up", Tuesday, May 9, 1905, Page 2.
*1924 passport from Ancestry.com states birth year was 1885.
*1910 Census for Los Angeles
*Olympia, Washington Morning Olympian, "Kathlyn Wiliams Kainer", July 7, 1905, Page 2.
*Helena, Montana The Helena Independent, "For Honor and A Prize, University Students Will Take Part in Elocutionary Contest", May 29, 1899, Page 8.
* 1880 United States Federal Census, Butte City, Deer Lodge County, Montana, Enumeration District 10, Page 55, June 17, 1880.
*Anaconda, Montana The Anaconda Standard, "Sad News Shocks Daughter: Rushes To Bedside Of Aged Pioneer Woman On Learning Plight For First Time", December 12, 1908
*Trenton, New Jersey The Trenton Times, "Stage Gossip", September 15, 1902
*Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo Reporter, "Kathlyn Williams Now Mrs. Allen", Saturday, March 29, 1913, Page 19.
*Long Beach, California Independent, "Kathlyn Williams Estate Goes to Charity", October 27, 1960, Page 8.
*Lincoln, Nebraska Nebraska State Journal, "On the Silver Screen. Among the Movies.", March 26, 1922, Page 30.
*Moberly, Missouri Weekly Monitar, "Kathlyn Williams Sues for Divorcoe", July 3, 1914, Page 2.

External links

*imdb name|id= 0931031|name= Kathlyn Williams
* [http://www.public.asu.edu/~ialong/Taylor48.txt Some contemporary articles and interviews with Kathlyn Williams]