Kathleen Burke

Kathleen Burke (5 September 1913, Hammond, Indiana – 9 April 1980, Chicago, Illinois) was an American movie actress in the 1930s. Her impressive debut was as Lota, the "Panther Woman" in "Island of Lost Souls" (1932), the acclaimed first screen version of H.G. Wells's novel "The Island of Dr. Moreau". The role took full advantage of Burke's dark, dramatic features. Despite her acting inexperience -- Burke had been working as a dental assistant in Chicago only months earlier, then won a Paramount Pictures contest for the Lota part -- her raw, sexually charged performance proved strikingly memorable.

This success led to more than a score of screen appearances over the following seven years, most notably as the leading lady in the classic "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer" (1935) opposite Gary Cooper, and "The Last Outpost" with Cary Grant that same year. Her final film role was in 1938, whereupon she retired from screen acting at the age of 25.

Filmography

*"Island of Lost Souls" (1932)
*"Murders in the Zoo" (1933)
*"Sunset Pass" (1933)
*"Torch Singer" (1933)
*"The Mad Game" (1933)
*"Six of a Kind" (1934)
*"Good Dame" (1934)
*"School for Girls" (1934)
*"Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back" (1934)
*"The Lives of a Bengal Lancer" (1935)
*"Rocky Mountain Mystery" (1935)
*"Mutiny Ahead" (1935)
*"The Awakening of Jim Burke" (1935)
*"Navy Wife" (1935)
*"The Last Outpost" (1935)
*"Nevada" (1935)
*"The Lion Man" (1936)
*"Craig's Wife" (1936)
*"The Sheik Steps Out" (1937)
*"Boy of the Streets" (1938)
*"Rascals" (1938)

External links

*imdb|0121753
*amg name|2:9611
* [http://film.virtual-history.com/person.php?personid=5327 Photographs and literature]