- Kay Johnson
Kay Johnson (
November 29 1904 –November 17 1975 ) was an actress who performed on the stage and in Hollywood films beginning in 1929.Family
Katharine Johnson was born in
Mount Vernon, New York in 1904. Her father was architect Thomas R. Johnson who designed several noteworthy buildings in theNew York City . Among these include theWoolworth Building , the New York Customs House, and library buildings. The actress once commented that her father's death in 1914 was hastened by his not having receiving credit for his work on the Woolworth Building. Fact|date=April 2008 Kay, as she was known, resolved to become an actress after leaving boarding school inOhio . Her mother reluctantly permitted her to take a course at the American Academy of Dramatic Art.tock Actress
Her first leading role was in a play called "Beggar on Horseback".Her first stage work of note was in the production of "
R.U.R. " inChicago . She moved to California after appearing in "The Little Accident" inProvidence, Rhode Island . She was accompanied on her trip west by her soon to-be-husband John Cromwell who worked as a director in Hollywood. They wed in October 1928.Film career
Kay Johnson was signed to a contract with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer byCecil B. DeMille following a performance of the "The Silver Cord" at the Repertory Theater inLos Angeles, California . The play was produced by Simeon Gest of the Figueroa Playhouse. Her film debut came in "Dynamite" (1929). DeMille praised her work in this feature, comparing her to silent film starGloria Swanson , as "the Swanson of voice." "Dynamite" was written by Jeanie Macpherson and featuredCharles Bickford andConrad Nagel . Johnson played the feminine lead despite having been delayed for a bit because of an operation to remove her appendix.She went on to appear in "The Ship From Shanghai" (1930), "This Mad World" (1930), "Billy the Kid" (1930), "The Spoilers" (1930) with
Gary Cooper andBetty Compson (the film was remade in 1942 withMarlene Dietrich in Compson's part andJohn Wayne in Cooper's role), "Madame Satan" (1930), "Thirteen Women " (1932), "Of Human Bondage" (which starred Leslie Howard andBette Davis ), "The Call of the Wild" (1935) and "The Adventures of Mark Twain" (1944). Johnson was cast oppositeWarner Baxter in a screen adaptation of "Such Men Are Dangerous" byElinor Glyn . The story was adapted to the screen byFox Film .Johnson's film career continued until 1954 when her final appearance came in the UK film "Jivaro" (aka "Lost Treasure of the Amazon").
Death
Kay Johnson died in
Waterford, Connecticut , aged 70.Family
She and her husband, director John Cromwell are the parents of actor
James Cromwell .References
*
Los Angeles Times , "Demille Features Child Actor", January 17, 1929, Page A10.
* Los Angeles Times, "Kay Johnson Under Knife", March 3, 1929, Page C15.
* Los Angeles Times, "Kay Johnson Continues", May 30, 1929, Page A6.
* Los Angeles Times, "Kay Johnson, as Genteel Heroine of Cecil B. DeMille, Plays First Screen Role", July 21, 1929, Page B13.External links
*
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
