Kathleen Howard
Kathleen Howard (born July 27, 1884 in Clifton , Ontario , † April 15, 1956 in Hollywood , California ) was a Canadian - American actress , opera singer ( alto ) and journalist . Between 1934 and 1951 she starred in over 50 films.
life and career
Kathleen Howard was born as the daughter of British businessman George Henry Howard (1840-1896) and his wife Alice Augusta (née Framer, 1850-1932). Her younger brother was the sculptor Cecil de Blaquiere Howard . She was born in the small Canadian town of Clifton - in close proximity to Niagara Falls - but spent her youth in Buffalo near New York.
First she performed successfully as an opera singer and was engaged at the Metropolitan Opera in New York between 1916 and 1928 . She sang the role of Zita in the premiere of Giacomo Puccini's opera Gianni Schicchi from 1918. In the same year she also published her autobiography Confessions of an Opera Singer . She made some vocal recordings, most of which are lost. After her voice was broken and she could no longer work as an opera singer, Howard moved to the film industry in Hollywood in 1934 . In her first film, The Black Majesty , she played an Italian noblewoman alongside Fredric March .
Howard is remembered, among other things, as a quarreling or arrogant opponent of WC Fields in three films between 1934 and 1935. So she embodied in Das ist vorgeschenken Fields nasty wife who makes his life hell. In her other films, Howard also played mostly comedic, often unsympathetic supporting roles. She played, among other things, a snobbish lady from good company in Mervyn LeRoy's drama Blossoms in Dust in 1941 and the housekeeper of a shared apartment for professors in Howard Hawks ' comedy Sugarpuss, the strange taming of gangster bride . While she held extended supporting roles in some films, her appearances in other films were comparatively short or were not even mentioned in the credits. In 1950 Howard made her last of over 50 films, the following year she had an isolated TV appearance.
In addition to her film and opera work, Howard also worked as a journalist and author, including for many years for the fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar . She died in California in 1956 at the age of 71.
Filmography (selection)
- 1934: The Black Majesty (Death Takes a Holiday)
- 1934: You're Telling Me!
- 1934: It's a Gift (It's a poison)
- 1935: Man on the Flying Trapeze
- 1937: Stolen Holiday
- 1939: First Love
- 1940: Mystery Sea Raider
- 1940: One Night in the Tropics
- 1941: Blossoms in the Dust (Blossoms in the Dust)
- 1941: A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob
- 1941: The Strange Taming of the Gangster Bride Sugarpuss (Ball of Fire)
- 1942: Liebling, for dictation (Take a Letter, Darling)
- 1942: You were never captivating (You Were Never Lovelier)
- 1943: Crash Dive
- 1944: Laura
- 1946: Centennial Summer
- 1947: The Late George Apley
- 1947: Cynthia
- 1948: Cry of the City (Cry of the City)
- 1950: The Petty Girl
- 1950: Born to Be Bad
Web links
- Kathleen Howard at Operissimo on the basis of the Great Singer Lexicon
- Kathleen Howard in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Howard, Kathleen |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian-American actress, opera singer (alto) and journalist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 27, 1884 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Clifton , Ontario |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 15, 1956 |
| Place of death | Hollywood , California |