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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

85

Gender

Female

Birthday

1879-05-30

Day of Death

1960-09-23 (81 years old)

Place of Birth

Butte, Montana, USA

Also Known As

Kathleen Mabel Williams

Kathlyn Williams

Biography

Kathlyn Williams was born Kathleen Mabel Williams on May 31, 1879 in Butte, Montana, and the only child born to Joseph Edwin "Frank" Williams, a boarding house proprietor, and Mary C. Boe (1846–1908) of Welsh and Norwegian descent. Many biographies state her birth year as 1888; however, she is listed on the 1880 United States Census as being a year old. Williams displayed an early interest in becoming an actress in her youth which lead her to become a member of a community thespian group. She also joined the Woman's Relief Corps that allowed her to showcase her vocal prowess at local recitals. 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 comedian and serial player in silents to portraying character roles in the early 1930s. Williams was married three times. Although many biographies erroneously cite her first husband as being Victor Kainer, he was in fact named Otto H. "Harry" Kainer (1876–1952), 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. They supposedly divorced over Kainer's disapproval of his wife having an acting career, and Williams subsequently obtained a divorce from Kainer in 1909 in Nevada. 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 Eytons eventually divorced in 1931. 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 leg. On April 8, 1950, Williams sued the estate of Rose for $136,615, citing negligence and claiming that the automobile had inefficient brakes. In June 1951, Williams accepted the offer of $6,500 dollars from the Rose estate. Kathlyn Williams died of a heart attack in Hollywood, California in 1960. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Kathlyn Williams has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7038 Hollywood Blvd. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Known For

Acting

A Single Man

1929

A Single Man

as

Mrs. Cottrell

Morals

1921

Morals

as

Judith Mainwaring

We Can't Have Everything

1918

We Can't Have Everything

as

Charity Coe Cheever

The Cost of Hatred

1917

The Cost of Hatred

as

Elsie Graves / Sarita Graves

Three Bags of Silver

1914

Three Bags of Silver

as

Kathlyn Hare

The Flight of the Crow

1913

The Flight of the Crow

as

Edwina Washburn

The Wheels of Justice

1911

The Wheels of Justice

as

Alice Hazen

Dad's Girls

1911

Dad's Girls

as

Rose

The Man from the East

1911

The Man from the East

as

Elsie Dean

Our Dancing Daughters

1928

Our Dancing Daughters

as

Ann's Mother

Thou Shalt Not Covet

1916

Thou Shalt Not Covet

as

My Neighbor's Wife

Honeymoon Flats

1928

Honeymoon Flats

as

Mrs. Garland

The Best People

1925

The Best People

as

Mrs. Lenox

The Two Ordeals

1914

The Two Ordeals

as

Kathlyn Hare

The Unwelcome Throne

1913

The Unwelcome Throne

as

Kathlyn Hare

The House of His Master

1912

The House of His Master

as

Mrs. Robert Steem

The Royal Slave

1914

The Royal Slave

as

Kathlyn Hare

A Colonel in Chains

1914

A Colonel in Chains

as

Kathlyn Hare

The Garden of Brides

1914

The Garden of Brides

as

Kathlyn Hare

The Cruel Crown

1914

The Cruel Crown

as

Kathlyn Hare

The Spellbound Multitude

1914

The Spellbound Multitude

as

Kathlyn Hare

The Warrior Maid

1914

The Warrior Maid

as

Kathlyn Hare

The Forged Parchment

1914

The Forged Parchment

as

Kathlyn Hare

The King's Will

1914

The King's Will

as

Kathlyn Hare

Into the Primitive

1916

Into the Primitive

as

Jennie Leslie

The Thing We Love

1918

The Thing We Love

as

Margaret Kenwood

The Adventures of Kathlyn

1916

The Adventures of Kathlyn

as

Kathlyn Hare

Clarence

1922

Clarence

as

Mrs. Wheeler

The Single Standard

1929

The Single Standard

as

Mrs. Glendenning

Redeeming Love

1916

Redeeming Love

as

Naomi Sterling

Locked Doors

1925

Locked Doors

as

Laura Carter

The Whispering Chorus

1918

The Whispering Chorus

as

Jane Tremble

The U.P. Trail

1920

The U.P. Trail

as

"Beauty" Stanton

Unholy Love

1932

Unholy Love

as

Mrs. Bradford

Daddy Long Legs

1931

Daddy Long Legs

as

Mrs. Paula Pendleton

Trimmed in Scarlet

1923

Trimmed in Scarlet

as

Cordelia Ebbing / Madame de laFleur

The Adventures of Kathlyn

1913

The Adventures of Kathlyn

as

Kathlyn Hare

Road to Paradise

1930

Road to Paradise

as

Mrs. Wells

Blood Money

1933

Blood Money

as

Nightclub Woman Wearing Monocle (uncredited)

The World's Applause

1923

The World's Applause

as

Elsa Townsend

Big Timber

1917

Big Timber

as

Stella Benton

Souls for Sale

1923

Souls for Sale

as

Self - Celebrity Actress in Commisary

A Private Scandal

1921

A Private Scandal

as

Carol Lawton

Wanderer of the Wasteland

1924

Wanderer of the Wasteland

as

Magdalene Virey

Broadway Gold

1923

Broadway Gold

as

Jean Valjean

Rendezvous at Midnight

1935

Rendezvous at Midnight

as

Mrs. Arthur Dewey

Forbidden Fruit

1921

Forbidden Fruit

as

Mrs. Mallory

The Witch of the Everglades

1911

The Witch of the Everglades

as

Dora - the Witch

Back to the Primitive

1911

Back to the Primitive

as

Helen Wilton

The Spanish Dancer

1923

The Spanish Dancer

as

Queen Isabel of Bourbon

The Rose of Old St. Augustine

1911

The Rose of Old St. Augustine

as

Dolores, the Rose of St. Augustine

The Two Orphans

1911

The Two Orphans

as

Henriette

The Girl at the Cupola

1912

The Girl at the Cupola

as

Jessie Wilson

Captain Kate

1911

Captain Kate

as

Captain Kate

Lost in the Jungle

1911

Lost in the Jungle

as

Meta Kruga

The Spoilers

1914

The Spoilers

as

Cherry Malotte

Hush

1921

Hush

as

Isabel Dane

The Wanderer

1925

The Wanderer

as

Huldah

The Enemy Sex

1924

The Enemy Sex

as

Mrs. Massingale

Her Kingdom of Dreams

1919

Her Kingdom of Dreams

as

Penelope Warren

Life on the Border

1911

Life on the Border

as

The Pioneer Wife

1861

1911

1861

as

Sally in Our Alley

1927

Sally in Our Alley

as

Mrs. Gordon Mansfield

Morals

1921

Morals

as

Just a Wife

1920

Just a Wife

as

Eleanor Lathrop

Chip of the Flying U

1914

Chip of the Flying U

as

Della Whitmore - the 'Little Doctor'

Sweet Alyssum

1915

Sweet Alyssum

as

Daisy Brooks

We Americans

1928

We Americans

as

Mrs. Bradleigh

A Man's Home

1921

A Man's Home

as

Frances Osborn

The Valiants of Virginia

1916

The Valiants of Virginia

as

Shirley Dandridge

Wedding Rings

1929

Wedding Rings

as

Agatha

The Carpet from Bagdad

1915

The Carpet from Bagdad

as

Fortune Chedsoye

The Better Wife

1919

The Better Wife

as

Lady Beverly

When a Girl Loves

1924

When a Girl Loves

as

Helen - Michael's Wife

The Prince Chap

1920

The Prince Chap

as

Alice Travers

Production

Crew

Directing