Jane Lee (1912–1957) and Katherine Lee (1909–1968), sisters, were child stars in silent motion pictures and vaudeville theatre. They were also known as the "Baby Grands," "Lee Kids," or the "Fox Kiddies" for their appearances in Fox Film productions. The Lee sisters were the children of American juggler Tommy Banahan and Irene Lee, an Irish dancer and occasional actor. During Tommy and Irene's European tour, Katherine was born in Berlin, Germany on February 14, 1909, and Jane born February 15, 1912, in either Dublin, Ireland, or Glasgow, Scotland. The sisters appeared in the original '' Neptune's Daughter,'' filmed in 1914. In 1915, Jane appeared with

Valeska Suratt Valeska Suratt (June 28, 1882 – July 2, 1962) was an American stage and silent film actress. Over the course of her career, Suratt appeared in 11 silent films, all of which are now lost, mainly due to the 1937 Fox vault fire. Early life and ...

in ''

The Soul of Broadway ''The Soul of Broadway'' is a 1915 American silent crime drama film produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation and directed by Herbert Brenon. Popular vaudeville performer Valeska Suratt starred in the film which was also her silent s ...

'' at Fox Studios. They both appeared in ''

A Daughter of the Gods ''A Daughter of the Gods'' was a 1916 American silent fantasy drama film written and directed by Herbert Brenon. The film was controversial because of the sequences of what was regarded as superfluous nudity by the character Anitia, played by A ...

'' (1916), with Katherine's dramatic performance earning praise as a "child prodigy" and a "three-foot

Fiske Fiske is a surname of Scandinavian origins. According to ''Burke's Peerage'', "The family of Fiske has long flourished in the counties of Norfolk (recorded as landowners in the Domesday Book) and Suffolk England.html"_;"title="n_England">n_Englan ...

." In 1917, Jane and Katherine starred in two of Fox's "kiddie films", ''Troublemakers'' and ''

Two Little Imps ''Two Little Imps'' is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Kenean Buel and starring Jane Lee, Katherine Lee and Leslie Austin. Cast * Jane Lee as Jane * Katherine Lee as Katherine * Leslie Austin as Billy Parke * Edna Hunter as ...

''. In 1919, the Lee sisters made the list in the

Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll The Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll were polls on determining the bankability of movie stars. They began quite early in the movie history. At first, they were popular polls and contests conducted in film magazines, where the readers would vote for t ...

. The Lee sisters continued to act in silent films through 1919. They appeared in ''

Swat the Spy ''Swat the Spy'' is a 1918 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Arvid E. Gillstrom and starring Jane Lee, Katherine Lee, Charles Slattery, Pat Hartigan, and Florence Ashbrooke. The film was released by Fox Film Corporation on September ...

'' (1918), '' Tell It to the Marines'' (1918), and ''

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'' (1919). Jane and Katherine continued performing in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

throughout the 1920s and into early 1930s. Jane later had uncredited roles in the sound motion pictures ''

Knock on Any Door ''Knock on Any Door'' is a 1949 American courtroom trial film noir directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Humphrey Bogart. The picture gave actor John Derek his breakthrough role, and was based on the 1947 novel of the same name by Willard Motley ...

'' (1949), ''

Cheaper By the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bestsel ...

'' (1950), and '' Comin' Round The Mountain'' (1951). Jane married actor James E. Grant in New York on April 5, 1933, and they divorced in 1937. She died in New York's St. Clare's Hospital on March 7, 1957; her married name at the time was St. John. Katherine married Ray Miller of New York, and died in 1968. __NOTOC__

Partial filmography

References

External links

* * *
Jane and Katherine Lee in a clip from ''Dixie Madcaps''
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Jane and Katherine 20th-century American actresses American child actresses American silent film actresses Sibling duos Sisters Vaudeville performers

Partial filmography

See also

References

External links