Kalita V. H. Humphreys (March 6, 1914 - September 19, 1954) was an American actress who was most active in

repertory theatre A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawing ...

Early years

A native of

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

, Humphreys was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Humphreys. She attended Ball High School and graduated from Vassar College, where she portrayed Cleopatra in ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' (First Folio title: ''The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed, by the King's Men, at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre in around ...

''.

Career

Humphreys was a prominent actress in Galveston Little Theater productions, and acted in the Dallas Little Theatre. Humphreys's first professional summer stock theater experience came at the Westchester Playhouse in New York, where she worked with Henry Fonda, Myron McCormick, Mildred Natwick, and

Margaret Sullavan Margaret Brooke Sullavan (May 16, 1909 – January 1, 1960) was an American stage and film actress. Sullavan began her career onstage in 1929 with the University Players. In 1933, she caught the attention of film director John M. Stahl and had ...

, among others. She was active in productions of the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, having leading roles with co-stars including

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...

and Charles Korvin. Other venues in which she performed included Bridgehampton Theatre, Old Town Theatre, and Sayville Playhouse. Humphreys's Broadway debut had her playing a Swedish girl in ''Everywhere I Roam'' (1938). She also performed in ''

Let's Face It! ''Let's Face It!'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields is based on the 1925 play ''The Cradle Snatchers'' by Russell Medcraft and Norma Mitchell. The 1941 Broadway and 1942 West End produ ...

'' (1941) on Broadway. Shortly before her death she appeared in a 10-week run of '' Affairs of State'' in the Alley Theatre in Houston. In other professional activities, Humphreys served as director of the

Federal Theatre Project The Federal Theatre Project (FTP; 1935–1939) was a theatre program established during the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depression as part of the New Deal to fund live artistic performances and entertainment programs in the United ...

in Dallas and was a member of the Barter Theatre's board of directors. She also was a volunteer speaker for the American National Theater and Academy, with a focus on Texas theaters and both directed and acted with the Valley Players, a little theatre group in Liberty, Texas.

Personal life

Humphreys was married to Joe K. Burson. They lived in Liberty, Texas, where he managed the estate that she inherited from her father.

Death

On September 19, 1954, Humphreys and Burson were killed when the small plane in which they were riding crashed at the base of

Pinnacle Mountain Pinnacle Mountain may refer to: *Pinnacle Mountain State Park *Pinnacle Mountain (Arkansas) *Pinnacle Mountain (South Carolina) Pinnacle Mountain is the tallest mountain contained entirely within the state of South Carolina (the state's highest p ...

, near

Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania Lenhartsville is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Berks County, Pennsylvania. The population was 165 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Geography Lenhartsville is located in northern Berks County, Penns ...

. She was 38. They were on their way to a month's vacation in New York.

Legacy

In 1959, Humphreys's mother donated $100,000 to the building fund of the

Dallas Theater Center The Dallas Theater Center is a major regional theater in Dallas, Texas, United States. It produces classic, contemporary and new plays and was the 2017 Tony Award recipient for Best Regional Theater. Dallas Theater Center produces its original w ...

. In return, a new Frank Lloyd Wright-designed theater unit was named the

Kalita Humphreys Theater The Kalita Humphreys Theater is a historic theater in Dallas, Texas (USA). It is the only theater by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and one of the last completed buildings he designed. It was built in 1959 for Dallas Theater Center who still produ ...

. By July 1963, the theater had a company of 14 actors and presented nearly 250 performances annually.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Humphreys, Kalita 1954 deaths 20th-century American actresses American stage actresses Broadway theatre people