Katherine Kiernan Griffith (September 30, 1876Katherine Kiernan Griffith's birthdate varies in sources; September 30, 1876 is the date on her gravestone in Colma, California, via Ancestry, IMDB, and Find a Grave. – October 17, 1921), also seen as Catherine Kiernan, was an American character actress on stage and in silent films.

Early life

Catherine Kiernan was born in San Francisco, the daughter of Irish immigrants Peter Kiernan and Catherine Kiernan. Pollyanna_(1920)_-_8

Career

Griffith had a career in vaudeville and the musical theatre before moving into film work. Described as a "large, commanding woman", she appeared in dozens of silent films, including '' Tess of the D'Urbervilles'' (1913), ''

The Gray Nun of Belgium ''The Gray Nun of Belgium'' was a 1915 film announced for release on the Alliance Program by Dramatic Feature Films, Frank Joslyn Baum's short-lived successor to The Oz Film Manufacturing Company. Despite the advertising in ''Motion Picture News ...

'' (1915), ''The Greater Power'' (1916), ''Murdered by Mistake'' (1916), ''

A Little Princess ''A Little Princess'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published as a book in 1905. It is an expanded version of the short story "Sara Crewe: or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's", which was serialized in '' St. Nicholas M ...

'' (1917) with

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

, '' In Judgment Of'' (1918), ''

A Yankee Princess ''A Yankee Princess'' is a 1919 American silent film, silent comedy-drama film produced and distributed by the Vitagraph Company of America. It was directed by David Smith (director), David Smith and stars Bessie Love, who also wrote the screenpl ...

'' (1919) with

Bessie Love Bessie Love (born Juanita Horton; September 10, 1898April 26, 1986) was an American-British actress who achieved prominence playing innocent, young girls and wholesome leading ladies in silent and early sound films. Her acting career spanned ei ...

, ''

The Woman Thou Gavest Me ''The Woman Thou Gavest Me'' is a 1919 silent film directed by Hugh Ford and starring Jack Holt, Katherine MacDonald and Milton Sills. It was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed through Famous Players–Lasky and Paramount Pictu ...

'' (1919), ''

The Spite Bride ''The Spite Bride'' is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by Charles Giblyn and starring Olive Thomas, Robert Ellis and Jack Mulhall.Connelly p.414 Cast * Olive Thomas as Tessa Doyle * Robert Ellis as Billy Swayne * Jack Mulhall as R ...

'' (1919) with

Olive Thomas Olive Thomas (born Oliva R. Duffy; October 20, 1894 – September 10, 1920) was an American silent-film actress, art model, and photo model. Thomas began her career as an illustrator's model in 1914, and moved on to the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' the ...

, '' The Woman Next Door'' (1919), ''

Pollyanna ''Pollyanna'' is a 1913 novel by American author Eleanor H. Porter, considered a classic of children's literature. The book's success led to Porter's soon writing a sequel, ''Pollyanna Grows Up'' (1915). Eleven more ''Pollyanna'' sequels, know ...

'' (1920), again with Mary Pickford, ''

Huckleberry Finn Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain who first appeared in the book ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884). He is 12 ...

'' (1920), with her son

Gordon Griffith Gordon S. Griffith (July 4, 1907 – October 12, 1958) was an American assistant director, film producer, and one of the first child actors in the American movie industry. Griffith worked in the film industry for five decades, acting in ov ...

Tom Sawyer Thomas Sawyer () is the titular character of the Mark Twain novel ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876). He appears in three other novels by Twain: ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884), ''Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894), and ''Tom Sawyer, Dete ...

, ''

Mid-Channel ''Mid-Channel'' is a 1920 American silent drama film based on the 1909 play of the same name written by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero. The film was produced and directed by Harry Garson and stars Clara Kimball Young. On Broadway the play starred Ethel ...

'' (1920), and ''

They Shall Pay ''They Shall Pay'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Martin Justice and starring Lottie Pickford, Allan Forrest, and Paul Weigel.Langman p. 237. The film's sets were designed by the art director Max Parker. Cast * Lottie Pick ...

'' (1921).

Personal life

Kiernan married fellow actor Harry Sutherland Griffith in 1897. They had three children, Gordon, Graham, and Gertrude; her son Gordon became a child actor. Katherine Griffith died suddenly from a stroke in 1921, aged 45 years, at her home in Los Angeles.

References

External links

* ''The Little Princess'' (1917), at Internet Archive * ''Pollyanna'' (1920), at Internet Archive * ''Huckleberry Finn'' (1920), at Internet Archive * {{DEFAULTSORT:Griffith, Katherine 1876 births 1921 deaths American stage actresses American silent film actresses 20th-century American actresses Actresses from San Francisco American people of Irish descent