Mollie King (born Mary Josephine King; April 16, 1895December 28, 1981) was an American stage and screen actress.

Early life and stage career

Mollie King was born in New York City in 1895, the daughter of Ellen Mary (née Kearney) and Thomas Joseph King, both natives of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Two of her older siblings, Charles King and Nellie King also became actors and were likely instrumental in obtaining earlier roles for her in theatre. Mollie began working professionally on stage at the age of seven. Later, by age 16, she was appearing at the

Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It opened in 1911 under designs by architect William Albert Swasey. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when ...

and at other Broadway venues. A few of her stage credits include roles in ''Good Morning, Judge'' and ''Blue Eyes''.

Film career

King signed with

Pathé Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French people, French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest ...

before moving into film acting. She was cast in leading roles in two

John M. Stahl John Malcolm Stahl (January 21, 1886 – January 12, 1950) was an American film director and producer. Life and work He was born Jacob Morris Strelitsky in Baku (Azerbaijan) to a Russian Jewish family. When he was a child, his family le ...

directed films, and also starred in serials. George Irving directed her in the film ''Her Majesty''. She later returned to the stage, appearing with her brother Charles King in a musical comedy ''Good Morning, Judge.''

Personal life and death

In 1918, King tried to enlist as an ambulance driver for the US Army in France. It took two sergeants and a first lieutenant to convince her that women are no wanted at that position. King married Kentucky distiller Kenneth D. Alexander in 1919. The couple remained married until Kenneth's death in Arkansas in July 1935. King later married Thomas H. Claffey. In 1981, at age 86, King died in

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, Florida. Her gravesite, however, is in her hometown of New York City, at Woodlawn Cemetery in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

Filmography

* (1916) *'' A Circus Romance'' (1916) * (1916) * (1916) *'' The Summer Girl'' (1916) * (1916) *''

The Mystery of the Double Cross ''The Mystery of the Double Cross'' is a 1917 film and one of the few American silent action film serials to survive in complete form. It was directed by Louis J. Gasnier and William Parke, from a story written by Gilson Willets, produced by t ...

(1917) *'' The Seven Pearls'' (1917) *'' Kick In'' (1917) * ''

Blind Man's Luck ''Blind Man's Luck'' is a 1917 American silent film, silent drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Helene Chadwick, Mollie King (actress), Mollie King, and Earle Foxe.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 71 Cast * H ...

'' (1917) *''

The On-the-Square Girl ''The On-the-Square Girl'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Mollie King, L. Rogers Lytton, and Aimee Dalmores. Cast * Mollie King as Anne Blair * L. Rogers Lytton as Thomas Brockton * Aimee Dalm ...

'' (1917) * (1917) * (1920) *'' Suspicious Wives'' (1921) *''

Her Majesty Her Majesty may refer to: * Majesty, a style used by monarchs (or a wife of a king) ** Margrethe II of Denmark (born 1940), Queen of Denmark ** Queen Camilla (born 1947), Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms; wife of Kin ...

'' (1922) *''

Pied Piper Malone ''Pied Piper Malone'' is a 1924 American silent comedy drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Thomas Meighan. The Famous Players-Lasky produced the film and Paramount Pictures distributed. Plot As described in a film magazine review ...

'' (1924)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:King, Mollie 1895 births 1981 deaths American silent film actresses American stage actresses Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) 20th-century American actresses American musical theatre actresses