Catherine Townsend Johnson (November 29, 1904 – November 17, 1975) was an American stage and film actress.

Family

Johnson was born in

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 census, Mount Vernon had a population of 73,893, making it th ...

. Her father was architect Thomas R. Johnson, who worked in the firm of

Cass Gilbert Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was an American architect. An early proponent of skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas and ...

, the architect of several noteworthy buildings in New York City, including the

Woolworth Building The Woolworth Building is an early American skyscraper designed by architect Cass Gilbert located at 233 Broadway in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was the tallest building in the world from 1913 to 1930, with a ...

, the New York Customs House, and many library buildings. When she was a junior, she dropped out of Grew Seminary to study at the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

Career

Stage

Johnson's professional acting debut was in ''Beggar on Horseback'', and she acted in '' R.U.R.'' in Chicago. She moved to California after appearing in ''The Little Accident'' in Providence, Rhode Island. She was accompanied by her soon-to-be husband John Cromwell, who worked as a director in Hollywood. Johnson's Broadway credits included ''State of the Union'' (1945), ''A Free Soul'' (1928), ''Crime'' (1927), ''No Trespassing'' (1926), ''One of the Family'' (1925), ''All Dressed Up'' (1925), ''The Morning After'' (1925), ''Beggar on Horseback'' (1925), ''Beggar on Horseback'' (1924), and ''Go West, Young Man'' (1923).

Films

Johnson was signed to a contract with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

following a performance of ''The Silver Cord'' at the Repertory Theater in Los Angeles, California. The play was produced by Simeon Gest of the Figueroa Playhouse. Her film debut came in ''

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germany, and patented in 1867. It rapidl ...

'' (1929), written by Jeanie Macpherson and featuring

Charles Bickford Charles Ambrose Bickford (January 1, 1891 – November 9, 1967) was an American actor known for supporting roles. He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for '' The Song of Bernadette'' (1943), '' The F ...

and

Conrad Nagel John Conrad Nagel (March 16, 1897 – February 24, 1970) was an American film, stage, television and radio actor. He was considered a famous matinée idol and leading man of the 1920s and 1930s. He was given an Academy Honorary Award in 1940 and ...

. Production was delayed while Johnson recovered from an appendectomy. She went on to appear in ''

The Ship from Shanghai ''The Ship from Shanghai'' is a 1930 Pre-Code American action film directed by Charles Brabin and written by John Howard Lawson. The film stars Conrad Nagel, Kay Johnson, Carmel Myers, Holmes Herbert and Zeffie Tilbury. The film was released ...

'' (1930), ''

This Mad World ''This Mad World'' is a 1930 American pre-Code film directed by William C. deMille and starring Basil Rathbone, Kay Johnson and Louise Dresser. A drama, it sees a French spy return home to German-occupied France during World War I to find a Germ ...

'' (1930), ''

Billy the Kid Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at th ...

'' (1930), '' The Spoilers'' (1930) with

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

and Betty Compson, DeMille's ''

Madam Satan ''Madam Satan'' or ''Madame Satan'' is a 1930 American pre-Code musical comedy film in black and white with Multicolor sequences. It was produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starred Kay Johnson, Reginald Denny, Lillian Roth, and Ro ...

'' (1930), '' Passion Flower'' (1930), Capra's ''

American Madness ''American Madness'' is a 1932 American pre-Code film directed by Frank Capra and starring Walter Huston as a New York banker embroiled in scandal. Plot At the Union National Bank, the directors are concerned because they think that bank presi ...

'' (1932), ''

Thirteen Women ''Thirteen Women'' is a 1932 American pre-Code psychological thriller film, produced by David O. Selznick and directed by George Archainbaud. It stars Myrna Loy, Irene Dunne and Ricardo Cortez. The film is based on the 1930 bestselling novel of ...

'' (1932), ''

Of Human Bondage ''Of Human Bondage'' is a 1915 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. The novel is generally agreed to be Maugham's masterpiece and to be strongly autobiographical in nature, although he stated, "This is a novel, not an autobiography; though much in i ...

'' (which starred

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director and producer.Obituary ''Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and ''Vanity Fair'' and was one o ...

and

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

), '' Jalna'' (1935) and '' Mr. Lucky'' (1943). Johnson was cast opposite

Warner Baxter Warner Leroy Baxter (March 29, 1889 – May 7, 1951) was an American film actor from the 1910s to the 1940s. Baxter is known for his role as the Cisco Kid in the 1928 film ''In Old Arizona'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor at ...

in a screen adaptation of '' Such Men Are Dangerous'' by

Elinor Glyn Elinor Glyn ( Sutherland; 17 October 1864 – 23 September 1943) was a British novelist and scriptwriter who specialised in romantic fiction, which was considered scandalous for its time, although her works are relatively tame by modern stand ...

. The story was adapted to the screen by Fox Film. Johnson's final film appearance was in the 1954 British film '' Jivaro'' (also known as ''Lost Treasure of the Amazon'').

Personal life and death

Johnson married actor, director, and producer John Cromwell, and they had a son, actor James Cromwell. Johnson and Cromwell divorced. On November 17, 1975, Johnson died from a heart attack at her home in

Waterford, Connecticut Waterford is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Waterford, Ireland. The population was 19,571 at the 2020 census. The town center is listed as a census-designated place (CDP) and had a population of 3,07 ...

Partial filmography

* ''

'' (1929) as Cynthia Crothers * ''

'' (1930) as Dorothy Daley * ''

'' (1930) as Victoria * '' The Spoilers'' (1930) as Helen Chester * ''

'' (1930) as Angela Brooks/Madame Satan * ''

'' (1930) as Claire Randall * '' Passion Flower'' (1930) as Katherine Pringle 'Cassy' Wallace * ''

The Single Sin ''The Single Sin'' is a 1931 American Pre-code drama film directed by William Nigh and starring Kay Johnson, Bert Lytell and Paul Hurst. It was produced and released by the independent company Tiffany Pictures. Synopsis Struggling actress Ka ...

'' (1931) as Kate Adams * '' The Spy'' (1931) as Anna Turin * ''

'' (1932) as Mrs. Phyllis Dickson * ''

'' (1932) as Helen Dawson Frye * '' Eight Girls in a Boat'' (1934) as Hannah * '' This Girl Is Mine'' (1934) as Bee McCrea * ''

'' (1934) as Norah * ''

Their Big Moment ''Their Big Moment'' is a 1934 American mystery film directed by James Cruze, from a screenplay by Arthur Caesar and Marion Dix. The film starred ZaSu Pitts and Slim Summerville. It is based on the 1933 West End play '' Afterwards'' by Walter ...

'' (1934) as Eve Farrington * ''

Village Tale ''Village Tale'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by John Cromwell and starring Randolph Scott, Kay Johnson, Arthur Hohl, and Robert Barrat. The screenplay by Allan Scott was adapted from author and scenarist Phil Stong in his 1934 novel ...

'' (1935) as Janet Stevenson * '' Jalna'' (1935) as Alayne Archer Whiteoak * ''

White Banners ''White Banners'' is a 1938 Warner Bros. drama film directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Claude Rains, Fay Bainter, Jackie Cooper, Bonita Granville, Henry O'Neill, and Kay Johnson. Produced by Henry Blanke and Hal B. Wallis, the screenp ...

'' (1938) as Mrs. Marcia Ward * '' The Real Glory'' (1939) as Mrs. Mable Manning * '' Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake'' (1942) as Helena Blake * '' Mr. Lucky'' (1943) as Mrs. Mary Ostrander * '' The Adventures of Mark Twain'' (1944) as Jane Clemens (uncredited) * '' Jivaro'' (1954) as Umari

Notes

* ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'', "Demille Features Child Actor", January 17, 1929, Page A10. * ''Los Angeles Times'', "Kay Johnson Under Knife", March 3, 1929, Page C15. * ''Los Angeles Times'', "Kay Johnson Continues", May 30, 1929, Page A6. * ''Los Angeles Times'', "Kay Johnson, as Genteel Heroine of Cecil B. DeMille, Plays First Screen Role", July 21, 1929, Page B13.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Kay 1904 births 1975 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from New York (state) American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni American film actresses American stage actresses People from Waterford, Connecticut Actors from Mount Vernon, New York