Katherine Griffith Explained

Katherine Griffith
Other Names:	Catherine Kiernan Griffith
Birth Date:	September 30, 1876
Birth Place:	San Francisco, California
Death Date:	October 17, 1921 (aged 45)
Death Place:	Los Angeles, California
Occupation:	Actress
Children:	3, including Gordon Griffith

Katherine Kiernan Griffith (September 30, 1876^[1] – October 17, 1921), also seen as Catherine Kiernan,^[2] 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.

Career

Griffith had a career in vaudeville and the musical theatre before moving into film work.^[3] Described as a "large, commanding woman",^[4] she appeared in dozens of silent films, including Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1913), The Gray Nun of Belgium (1915), The Greater Power (1916),^[5] Murdered by Mistake (1916),^[6] A Little Princess (1917) with Mary Pickford,^[7] In Judgment Of (1918),^[8] A Yankee Princess (1919) with Bessie Love,^[9] The Woman Thou Gavest Me (1919),^[10] The Spite Bride (1919) with Olive Thomas,^[11] The Woman Next Door (1919), Pollyanna (1920), again with Mary Pickford,^[12] Huckleberry Finn (1920), with her son Gordon Griffith as Tom Sawyer, Mid-Channel (1920), and They Shall Pay (1921).

Personal life

Kiernan married fellow actor Harry Sutherland Griffith in 1897. They had three children, Gordon, Graham, and Gertrude;^[13] 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.^{[14] [15]}

External links

• The Little Princess (1917), at Internet Archive
• Pollyanna (1920), at Internet Archive
• Huckleberry Finn (1920), at Internet Archive

Notes and References

1. Katherine 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.
2. News: 1897-05-01 . Marriage License Issued . 2 . The Baltimore Sun . 2022-04-18 . Newspapers.com.
3. News: Waddell . Al G. . 1913-02-25 . Who's Who in Reel Drama: Katherine Griffith . 32 . The Los Angeles Times . 2022-04-18 . Newspapers.com.
4. News: March 7, 1917 . Flickers from the Camera of the Robards Players . 8 . Santa Cruz Evening News . April 18, 2022 . California Digital Newspaper Collection.
5. December 2, 1916 . Batting Out the Big U's . The Moving Picture World . 30 . 1336.
6. December 16, 1916 . L-Ko. . The Moving Picture World . 30 . 1693.
7. Book: Frobose, Paul H. . https://books.google.com/books?id=hBAf9Q5ueRoC&dq=Katherine+Griffith+actress&pg=PA140 . In the Garden: Essays in Honor of Frances Hodgson Burnett . 2006 . Scarecrow Press . 978-0-8108-5288-4 . Carpenter . Angelica Shirley . 140–141 . en . The Film Adaptations of Frances Hodgson Burnett's Stories.
8. Book: America Film Institute . Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American Feature Films, 1911-1960 . 1997 . University of California Press . 978-0-520-20964-0 . 492 . en.
9. June 1919 . A Yankee Princess . Photo-Play World . 36 . Internet Archive.
10. News: June 17, 1919 . Theater Manager Says Play to Be Big Drawing Card . 20 . Los Angeles Herald . April 18, 2022 . California Digital Newspaper Collection.
11. News: September 22, 1920 . On the Picture Screen . 17 . San Francisco Call . April 18, 2022 . California Digital Newspaper Collection.
12. Book: Vermilye, Jerry . The films of the twenties . 1985 . Secaucus, N.J. : Citadel Press . Internet Archive . 978-0-8065-0960-0 . 36–37 . Internet Archive.
13. News: 1921-10-30 . Death Claims Mother of Noted Family . 43 . Oakland Tribune . 2022-04-18 . Newspapers.com.
14. News: 1921-10-19 . Katherine Griffith, Film Actress, Dies . 21 . The Los Angeles Times . 2022-04-18 . Newspapers.com.
15. News: December 8, 1921 . Mrs. K. Griffith, Willis L. Robards, Pass Away in South . 2 . Santa Cruz Evening News . April 18, 2022 . California Digital Newspaper Collection.