| Zena Keefe | |
| Birth Date: | June 26, 1896 |
| Birth Place: | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Danvers, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Zena Virginia Keefe (June 26, 1896 – November 16, 1977) was an American actress in silent film, active in the 1910s and 1920s.[1]
Keefe was born on June 26, 1896,[2] in San Francisco, California.[3] Her parents were James P. Keefe and Allie Turbiville Keefe. When Keefe was three years old, she appeared in a production of Brownies in Fairyland. She was educated at a convent in San Francisco until she and her parents moved to New York.
For three seasons, Keefe portrayed Little Mother in a touring production of The Fatal Wedding. She left the theater to appear in films with Vitagraph, but after less than a year with that company she began performing as a featured attraction in Keith Vaudeville. Late in 1914, she went back to Vitagraph.
Keefe's film debut in short films occurred in 1911.[4] By 1916, she was playing a substantial role in films including Her Maternal Right, and leading roles in films like Enlighten Thy Daughter (1917). She continued to appear in at least a few movies every year, until her final appearance in Trouping with Ellen in 1924.
Keefe's work in films included the serial The Perils of Girl Reporters.[5] Studios for which she worked included Selznick Pictures.[6]
Keefe married William M. Brownell.
Keefe died on November 16, 1977, in Danvers, Massachusetts.