Zena Keefe
Zena Virginia Keefe (June 26, 1896 – November 16, 1977) was an American actress in silent film, active in the 1910s and 1920s.[1]
Zena Keefe | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Keefe, 1920s | |
| Born | June 26, 1896 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Died | November 17, 1977 (aged 81) Danvers, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Early years
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.[2]
Career
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.[2]
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]
Personal life and death
Keefe married William M. Brownell.
Keefe died on November 16, 1977, in Danvers, Massachusetts.
Selected filmography
- Mills of the Gods (1912) as Maria, Giulia's sister
- Her Choice (1912) as Edith, the poor niece
- The Hero of Submarine D-2 (1916) as Ethel McMasters
- Her Maternal Right (1916) as Mary Winslow
- La Bohème (1916) as Musette
- Caprice of the Mountains (1916)
- Little Miss Happiness (1916) as Sadie Allen
- The Rail Rider (1916) as Mildred Barker
- Perils of Our Girl Reporters (1916)
- Enlighten Thy Daughter (1917) as Lillian Stevens[7]
- The Challenge Accepted (1918)
- An Amateur Widow (1919)
- Piccadilly Jim (1919) as Ann Chester
- The Woman God Sent (1920)
- His Wife's Money (1920)
- Out of the Snows (1920)
- Red Foam (1920)
- Marooned Hearts (1920) as Marion Ainsworth
- Proxies (1921) as Clare Conway
- After Midnight (1921) as Mrs. Phillips
- The Broken Silence (1922)
- The Broken Violin (1923) as Governess
- None So Blind (1923)
- Trouping with Ellen (1924) as Mabel Llewellyn
- Who's Cheating? (1924) as Myrtle Meers
- Another Man's Wife (1924) as Dancer
References
- Vazzana, Eugene Michael. Silent film necrology: births and deaths of over 9000 performers, directors, producers, and other filmmakers of the silent era, through 1993, p. 176 (1995)
- "Zena Keefe". Moving Picture World. September 11, 1915. p. 1835. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- Spehr, Paul C. (1977). The Movies Begin: Making Movies in New Jersey, 1887–1920. Newark Museum Association. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-871-00121-4.
- "Zena Keefe". AllMovie. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- "Zena Keefe today at Regent Theater in 'Perils' play". The Buffalo Times. April 8, 1917. p. 41. Retrieved March 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Fox, Charles Donald; Silver, Milton L. (1920). Who's who on the Screen. Ross publishing Company. p. 151. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- Langman, Larry. American film cycles: the silent era, p.325 (1998)
External links
- Zena Keefe at IMDb
- Zena Keefe at Find a Grave