Kate Lester
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Kate Lester (12 June 1857 - 12 October 1924) was an English theatrical and silent film actress from Souldham Trope, England. Her family, the Suydams of New York, were staying in England at the time.
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[edit] Distinguished heritage
Her family had been well-known for some five hundred years. One of her ancestors, Sir William Butts, was physician to King Henry VIII. The character, Dr. Butts, was in the play Henry VIII by William Shakespeare. His portrait hangs in the National Gallery in London, England. Lester was raised in New York and educated in the most exclusive schools. After completing Normal school she studied dramatic art, which was the custom of the time. She learned drama from Dion Boucicault, a famed instructor.
[edit] Stage and film actress
Lester was a beauty of the stage in the late 19th century. Later she began to play maternal characters in motion pictures. It was as a grand dame that she made her debut on the New York stage. She was in her twenties. The woman scheduled to play Lady Silverdale in Partners became ill on the eve of the premiere. During Lester's stage career she acted with Richard Mansfield, John Drew, William Crane, Mrs. Fiske, Robert Mantell, Henrietta Crossman, and Julia Marlowe.
Her first silent features were in 1916. The film titles are Molly Make-Believe, Destiny's Toy, The Social Secretary, The Kiss, and A Coney Island Princess. Lester's last films were released in 1925. They are The Meddler, Raffles, and The Price of Pleasure. She attained initial success in emotional roles. She began to develop her grand dame line of characters when her hair turned white prematurely.
[edit] Death
Lester died from burns she sustained during an explosion inside her dressing room at Universal Studios in Hollywood on October 12, 1924. She was taken to Hollywood Hospital where she succumbed from burns to her hair, face, hands, and upper body. She was taken unconscious to the emergency room. Studio personnel broke down the door to her dressing room. It was suspected that the connections to a gas stove in Lester's dressing room had been leaking. When she attempted to light the gas, an explosion followed.
Kate Lester's body was removed to the J.W. Todd undertaking establishment in Culver City, California. She was 55 years old. In private life she was Mrs. Sarah Cody. Her residence was 7131 Bagley Avenue, Culver City.
[edit] References
- The Los Angeles Times, Mother In Film World Is Burned, October 12, 1924, Page 12.
- The Los Angeles Times, Actress In Films Dies From Burns, October 13, 1924, Page A2.
- Oakland, California Tribune, Veteran Actress Badly Burned in Mystery Blast at Movie Studio, Sunday, October 12, 1924, Page 1.
