Kathleen Howard

• Name — Kathleen Howard • Born — 27 July 1884 • Birthplace — Clifton Hill, Ontario, Canada • Died — 15 April 1956 • Place of death — Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Occupation — Opera singer, actress, magazine editor • Years Active — 1934–1951

Howard was born in Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada on July 27, 1884. In 1906, Howard began her career in opera in Germany. Following eight years of singing in Berlin, she performed concerts in Belgium, England, Germany, Holland, and Scandinavia. She arrived in America in 1913 and joined the Metropolitan Opera in 1916. She remained a leading Met artist through 1928, taking major and secondary roles. Howard created the role of Zita in Giacomo Puccini's Gianni Schicchi at the Metropolitan Opera in 1918. Until World War I, Howard was part of the repertory system in the opera houses of Metz and Darmstadt. Beginning in 1918, for four years, Howard was the fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar magazine and while in that post was also president of Fashion Group International. She resigned to begin acting in films. Her film debut came in Death Takes a Holiday (1934). She played Amelia, the nagging, shrewish wife of W.C. Fields in It's a Gift (1934), and appeared in two other Fields films: You're Telling Me! (1934) and Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935). Howard died on April 15, 1956, aged 71, in Hollywood, California after a long illness. She was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York.

• Film • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1934 — Death Takes a Holiday — Princess Maria • You're Telling Me! — Mrs. Edward Quimby Murchison • One More River — Lady Charwell • Once to Every Bachelor — Aunt Henrietta • Lady by Choice — Mrs. Mills • It's a Gift — Mrs. Amelia Bissonette — Starring W.C. Fields • 1935 — Man on the Flying Trapeze — Leona Wolfinger — Alternative title: The Memory Expert • 1937 — Stolen Holiday — Madame Delphine • data-sort-value="Hit Parade, The" | The Hit Parade — Mrs. Barrett — Uncredited • 1938 — When G-Men Step In — Mrs. Drake — Uncredited • Letter of Introduction — Aunt Jonnie in Play — Uncredited • Crime Takes a Holiday — Mrs. Allen, Governor's Wife — Uncredited • 1939 — Three Smart Girls Grow Up — Mrs. Kittenhaven — Uncredited • Rio — Mme. Adrienne Lamartine — Uncredited • Little Accident — Mrs. Allerton • First Love — Miss Wiggins • 1940 — Outside the Three-Mile Limit — Socialite — Uncredited • Mystery Sea Raider — Maggie Clancy • Young People — Hester Appleby • Five Little Peppers in Trouble — Mrs. Wilcox • One Night in the Tropics — Judge McCracken — Uncredited • 1941 — data-sort-value="Girl, a Guy and a Gob, A" | A Girl, a Guy and a Gob — Jawme Duncan • Sweetheart of the Campus — Mrs. Minnie Lambeth Sparr • Blossoms in the Dust — Mrs. Sarah Keats • Miss Polly — Mrs. Minerva Snodgrass • Ball of Fire — Miss Bragg — Alternative title: The Professor and the Burlesque Queen • 1942 — Take a Letter, Darling — Aunt Minnie — Alternative title: Green-Eyed Woman • data-sort-value="Mad Martindales, The" | The Mad Martindales — Grandmother Varney • Lady in a Jam — Woman — Uncredited • data-sort-value="Magnificent Dope, The" | The Magnificent Dope — Tad's Mother, Mrs. Page — Uncredited • You Were Never Lovelier — Grandmother Acuña — Uncredited • 1943 — Crash Dive — Miss Bromley — Uncredited • My Kingdom for a Cook — Mrs. Theodore Carter — Uncredited • Swing Out the Blues — Aunt Amanda • 1944 — Reckless Age — Sarah Wadsworth • Laura — Louise, Ann's Cook — Uncredited • 1945 — Eadie Was a Lady — Aunt Priscilla • Shady Lady — Butch • Snafu — Dean Garrett • 1946 — Miss Susie Slagle's — Miss Wingate — Uncredited • Mysterious Intruder — Rose Denning • Centennial Summer — Deborah • Danger Woman — Eddie • 1947 — Cross My Heart — Mrs. Klute — Uncredited • data-sort-value="Late George Apley, The" | The Late George Apley — Margaret, the Maid — Uncredited • Cynthia — McQuillan • data-sort-value="Hal Roach Comedy Carnival, The" | The Hal Roach Comedy Carnival — Aunt Martha, in 'Curly' • 1948 — data-sort-value="Bride Goes Wild, The" | The Bride Goes Wild — Aunt Susan • Cry of the City — Miss Pruett's Mother — Uncredited • 1950 — data-sort-value="Petty Girl, The" | The Petty Girl — Prof. Langton — Uncredited • Born to Be Bad — Mrs. Bolton • Television • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1951 — The Bigelow Theatre — 1 episode