Kay Johnson
Catherine Townsend Johnson (November 29, 1904 – November 17, 1975) was an American stage and film actress.
Also recorded as Catherine Townsend Johnson
Kay Johnson
MGM · source · Public domain
- Name
- Kay Johnson
- Birth Name
- Catherine Townsend Johnson
- Born
- 29 November 1904
- Birthplace
- Mount Vernon, New York, U.S.
- Died
- 17 November 1975
- Place of death
- Waterford, Connecticut, U.S.
- Education
- American Academy of Dramatic Arts
- Occupation
- Actress
- Nationality
- United States.
- Languages
- English.
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Documentary summary
Catherine Townsend Johnson (November 29, 1904 – November 17, 1975) was an American stage and film actress.
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wikidata · Q1750491 · wikipedia · Kay Johnson
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Kay Johnson • Birth Name — Catherine Townsend Johnson • Born — 29 November 1904 • Birthplace — Mount Vernon, New York, U.S. • Died — 17 November 1975 • Place of death — Waterford, Connecticut, U.S. • Education — American Academy of Dramatic Arts • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1929–1954 • Children — 2, including James Cromwell
Family
Family
Johnson’s father was architect Thomas R. Johnson, the architect of several noteworthy buildings in New York City, including the Woolworth Building, the New York Customs House, and many library buildings. When she was a junior, she dropped out of Grew Seminary to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Career
Career
• Illustration — Kay Johnson in Madam Satan, 1930
Stage
Stage
Johnson's professional acting debut was in Beggar on Horseback, and she acted in R.U.R. in Chicago. Johnson's Broadway credits included State of the Union (1945), A Free Soul (1928), Crime (1927), No Trespassing (1926), One of the Family (1925), All Dressed Up (1925), The Morning After (1925), Beggar on Horseback (1925), Beggar on Horseback (1924), and Go West, Young Man (1923).
Personal life and death
Personal life and death
Johnson married actor, director, and producer John Cromwell, and they had a son, actor James Cromwell. Johnson and Cromwell divorced. On November 17, 1975, Johnson died from a heart attack at her home in Waterford, Connecticut.
Partial filmography
Partial filmography
• Dynamite (1929) as Cynthia Crothers • The Ship from Shanghai (1930) as Dorothy Daley • This Mad World (1930) as Victoria • The Spoilers (1930) as Helen Chester • Madam Satan (1930) as Angela Brooks/Madame Satan • Billy the Kid (1930) as Claire Randall • Passion Flower (1930) as Katherine Pringle 'Cassy' Wallace • The Single Sin (1931) as Kate Adams • The Spy (1931) as Anna Turin • American Madness (1932) as Mrs. Phyllis Dickson • Thirteen Women (1932) as Helen Dawson Frye • Eight Girls in a Boat (1934) as Hannah • This Man Is Mine (1934) as Bee McCrea • Of Human Bondage (1934) as Norah • Their Big Moment (1934) as Eve Farrington • Village Tale (1935) as Janet Stevenson • Jalna (1935) as Alayne Archer Whiteoak • White Banners (1938) as Mrs. Marcia Ward • The Real Glory (1939) as Mrs. Mable Manning • Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake (1942) as Helena Blake • Mr. Lucky (1943) as Mrs. Mary Ostrander • The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944) as Jane Clemens (uncredited) • Jivaro (1954) as Umari
Still from the American drama film Dynamite (1929), from the October 1929 edition of Photoplay magazine.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer · Photoplay (Oct. 1929), on the Internet Archive
Kay Johnson, film actress Subjects (LCTGM): actresses, motion pictures
J. Willis Sayre Collection of Theatrical Photographs
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1904
Kay Johnson born at Mount Vernon.
1975
Kay Johnson died at Waterford.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Mount Vernon.
Birth place
Waterford.
Death place
Films
Johnson was signed to a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by Cecil B. DeMille following a performance of The Silver Cord at the Repertory Theater in Los Angeles, California. The play was produced by Simeon Gest of the Figueroa Playhouse. Her film debut came in Dynamite (1929), written by Jeanie Macpherson and featuring Charles Bickford and Conrad Nagel. Production was delayed while Johnson recovered from an appendectomy. She went on to appear in The Ship from Shanghai (1930), This Mad World (1930), Billy the Kid (1930), The Spoilers (1930) with Gary Cooper and Betty Compson, DeMille's Madam Satan (1930), Passion Flower (1930), Capra's American Madness (1932), Thirteen Women (1932), Of Human Bondage (1934, which starred Leslie Howard and Bette Davis), Jalna (1935) and Mr. Lucky (1943). Johnson was cast opposite Warner Baxter in a screen adaptation of Such Men Are Dangerous by Elinor Glyn. The story was adapted to the screen by Fox Film. Johnson's final film appearance was in the 1954 British film Jivaro (also known as Lost Treasure of the Amazon).
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. 381. 2016. 9781476625997.
- 2.Peak, Mayme Ober. Reel Life in Hollywood. The Boston Globe. 24. March 20, 1930.
- 3.Harris, Rache. Movie Monotypes. Star-Gazette. 4. July 28, 1930.
- 4.Thomas, Dan. Kay Johnson Is a Success -- Just As Her Mother Had Dreamed. The Central New Jersey Home News. 11. January 19, 1930.
- 5.The Broadway League. Kay Johnson. Internet Broadway Database.
- 6.Marks, Scott. James Cromwell on The Promise and the hoops of Hollywood. San Diego Reader.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
The authorities additionally record the heading Catherine Townsend Johnson. Her recorded language was English. She married John Cromwell. One child is recorded: James Cromwell.
Identity and origins
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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