Kathleen Clifford

Kathleen Clifford (February 16, 1887 – December 28, 1962) was an American actress whose career spanned vaudeville, Broadway, and film during the early twentieth century. Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, she received her education in Dresden and in Brighton, England. She became particularly recognized for her work as a male impersonator, a specialty that earned her the recurring billing of "The Smartest Chap in Town." She frequently cultivated the impression that she had been born in England.

Clifford began building her reputation on the vaudeville stage as a comedian. By 1904 she had joined the supporting company of Edna Wallace Hopper in vaudeville, and from that position she advanced into musical comedies where she took on dancing roles and small featured parts. At one stage in her career as a male impersonator, she performed as a duo alongside female impersonator Bothwell Browne.

Her Broadway career ran from 1902 to 1916. She made her Broadway debut in 1902 as a chorus member in the musical Tommy Rot, and that same year appeared in Fad and Folly. Her subsequent Broadway credits included the musical Fascinating Flora, the musical Vera Violetta, the production Temptations, The Belle of London Town, A Night with the Pierrots / Sesostra / The Whirl of Society (1912), A Winsome Widow (1912), and A Pair of Queens (1916).

During the early years of World War I, Clifford served as a Red Cross nurse with the British Army in France and was awarded an honorary colonelcy of a Canadian regiment. She made her screen debut in 1917 in the William Bertram-directed mystery serial Who Is Number One?, appearing opposite silent film actor Cullen Landis. Her film work through the late 1910s and early 1920s included the 1919 comedy When the Clouds Roll By opposite Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., the 1922 crime drama Kick In alongside Betty Compson, May McAvoy, and Bert Lytell, and the 1923 production Richard the Lion-Hearted, in which she played Queen Berengaria opposite Wallace Beery and Marguerite De La Motte. Her final silent film was the 1928 James Cruze-directed comedy Excess Baggage, in which she appeared opposite William Haines.

With the transition to sound film, Clifford largely stepped back from acting. Her sole screen appearance during the early sound era was the comedy short The Bride's Bereavement (1932), which featured former silent film performers including Aileen Pringle, Montagu Love, Luis Alberni, and Charles Ray. She also authored a novel, It's April. . . Remember?, drawn from her experiences in Hollywood. Clifford died in Los Angeles, California on December 28, 1962, at the age of 75, and was buried in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, her husband's former home.