Kay Linaker

Mary Katherine Linaker was born on July 19, 1913, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and died on April 18, 2008, in Keene, New Hampshire. She attended a private school in Connecticut before earning a degree from New York University and subsequently training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Linaker began her career on the stage, appearing in supporting roles on Broadway between 1934 and 1940. Her Broadway credits included Yesterday's Orchids in 1934 and Every Man for Himself in 1940. A talent scout who saw her perform in Jackson White at the Provincetown Theater brought her to the attention of Warner Bros., leading to a film contract with the studio. Her screen debut came in The Murder of Dr. Harrigan in 1936, and while most of her film appearances were in supporting capacities, she took on a leading role in The Girl from Mandalay that same year. In 1935 she briefly adopted the screen name Lynn Acker before abandoning it. Among her more prominent film appearances was a role in Kitty Foyle in 1940.

Linaker transitioned into screenwriting, working under her married name, Kate Phillips. She contributed to the screenplay for the 1958 cult film The Blob, which had originally been titled The Molten Meteor. She is credited with coining the title The Blob for that production. During World War II, she wrote for the Voice of America and also worked for the Red Cross.

On June 9, 1953, in Bedford, New York, Linaker married Howard Baron Phillips, who was born in 1909 and died in 1985. Phillips worked as a baritone and writer before becoming an executive at NBC television. From 1980 to 2006, Linaker taught in the film studies department at Keene State College in New Hampshire. She also volunteered as an English teacher and drama coach at Hampshire Country School in Rindge, New Hampshire, a small private school for twice-exceptional children whose alumni include Temple Grandin, a commitment she maintained from the 1960s until her death.