Mayme Kelso

Mary L. Kelso, known professionally as Mayme Kelso and sometimes credited as May or Maym Kelso, was an American actress and recording artist born on February 28, 1867, in Ohio, with sources variously citing Dayton and Columbus as her birthplace. She died on June 5, 1946, in South Pasadena, California, from a heart attack.

Kelso's stage career spanned several decades, with her Broadway work running from 1896 to 1928. Her first Broadway appearance came in 1894, when she played Mrs. Magrueder in About Town. She went on to take the role of Dorothy Sweet in The Geisha in 1896, followed by Anisette in Broadway to Tokio in 1900 and Mrs. Everly Chase in The Defender in 1902. In 1903 she appeared as Second Fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and in 1907 she played Gwendolyn Fitzgerald in the musical The Hurdy-Gurdy Girl. Kelso starred in A Waltz Dream in 1908, portraying the character Friedericke. Her final Broadway credit was the play The Shanghai Gesture in 1928, in which she appeared as Lady Blessington. The production Temptations also numbered among her Broadway appearances.

Alongside her stage work, Kelso built a substantial career in silent film, appearing in more than 70 productions between 1911 and 1927. Among her most noted film performances were roles in Male and Female in 1919, Clarence in 1922, and Seven Keys to Baldpate in 1925.