Kay Hammond
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Katherine Standing (18 February 1909 – 4 May 1980), better known under the stage name
Kay Hammond, was an English
stage and film actress.
and his wife, Dorothy. Her grandfather was Herbert Standing(1846-1923) and uncles Wyndham Standing
and Percy Standing
, Herbert Standing, Jr. and Jack Standing
. Her cousin was Joan Standing
(daughter of Percy Standing).
and first appeared on the London stage in 1927. Her most famous role was that of Elvira in Noel Coward
's Blithe Spirit
, which she played in the original stage production. She reprised her role in the 1945 film version
opposite Rex Harrison
, Margaret Rutherford
and Constance Cummings
.
). Her second husband was the stage actor Sir John Clements
.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Kay Hammond, was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
stage and film actress.
Family
She was born in London, England as Dorothy Katherine Standing, the daughter of Sir Guy StandingGuy Standing
Commander Sir Guy Standing KBE RNVR was an English actor.-Biography:Standing served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve throughout the First World War, reaching the rank of Commander. In 1918, he was part of the British War Mission to the United States...
and his wife, Dorothy. Her grandfather was Herbert Standing(1846-1923) and uncles Wyndham Standing
Wyndham Standing
Wyndham Standing was an English film actor. He appeared in 131 films between 1915 and 1948. A popular and much beloved leading man in the silent film era, he starred and costarred along many famous names of the day, both men and women. He and Ronald Colman were the stars of the now lost classic...
and Percy Standing
Percy Standing
Percy Standing was an English film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 42 films between 1913 and 1934. He was the son of Herbert Standing...
, Herbert Standing, Jr. and Jack Standing
Jack Standing
Jack Standing was an English actor.The brother of Wyndham Standing , who also was a famous actor in the early days of film, Jack Standing had first appeared in Broadway musicals such as The Belle of New York and Floradora before he went to the Biograph company in 1909...
. Her cousin was Joan Standing
Joan Standing
Joan Standing was an English actress. She appeared in 63 films between 1919 and 1940.She was the daughter of Herbert Standing Jr. and granddaughter of Herbert Standing . Her uncles were Wyndham Standing, Sir Guy Standing, Percy Standing, Jr. and Jack Standing...
(daughter of Percy Standing).
Career
She studied at RADARada
Rada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
and first appeared on the London stage in 1927. Her most famous role was that of Elvira in Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
's Blithe Spirit
Blithe Spirit (play)
Blithe Spirit is a comic play written by Noël Coward which takes its title from Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "To a Skylark" . The play concerns socialite and novelist Charles Condomine, who invites the eccentric medium and clairvoyant, Madame Arcati, to his house to conduct a séance, hoping to...
, which she played in the original stage production. She reprised her role in the 1945 film version
Blithe Spirit (film)
Blithe Spirit is a British fantasy comedy film directed by David Lean. The screenplay by Lean, Anthony Havelock-Allan, Ronald Neame, and Noël Coward is based on Coward's 1941 play of the same name...
opposite Rex Harrison
Rex Harrison
Sir Reginald Carey “Rex” Harrison was an English actor of stage and screen. Harrison won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards.-Youth and stage career:...
, Margaret Rutherford
Margaret Rutherford
Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford DBE was an English character actress, who first came to prominence following World War II in the film adaptations of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest...
and Constance Cummings
Constance Cummings
Constance Cummings, CBE was an American-born British actress, known for her work on both screen and stage.Born Constance Halverstadt in Seattle, Washington, the daughter of Dallas Vernon Halverstadt, a lawyer, and his wife, Kate Logan Cummings, a concert soprano. she began as a stage actress,...
.
Husband
Hammond's first husband was baronet Sir Ronald George Leon, their son is John Leon (the actor John StandingJohn Standing
Sir John Ronald Leon Standing, 4th Baronet is an English actor.-Early life:Standing was born John Ronald Leon in London, the son of Kay Hammond , an actress, and Sir Ronald George Leon, a stockbroker...
). Her second husband was the stage actor Sir John Clements
John Clements
Sir John Selby Clements, CBE was an English actor and producer who worked in theatre, television and film.Clements attended St Paul's School and St John's College, Cambridge University then worked with Nigel Playfair and afterwards spent a few years in Ben Greet's Shakespearean Company. He made...
.
Films
- Children of ChanceChildren of Chance (1930 film)Children of Chance is a 1930 British crime film directed by Alexander Esway and starring Elissa Landi, Mabel Poulton, John Stuart and John Longden.-Cast:* Elissa Landi - Binniel Lia Monta* Mabel Poulton - Molly* John Stuart - Gordon...
(1930) - Carnival (1931)
- Bitter SweetBitter Sweet (1933 film)Bitter Sweet is a musical romance film directed by Herbert Wilcox and released by United Artists in 1933. It was the first film adaptation of Noel Coward's 1929 operetta Bitter Sweet. It starred Anna Neagle and Fernand Gravey, with Ivy St. Helier reviving her stage role as Manon.It tells the story...
(1933) - Britannia of BillingsgateBritannia of BillingsgateBritannia of Billingsgate is a 1933 British musical comedy film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Violet Loraine, Gordon Harker, Kay Hammond and John Mills. A family who work in the fish trade at Billingsgate Market encounter a film crew who are shooting there...
(1933) - JeannieJeannie (film)Jeannie is a 1941 British romantic comedy film directed by Harold French.-Plot:Jeannie McLean is Scottish girl who finds that she has received an inheritance...
(1941) - Blithe SpiritBlithe Spirit (film)Blithe Spirit is a British fantasy comedy film directed by David Lean. The screenplay by Lean, Anthony Havelock-Allan, Ronald Neame, and Noël Coward is based on Coward's 1941 play of the same name...
(1945) - Call of the Blood (1949)
- Henry VHenry V (play)Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
(1953) - Five Golden HoursFive Golden HoursFive Golden Hours is a 1961 Italian-British comedy film directed by Mario Zampi and written by Hans Wilhelm. It stars Ernie Kovacs, Cyd Charisse and George Sanders, and features Dennis Price and John Le Mesurier.-Plot:...
(1961)