Kay Hammond

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Kay Hammond
Actress Kay Hammond.jpg
Born
Dorothy Katherine Standing

(1909-02-18)18 February 1909
London, England
Died4 May 1980(1980-05-04) (aged 71)
Alma mater Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActress
Years active19271961
Spouse(s)Sir Ronald Leon 3rd Bt (m.1932div.1946)
Sir John Clements (m.1946)
Children2, including John Standing
Parent(s) Guy Standing
Dorothy Hammond
Relatives Joan Standing (cousin)
Wyndham Standing (uncle)
Jack Standing (uncle)
Percy Standing (uncle)
Herbert Standing (grandfather)

Dorothy Katherine Standing, Lady Clements (18 February 1909 – 4 May 1980), known professionally as Kay Hammond, was an English stage and film actress.

Contents

Family

Kay Hammond was born in London, England as Dorothy Katherine Standing, the daughter of Sir Guy Standing and his wife, Dorothy Hammond (Dorothy Plaskitt). [1] Her grandfather was Herbert Standing (1846–1923) and her uncles were Wyndham, Jack, and Percy Darrell Standing. [2] [3]

Career

She studied at RADA and first appeared on the London stage in 1927. [4] Her most famous role was that of Elvira in Noël 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.

She appeared as a guest of Roy Plomley on Desert Island Discs on 25 February 1951. [5]

Personal life

Hammond's first husband was baronet Sir Ronald George Leon. [6] Their sons were John Ronald Leon (the actor John Standing) and Timothy George Leon. Her second husband was the stage actor Sir John Clements.

Death

Kay Hammond died in Brighton, aged 71, from undisclosed causes, on 4 May 1980. [7] She was cremated and her ashes scattered in the memorial garden at Downs Crematorium, Brighton, East Sussex [7]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1930 Children of Chance Joyce
1931 Fascination Kay
A Night in Montmartre Margot
Almost a Divorce Maisie
Carnival Helen
Out of the Blue Angela Tucker
1932 The Third String Hebe Tucker
A Night Like This Mimi - Cocktail Shakeruncredited
Nine till Six Beatrice
Money Means Nothing Angel
Sally Bishop Janet Hallard
1933 Yes, Madam Pansy Beresford
Bitter Sweet Gussi
Sleeping Car Simone
Britannia of Billingsgate Pearl Bolton
The Umbrella Mabel
1934 Bypass to Happiness Dinah
1936 Two on a Doorstep Jill Day
1941 Jeannie Margaret
1945 Blithe Spirit Elvira Condomine
1949 Call of the Blood Dr. Anne Lester
1953 Henry V Princess KatherineTV movie
1961 Five Golden Hours Marthafinal film role

Selected stage credits

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References

  1. University of Kent: Theatre collections
  2. "SIR GUY STANDING, 63, ENGLISH ACTOR, DIES: Veteran Star of Stage and Screen Drops Dead in Hollywood". The Atlanta Constitution. 25 February 1937. p. 45. ProQuest   502877180. Sir Guy was the eldest son of Herbert Standing, member of a leading English theatrical family. Three other sons also became actors—Wyndham, Darrell [sic] and Jack Standing.
  3. "Unusual Modesty". Manchester Evening News. 2 January 1913. p. 7. Retrieved 24 January 2024. "An actor who actually thought he wasn't good enough for his part has won an action against his manager in the Supreme Court of the United States. [...] The actor is Percy Darrell Standing, brother of Guy Standing, who is an Englishman."
  4. Morley, Sheridan (1986). The Great Stage Stars : Distinguished Theatrical Careers of the Past and Present . New York: Facts on File Publications. p. 155. ISBN   0816014019.
  5. "Desert Island Discs". BBC Radio 4. BBC. 28 February 1951. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  6. TIMES, Wireless to THE NEW YORK (10 November 1932). "KAY HAMMOND MARRIED.; Actress, Daughter of Sir Guy Standing, Wed to Ronald Leon". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  7. 1 2 Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 313. ISBN   978-1-4766-2599-7.