Kay Laurell

Kay Laurell (born Ruth Leslie; June 28, 1890 – January 31, 1927) was an American stage and silent film actress and model.

Laurell began her career as an artists' model. After catching the eye of Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., she was cast in the Ziegfeld Follies, where she debuted in 1914. A popular performer who was noted for her beauty, she was called "one of the most beautiful women on the stage". In 1918, Laurell left the Follies to embark on an acting career. She appeared in stage productions on Broadway and in vaudeville and made three silent films. In the 1920s, she moved to Europe, where she continued her stage career. She died during childbirth at the age of 36 in London.

Early life Laurell was born Ruth Leslie in 1890 She left Erie at the age of 16 to pursue a career in show business in New York City. She initially found work as a telephone operator before she was hired as an artists' model. During her stint as a model, she posed for artists and illustrators, including Howard Chandler Christy and William Glackens. During this time, she changed her name from Ruth Leslie to Kay Laurell. According to Doris Eaton Travis's 2003 autobiography The Days We Danced, Laurell became known for "naked-above-the-waist poses". At that time, performers were permitted to appear nude onstage as long as they did not move. This loophole in the law inspired stage producers and set designers to come up with more inventive and elaborate ways to feature nudity in their shows. Eaton Travis later recalled, "The story was that Ziegfeld asked for a volunteer to be naked above the waist, and Kay Laurell was the first to consent. Hers became the most revealed breasts on Broadway in that era." During this time, Laurell's popularity grew, and she was often noted for her physical beauty and "perfect" figure. She was referred to as "one of the most beautiful women on the stage" and "the prettiest chorus girl on Broadway." Florenz Ziegfeld stated that Laurell was the embodiment of feminine beauty.

In May 1916, Laurell married Winfield Sheehan, the former secretary to Rhinelander Waldo, in London. Shortly after the marriage, Laurell retired from the stage. In July 1917, she filed for legal separation from Sheehan, citing "cruelty".

After separating from Sheehan, Laurell resumed her career and returned to the Follies in June 1918. She was again featured in the opening scene, this time posing as "The Spirit of the Allies" atop a lighted, spinning globe. Because World War I was still on, the globe showed Europe in flames. One of the more memorable tableau scenes of that year's Follies featured patriotic and war imagery designed by Ben Ali Haggin. Social historian Allen Churchill later described the scene: "Actors in battle dress stood frozen in the act of tossing grenades, bayoneting cringing Huns... Follies Girls as Red Cross nurses, waifs in war-torn undress and goddess of war. Dominating the vivid scene was Miss Kay Laurell representing the Spirit of the Allies, her costume in enough disarray to expose one...breast." While the Follies typically featured light-hearted themes, audiences enjoyed the war themed scene of the 1918 Follies. The show ran until the Armistice with Germany in November 1918.

Stage and films Like many other Ziegfeld girls, Laurell attempted to parlay the success she found in the Follies into an acting career. In 1919, she made her film debut in The Brand, opposite Russell Simpson. Later that same year, she played a supporting role in The Valley of the Giants, starring Wallace Reid. Laurell received positive reviews for her acting but would make only one more silent film, Lonely Heart, in 1921.

Laurell focused mainly on stage work for the remainder of her career. In 1922, she joined the production of Ladies Night. She remained with the play for a season before headlining the vaudeville circuit with stock companies in Yonkers and Washington. In December 1924, she joined the cast of Quarantine. The play ran for a total of 151 performances at Henry Miller's Theatre through April 1925. Laurell then co-starred in Nocture, which premiered at the Punch and Judy Theatre in New York City on February 16, 1925. The play ran for three performances before closing later that month.

She later moved to Europe, where she found work in a French stock company in Paris. Laurell then moved to London. By this period, her career began to decline, and her roles were no longer reported in theater trades. Sheehan later became the general manager and vice president at 20th Century Fox.

While separated from Sheehan, Laurell began a relationship with Joseph Whiteside Boyle, a businessman and the son of Klondike Joe Boyle. The couple planned to marry after both obtained divorces from their respective spouses. In 1926, Laurell became pregnant.

Death On January 31, 1927, Laurell died in London at the age of 36. Laurell's death was initially attributed to pneumonia. She was cremated and her ashes were buried in London. In 1930, the press discovered that Laurell actually died while giving birth to her only child. The child, a boy named Joseph K. Boyle, survived.

Concerned for the child's welfare, Laurell's brother Raleigh J. Leslie, sought a letter of administration for her estate, naming Joseph K. as her next of kin. Playwright Channing Pollock wrote, however, "Kay could have gone far if she had been willing to exchange her favors for advancement, but she didn't 'want to get ahead that way'."