Kathleen Howard

Born in Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls, Ontario, on July 27, 1884, she built an international opera career before becoming known in American films. She began singing professionally in Germany in 1906, spent years performing in European opera houses and concert halls, and joined the Metropolitan Opera in 1916, where she remained a leading artist through 1928.

One of the standout moments of her music career came in 1918, when she created the role of Zita in the world premiere of Puccini's Gianni Schicchi at the Met. She also worked beyond performance: for four years she was fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar and served as president of Fashion Group International.

After leaving that post, she turned to films and became a distinctive character actress in the 1930s and 1940s. Her best-known screen work includes Death Takes a Holiday and several W. C. Fields comedies, especially It's a Gift, where her perfectly exasperating comic style made her unforgettable. She died in Hollywood on April 15, 1956.