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Katharine Cornell




She was a stage actress, writer, and theater owner/ Theatrical Producer .

She is noted for her major Broadway roles in serious dramas, often directed by her husband, Guthrie McClintic . Theirs was a tandem marriage as he was a homosexual and she a lesbian, having had a long on-again off-again affair with Mercedes De Acosta , another relationship with actress Maude Adams , as well as other noted women of the time.

Her most famous role was as English poet 's '' The Letter '' (1927), Sidney Howard 's ''The Alien Corn'' (1933), Maxwell Anderson 's ''The Wingless Victory'' (1936), S. N. Behrman 's '' No Time For Comedy '' (1939), and a revival of Maugham's '' The Constant Wife '' (1951). Primarily regarded as a tragedienne, she was admired for her refined, romantic presence. One reviewer observed, "Hers is not a robust romanticism, however. It tends toward dark but delicate tints, and the emotion she conveys most aptly is that of an aspiring girlishness which has always been subject to theatrical influences of a special sort." Anon. "That Lady". ''Theatre Arts Monthly'' February 1950.
Her appearances in comedy were infrequent, and praised more widely for their warmth than their wit. When she appeared in ''The Constant Wife'', critic Brooks Atkinson concluded that she had changed a "hard and metallic" comedy into a romantic drama. Brooks Atkinson. Review of ''The Constant Wife.'' ''The New York Times'': December 10, 1951.

Cornell died on June 9 , 1974 , in Tisbury, Massachusetts at the age of 81.

NOTE: There is a theater space at the State University of New York at Buffalo named in her honor. Many student productions are presented there year round.


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