--- name: "Kay Francis" canonical: "https://film.one/person/kay-francis" fi1m_id: "kay-francis" imdb_id: "nm0290215" tmdb_id: 2434 wikidata_id: "Q268110" roles: ["Actor"] born: "13 January 1905" died: "26 August 1968" reviewed_on_fi1m: 1 average_as: "actor" average_over: 1 updated: "2026-09-25T01:01:39.737623+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Kay Francis ## Identity Kay Francis - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/kay-francis - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** kay-francis - **IMDb ID:** nm0290215 - **TMDB ID:** 2434 - **Wikidata ID:** Q268110 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Francis, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q268110, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0290215/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2434 Actor. Born 13 January 1905 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. Died 26 August 1968. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 13 January 1905, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA - **Died:** 26 August 1968 - **Also known as:** Katherine Edwina Gibbs, Katherine Francis - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Francis, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q268110, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0290215/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2434 ## Fi1m on Kay Francis > Kay Francis could make a worldly woman seem capable of being hurt without surrendering her poise. We value the warmth and unforced wit beneath the celebrated wardrobe, most clearly in *Trouble in Paradise*. In *Trouble in Paradise* (1932), Kay Francis does not advertise a joke before delivering it. As Mariette, a wealthy perfume-company owner targeted by thieves, she has the composure to belong in this polished company. We were touched by Mariette’s warmth; Francis makes the possibility of hurt credible without interrupting the comedy to ask for sympathy. The film’s polished manners occasionally make that prospect seem too remote, but she gives us a reason to care when deception might otherwise be enough to sustain the comedy. Her early screen work included *The Cocoanuts* (1929), but the films of 1932 give a clearer idea of what she could do. She moved from Paramount to Warner Bros. that year and was loaned back for Ernst Lubitsch’s *Trouble in Paradise*. William Powell, a frequent partner, appeared with her in the shipboard romance *One Way Passage* (1932) and the caper comedy *Jewel Robbery* (1932). Those films put her poise to different uses: suffering in one, adventurous wit in the other. *The House on 56th Street* (1933) points towards the fashion-conscious melodramas that occupied much of her starring period. The clothes matter, and costume designers Travis Banton at Paramount and Orry-Kelly at Warner Bros. helped shape her screen appearance. Some notices paid more attention to the wardrobe than the acting. Yet in *Trouble in Paradise*, which Banton dressed, the pleasure lies in how little she presses. Herbert Marshall gives Gaston a calm that Miriam Hopkins’s impatient Lily usefully disturbs; Francis adds warmth without demanding a pause in the comedy to establish it. The three performers allow small shifts of emphasis to register, and none needs to insist that we have noticed. The later 1930s brought fewer major productions, followed by freelance work and B-pictures with often weaker material. *In Name Only* (1939), with Cary Grant and Carole Lombard, remains a notable supporting role from that change of fortunes. She went on to co-produce three Monogram films in 1945–46. Start with *Trouble in Paradise*; for more of her wit, follow it with *Jewel Robbery*. ## Biography Kay Francis was an American stage and film actress, also credited as Katherine Edwina Gibbs and Katherine Francis. Born in Oklahoma City, she began her career with Broadway appearances in the late 1920s, including a modernised *Hamlet* and *Elmer the Great* (1928). She moved to film under contract with Paramount and achieved her greatest success between 1930 and 1936 as the leading female star at Warner Brothers and the highest-paid American film actress of the period. Her notable roles include *The Cocoanuts* (1929), *Trouble in Paradise* (1932) as Mariette, *One Way Passage* (1932), *Jewel Robbery* (1932) and *In Name Only* (1939). Francis appeared in further films through the 1940s, later co-producing and starring in low-budget productions for Monogram before returning to stage work. *Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, okhistory.org, encyclopedia.com.* ## On Fi1m (1) - *Trouble in Paradise* (1932), Fi1m 84, as Mariette — [page](https://film.one/film/trouble-in-paradise.md) ## Complete filmography (73) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *William Powell: A True Gentleman* (2005), Actor - *Hidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults* (1999), as (archive footage) - *Prudential Family Playhouse* (1950), series, Actor - *Lux Video Theatre* (1950), series, as Alice - *Wife Wanted* (1946), as Carole Raymond - *Allotment Wives* (1945), as Sheila Seymour · Producer - *Divorce* (1945), as Diane Carter · Producer - *Four Jills in a Jeep* (1944), as Kay Francis - *Between Us Girls* (1942), as Christine 'Chris' Bishop - *Always in My Heart* (1942), as Marjorie Scott - *The Feminine Touch* (1941), as Nellie Woods - *Charley's Aunt* (1941), as Donna Lucia - *The Man Who Lost Himself* (1941), as Adrienne Scott - *Play Girl* (1941), as Grace Herbert - *Little Men* (1940), as Josephine "Jo" Bhaer - *When the Daltons Rode* (1940), as Julie King - *It's a Date* (1940), as Georgia Drake - *In Name Only* (1939), as Maida Walker - *Women in the Wind* (1939), as Janet Steele - *King of the Underworld* (1939), as Dr. Carole Nelson - *Breakdowns of 1938* (1938), as Lady Chase-Wayne / Claire Landin (archive footage) (uncredited) - *Comet Over Broadway* (1938), as Eve Appleton - *Secrets of an Actress* (1938), as Fay Carter - *My Bill* (1938), as Mary Colbrook - *Women Are Like That* (1938), as Claire King Landin - *First Lady* (1937), as Lucy Chase Wayne - *Confession* (1937), as Vera Kowalska - *Another Dawn* (1937), as Julia Ashton Wister - *Stolen Holiday* (1937), as Nicole Picot - *Give Me Your Heart* (1936), as Belinda 'Linda' Warren, aka 'Bill' - *The White Angel* (1936), as Florence Nightingale - *I Found Stella Parish* (1935), as Stella Parish - *The Goose and the Gander* (1935), as Georgiana Summers - *Stranded* (1935), as Lynn Palmer - *Living on Velvet* (1935), as Amy Prentiss - *British Agent* (1934), as Elena Moura - *Dr. Monica* (1934), as Dr. Monica Braden - *Wonder Bar* (1934), as Liane Renaud - *Mandalay* (1934), as Tanya Borodoff aka Spot White / Marjorie Lang - *The House on 56th Street* (1933), as Peggy Martin Van Tyle / Peggy Stone - *I Loved a Woman* (1933), as Laura McDonald - *Mary Stevens, M.D.* (1933), as Mary Stevens - *Storm at Daybreak* (1933), as Irina Radovic - *The Keyhole* (1933), as Anne Vallee Brooks - *Cynara* (1932), as Clemency Warlock - *Trouble in Paradise* (1932), as Mariette — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/trouble-in-paradise.md) - *One Way Passage* (1932), as Joan Ames - *Jewel Robbery* (1932), as Baroness Teri Hohenfels - *Street of Women* (1932), as Natalie 'Nat' Upton - *Man Wanted* (1932), as Lois Ames - *Strangers in Love* (1932), as Diana Merrow - *The False Madonna* (1931), as Tina - *Girls About Town* (1931), as Wanda Howard - *24 Hours* (1931), as Fanny Towner - *Guilty Hands* (1931), as Marjorie West - *Transgression* (1931), as Elsie Maury - *The Vice Squad* (1931), as Alice Morrison - *Ladies' Man* (1931), as Norma Page - *Scandal Sheet* (1931), as Edith Flint - *Passion Flower* (1930), as Dulce Morado - *The Virtuous Sin* (1930), as Marya Ivanova Sablin - *Let's Go Native* (1930), as Constance Cook - *For the Defense* (1930), as Irene Manners - *Raffles* (1930), as Gwen - *A Notorious Affair* (1930), as Countess Olga Balakireff - *Paramount on Parade* (1930), as Carmen - *Street of Chance* (1930), as Alma Marsden - *Behind the Make-Up* (1930), as Kitty Parker - *The Marriage Playground* (1929), as Lady Wrench - *Illusion* (1929), as Zelda Paxton - *Dangerous Curves* (1929), as Zara Flynn - *The Cocoanuts* (1929), as Penelope - *Gentlemen of the Press* (1929), as Myra May ## Gallery - ![Kay Francis](https://film.one/media/person/3853204/gallery-50da46d6cb76.jpg) Kay Francis — Elmer Fryer (1898-1944), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Kay_Francis_EF2.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Promotional still for Behind the Make-Up (1930)](https://film.one/media/person/3853204/gallery-a7a49003c425.jpg) Promotional still for Behind the Make-Up (1930) — Employee(s) of Paramount Pictures, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Promotional_still_for_Behind_the_Make-Up_%281930%29_02.jpg/1280px-Promotional_still_for_Behind_the_Make-Up_%281930%29_02.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Kay Francis in "Trouble in Paradise" (1936).](https://film.one/media/person/3853204/gallery-b574b5868c0f.jpg) Kay Francis in "Trouble in Paradise" (1936). — Unknown., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/2-kay-francis-circa-1930s.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Kay Francis in Trouble in Paradise (1932).](https://film.one/media/person/3853204/gallery-b684615d7d62.jpg) Kay Francis in Trouble in Paradise (1932). — Otto Dyar, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Kay_Francis-Trouble_in_Paradise.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Kay Francis](https://film.one/media/person/3853204/gallery-96236131c3b6.jpg) Kay Francis — Image via TMDB - ![Kay Francis](https://film.one/media/person/3853204/gallery-fea92fa53ebb.jpg) Kay Francis — Image via TMDB - ![Kay Francis](https://film.one/media/person/3853204/gallery-071b39e62ceb.jpg) Kay Francis — Image via TMDB - ![Promotional still for Behind the Make-Up (1930)](https://film.one/media/person/3853204/gallery-8545d1e39e64.jpg) Promotional still for Behind the Make-Up (1930) — Employee(s) of Paramount Pictures, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Promotional_still_for_Behind_the_Make-Up_%281930%29_01.jpg/1280px-Promotional_still_for_Behind_the_Make-Up_%281930%29_01.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Kay Francis and Van Heflin in Feminine Touch, 1941. Original 1941 Doubleweight MGM Photo](https://film.one/media/person/3853204/gallery-0f61615896e0.jpg) Kay Francis and Van Heflin in Feminine Touch, 1941. Original 1941 Doubleweight MGM Photo — MGM, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Kay_Francis_and_Van_Heflin_in_%27Feminine_Touch%27%2C_1941.jpg/1280px-Kay_Francis_and_Van_Heflin_in_%27Feminine_Touch%27%2C_1941.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Kay Francis](https://film.one/media/person/3853204/gallery-595aed7b65f4.jpg) Kay Francis — Image via TMDB - ![Kay Francis](https://film.one/media/person/3853204/gallery-2222711fc571.jpg) Kay Francis — Image via TMDB - ![Kay Francis](https://film.one/media/person/3853204/gallery-0e5a2189e513.jpg) Kay Francis — Image via TMDB --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/kay-francis