Zena Keefe


Zena Virginia Keefe was an American actress in silent film, active in the 1910s and 1920s.

Early years

Keefe was born on June 26, 1896, in San Francisco, California. Her parents were James P. Keefe and Allie Turbiville Keefe. When Keefe was three years old, she appeared in a production of Brownies in Fairyland. She was educated at a convent in San Francisco until she and her parents moved to New York.

Career

For three seasons, Keefe portrayed Little Mother in a touring production of The Fatal Wedding. She left the theater to appear in films with Vitagraph, but after less than a year with that company she began performing as a featured attraction in Keith Vaudeville. Late in 1914, she went back to Vitagraph.
Keefe's film debut in short films occurred in 1911. By 1916, she was playing a substantial role in films including Her Maternal Right, and leading roles in films like Enlighten Thy Daughter. She continued to appear in at least a few movies every year, until her final appearance in Trouping with Ellen in 1924.
Keefe's work in films included the serial The Perils of Girl Reporters. Studios for which she worked included Selznick Pictures.

Personal life and death

Keefe married William M. Brownell.
Keefe died on November 16, 1977, in Danvers, Massachusetts.

Selected filmography

  • Mills of the Gods as Maria, Giulia's sister
  • Her Choice as Edith, the poor niece
  • The Hero of Submarine D-2 as Ethel McMasters
  • Her Maternal Right as Mary Winslow
  • La Bohème as Musette
  • Caprice of the Mountains
  • Little Miss Happiness as Sadie Allen
  • The Rail Rider as Mildred Barker
  • Perils of Our Girl Reporters
  • Enlighten Thy Daughter as Lillian Stevens
  • The Challenge Accepted
  • An Amateur Widow
  • Piccadilly Jim as Ann Chester
  • The Woman God Sent
  • His Wife's Money
  • Out of the Snows
  • Red Foam
  • Marooned Hearts as Marion Ainsworth
  • Proxies as Clare Conway
  • After Midnight as Mrs. Phillips
  • The Broken Silence
  • The Broken Violin as Governess
  • None So Blind
  • Trouping with Ellen as Mabel Llewellyn
  • Who's Cheating? as Myrtle Meers
  • Another Man's Wife as Dancer