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American actress and screenwriter (1913–2008) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mary Katherine Linaker (July 19, 1913 – April 18, 2008) was an American actress and screenwriter who appeared in many B movies during the 1930s and 1940s, most notably Kitty Foyle (1940). Linaker used her married name, Kate Phillips,[2] as a screenwriter, notably for the cult film The Blob (1958). She is credited with coining the name "The Blob" for the movie, which was originally titled The Molten Meteor.[1]
Kay Linaker | |
|---|---|
Linaker in the 1930s | |
| Born | Mary Katherine Linaker July 19, 1913 Pine Bluff, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | April 18, 2008 (aged 94) Keene, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Other names | Kate Phillips Kay Linaker-Phillips |
| Occupation(s) | Actress screenwriter |
| Years active | 1936–1945 |
| Spouse |
Howard Phillips
(m. 1945; died 1985) |
| Children | 2[1] |
Linaker was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas and graduated from a private school in Connecticut and from New York University. She went on to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.[3]
Linaker acted in supporting roles on Broadway before signing a film contract with Warner Bros.[1] She was signed by the studio after a talent scout saw her in Jackson White at the Providencetown Theater.[4] Her Broadway credits included Every Man for Himself (1940), and Yesterday's Orchids (1934).[5]
In 1935, she briefly changed her name to Lynn Acker "for screen purposes",[6] but she soon dropped that name.[7] Most of her film work had her in limited roles, with one of her notable leading parts coming in The Girl from Mandalay (1936).[2] Her screen debut was in The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936).[8]
Linaker wrote for the Voice of America during World War II in addition to working for the Red Cross.[2]
She later taught in the film studies department at Keene State College in New Hampshire from 1980 to 2006.[9]
From the 1960s to her death, Linaker dedicated much of her time supporting the children at Hampshire Country School in Rindge, New Hampshire. Linaker volunteered countless hours over the many years as English teacher and drama coach at the very small private school for twice exceptional children whose alumni include Temple Grandin.[citation needed]
Linaker – on June 9, 1953, in Bedford, New York – married Howard Baron Phillips (1909–1985), who initially was a baritone and writer but later worked as an executive with NBC television.[10] In December 1936, for about a year, Phillips sang with Ray Noble under the pseudonym Howard Barrie.
On April 18, 2008, Linaker died in Keene, New Hampshire.[2]
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