Katherine DeMille (June 29, 1911 – April 27, 1995) was a Canadian-born American film actress.

She was born Katherine Paula Lester in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She was orphaned as a child by the death of her father, an officer in the Canadian Army who died in World War I combat and the loss of her mother to tuberculosis in 1920. When she was nine years old, she was found in an orphanage and legally adopted by film director Cecil B. DeMille and his wife Constance. She first appeared as an uncredited "Zeppelin Reveler" in Madame Satan (1930), and made thirty film appearances until retiring in 1956.

Biography

DeMille married actor Anthony Quinn on October 3, 1937. They had five children: Christopher (1939-1941), Christina (born December 1, 1941), Catalina (born November 21, 1942), Duncan (born August 4, 1945), and Valentina (born December 26, 1952). Their first child, Christopher, was found drowned in the lily pond of W.C. Fields at age two.

DeMille accepted the 1953 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on behalf of her husband, who was not present at the ceremony. They divorced in 1965 due to his extramarital relationships.

Best films