Celia Kaye

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Celia Kaye
Senior yearbook photo
Born
Celia Kay Burkholder

(1942-02-24) February 24, 1942 (age 82)
Other namesCelia Milius
Years active1962–present
SpouseJohn Milius (m. 1978; div. bef. 1987)

Celia Kaye (born Celia Kay Burkholder; February 24, 1942) is an American actress.[1][2] She is most famous for her starring role in the 1964 film adaptation of Island of the Blue Dolphins which won her a Golden Globe award.[3]

Early life[edit]

Kaye is of German and Cherokee descent and was born in Carthage, Missouri, to chemical engineer John W. Burkholder and his wife, Kathryn, who ran a private preschool. When she was one year old her family moved to Wilmington, Delaware, where her younger brother Johnny was born. She graduated with honors from Henry C. Conrad High School (now Conrad Schools of Science), where she showed an early interest in acting as a member of the National Thespian Society.[1] In addition to her performing arts interests, which included learning dance and organ, she toured regionally as a diver and exhibition swimmer with the Wilmington swim club. She also worked as a model and is a graduate of the Philadelphia Modeling and Charm School.[2]

Career[edit]

In 1959 Kaye moved to California, where she won a scholarship to the Pasadena Playhouse, graduating in 1961. She soon moved from the stage to television with a major role in the sitcom The New Loretta Young Show. Her role on this show, as Loretta Young's daughter, Marnie, almost didn't happen as the role was originally cast with Portland Mason who was later fired.[4][5] While working on the show she continued her education, attending Los Angeles City College at night and studying modern jazz at Eugene Loring's American School of Dance.[2][6]

Kaye became a movie star when she landed the lead role of Karana in the 1964 movie Island of the Blue Dolphins, based on the book of the same name. There were originally 1,500 applicants for the role she was ultimately chosen for. Although her Cherokee heritage wasn't known by the producer at the time she was cast, the press for the movie played it up, drawing attention to the fact that she looked "like an Indian with her dark hair and skin".[7][8] When filming was done, Kaye remained and followed along with the post-production of her first feature film. Before her first movie was even released, she filmed two more projects for Universal Pictures as part of a seven year contract: Wild Seed and Fluffy.[9][10]

Following the release of Island of the Blue Dolphins, she was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer in 1965, alongside Mia Farrow and Mary Ann Mobley.[11] The movie itself received generally positive reviews as an entertaining but simplistic children's movie although her performance received more mixed reviews. Stanley Eichelbaum of the San Francisco Examiner called her performance two-dimensional, while Mae Tinee of the Chicago Tribune wrote that she "handles a difficult role with grace and ease."[12][13][14][15]

Over the next few years, she appeared in a number of additional movies, television shows, and plays. She attended UCLA in the evenings, studying anthropology and social sciences.[16][17] After the 1960s her roles became less frequent and smaller, including being a look-alike extra for Merle Oberon on The Day of The Locust.[6] By 1978 she was referred to as a "former actress", although she has continued to have occasional roles.[18]

Personal life[edit]

Kaye married director John Milius on February 26, 1978. They had one child together and remain friends, although they were divorced by 1987.[19][20][21]

Filmography[edit]

Television[edit]

Year Series Role Notes Ref(s)
1962 Tales of Wells Fargo Julie Trenton Episode: "The Traveler" [2]
1962–1963 The New Loretta Young Show Marnie Massey 16 episodes [2][22]
1963 The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Celia / Pledge 1 episode each [23]
1964 Wagon Train Ann Shelby Episode: "The Clay Shelby Story" [23]
1965 The John Forsythe Show Connie 1 episode [24][25]
1967 The Green Hornet Melissa Neal 2 episodes [23]
1967 Iron Horse Emily Episode: "Decision at Sundown" [23]
1967 Insight Jenny Episode: "All the Little Plumes in Pain" [26]
1970 The Young Lawyers Helen Nudavik Episode: "Where's Aaron" [23]
1973 Adam's Rib Francis Episode: "Illegal Aid" [27]
1973 Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Anne TV movie [24]
1974 Little House on the Prairie Willa Sweeney Episode: "100 Mile Walk" [23]
1975 Police Story Sabina Episode: "The Cutting Edge" [28]
2015 CLASS Rose Credited as Celia Milius [29]
2019 Holey Moley Herself Episode: "An Outbreak of Ginger Fever" [30]

Film[edit]

Year Film Role Notes Ref(s)
1964 Island of the Blue Dolphins Karana Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress [7]
1965 Wild Seed Daphne "Daffy" [6]
1965 Fluffy Sally Brighton [24]
1972 The Final Comedown Renee Freeman [31]
1976 Rattlers Woman in Bathtub [32]
1978 Big Wednesday Bride of the Bear [24]
1982 Conan the Barbarian High Priestess Uncredited [23]
1988 Vampire at Midnight Sandra [33]
2014 V/H/S: Viral Grandma Credited as Celia K. Milius [34]
2015 The Lotus Gun N/A Associate Producer; credited as Celia Milius [35]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "1959 Conradian Yearbook" (PDF). 1959. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Young Celia Kaye Promising Actress". Lewiston Evening Journal. April 13, 1963. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  3. ^ Vernon Scott (February 9, 1965). "Julie Andrews Honored; 'Fair Lady' Feud Ends". Deseret News. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  4. ^ Mason v. Lyl Productions, 69 Cal. 2d 79, 83 (Cal. 1968).
  5. ^ Dick, Bernard F. (1 August 2011). Hollywood Madonna: Loretta Young. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 216. ISBN 978-1-61703-080-2.
  6. ^ a b c Tom Buckley (June 2, 1974). "'The Day of the Locust': Hollywood, by West, by Hollywood". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  7. ^ a b Smith, Fran (July 1964). "A Producer Tell's Us What's In a Movie". Boys' Life. Boy Scouts of America, Inc. p. 14. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  8. ^ O'Dell, Scott; Schwebel, Sara L. (4 October 2016). Island of the Blue Dolphins: The Complete Reader's Edition. Univ of California Press. pp. 61, 77. ISBN 9780520289376. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  9. ^ Kleiner, Dick (20 May 1964). "Celia Kaye Doesn't Live Up To Definition Of Starlet". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 65.
  10. ^ Crosland, Philip F. (28 November 1964). "Stage Lights". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. p. 13.
  11. ^ "Winners & Nominees 1965". The Golden Globes. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  12. ^ Eichelbaum, Stanley (5 August 1964). "A Wholesome Children's Movie". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 41.
  13. ^ Thompson, Howard (4 July 1964). "Island of Blue Dolphins' Has Premiere". The New York Times.
  14. ^ Tinee, Mae (2 May 1965). "True Story a Fine Film". Chicago Tribune. p. 99.
  15. ^ Stoneham, Gordon (6 July 1964). "Respectable variation on 'Crusoe'". The Ottawa Citizen. p. 33.
  16. ^ Tinee, Mae (May 2, 1965). "Newcomers Get a Chance and Make an Appealing Movie". Chicago Tribune. p. 99.
  17. ^ Milstein, Fredric L. (5 November 1968). "'Hump' Opens on Hollywood Stage". The Los Angeles Times. p. 63.
  18. ^ Lindsey, Robert (28 May 1978). "The New Wave of Film Makers". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 May 2022. He is now married to Celia Kaye, an intelligent former actress, and lives in a modern home in Los Angeles.
  19. ^ "Amanda Milius". Independent Women's Forum. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  20. ^ Mathews, Jack (8 November 1987). "The Wild Man of Hollywood Meets the Wilds of Borneo". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  21. ^ Howard, Margo (15 February 1986). "L.A.D.I.E.S. of the club". The Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. p. 63.
  22. ^ "Young Movie Star Visiting in Austin". The Austin American. 3 June 1964. p. 21.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g Berumen, Frank Javier Garcia (4 November 2019). American Indian Image Makers of Hollywood. McFarland. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-4766-3647-4.
  24. ^ a b c d "Celia Kaye". www.tcm.com. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  25. ^ "CTVA US Comedy - "The John Forsythe Show" (Universal/NBC) (1965-66)". ctva.biz. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  26. ^ "CTVA US Anthology - "Insight" (Paulist/syndicated) Seasons 11 to 15 (1970-75)". ctva.biz. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  27. ^ "CTVA US Comedy - "Adam's Rib" (MGM/ABC) (fall 1973) Ken Howard & Blythe Danner". ctva.biz. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  28. ^ "The Cutting Edge". Police Story. Season 3. Episode 2.
  29. ^ "On The Low". CLASS. Episode 3.
  30. ^ "Pat Putting Penguin and More Pals on Holey Moley Episode 5 Tonight!". A Couple of Putts. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  31. ^ Greenspun, Roger (1 June 1972). "Screen: 'Final Comedown' Arrives". New York Times. p. 51 – via ProQuest.
  32. ^ "AFI|Catalog - Celia Kaye". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  33. ^ Williams, Jason; McCaw, Derek (25 June 2018). I Was Flesh Gordon: Fighting the Sex Ray and Other Adventures of an Accidental Porn Pioneer. McFarland. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-4766-7286-1.
  34. ^ Debruge, Peter (17 October 2014). "Film Review: 'V/H/S Viral'". Variety. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  35. ^ The Lotus Gun. Retrieved 17 May 2022.

External links[edit]