Katherine DeMille

3.1. Early career and stage experience

DeMille began gaining experience on stage in 1930, working as an understudy for the "feminine 'heavy'" in the play Rebound in San Francisco. Driven by a desire to establish her acting career independently, she adopted the stage name "Kay Marsh" whenever she worked as an extra. Her first credited film role came in 1934, portraying Rosita Morales, the wife of Wallace Beery's Pancho Villa, in the MGM production Viva Villa!.

3.2. Paramount Pictures (1934-1936)

Following her performance as Lupe the maid in the Paramount production The Trumpet Blows (1934), Katherine DeMille secured a contract with the studio. Her next significant role was Molly Bryant, the antagonist to Mae West's character in Belle of the Nineties (1934). She also took on the second female lead in All the King's Horses (1935) at Paramount. During this period, she was loaned to other studios, appearing in The Black Room (1935) for Columbia Pictures and Call of the Wild (1935) for 20th Century Fox.

A notable role during this phase was Princess Alice of France in The Crusades (1935), an epic film directed by her father, Cecil B. DeMille, who presented the role to her as a Christmas gift. Critics lauded her performance; Andre Sennwald of The New York Times highlighted her as a "striking brunette" who delivered an "excellent performance," while Hollywood magazine praised her as "splendid as the jilted Princess Alice of France."

Paramount subsequently cast her in two more leading roles: Molly Dunn, the sister of Buster Crabbe, in the Western film Drift Fence (1936), and Geraldine Croft, a parachutist and the romantic interest of William Gargan, in the aviation drama The Sky Parade (1936). She also returned to MGM for an uncredited appearance as Rosaline, Romeo's first love, in the 1936 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

3.3. 20th Century Fox and other films (1936-1941)

In the mid-1930s, Katherine DeMille signed a contract with 20th Century Fox. The studio featured her as Margarita in its 1936 Technicolor film version of the Helen Hunt Jackson novel Ramona, which starred Loretta Young in the title role. She played Leota Long, Barbara Stanwyck's rival for the affections of Joel McCrea, in Banjo on My Knee (1936). DeMille also secured the main female role as Yvonne Roland in Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937).

Her roles continued to diversify, including Chata, an antagonist for which she received third billing, in The Californian (1937), and a smaller part as Rosa in Love Under Fire (1937). She then moved to Columbia Pictures, co-starring as Mary Brookhart, the leading lady opposite Jack Holt, in Under Suspicion (1937). She also had a minor supporting role as a Cabaret Girl in the Walter Wanger production Blockade (1938), a drama set during the Spanish Civil War. Returning to Columbia, she was cast in the leading female role of Carol Rayder in another Jack Holt film, Trapped in the Sky (1939).

DeMille continued to take on supporting roles across various studios. These included Rita Vargas in the Roy Rogers vehicle In Old Caliente (1939), Inda Barton in the RKO adventure Isle of Destiny (1940), Valerie Norris in the Columbia mystery film Ellery Queen, Master Detective (1940), Shari Abbadi in the Universal mystery film Dark Streets of Cairo (1940), and Kari in Paramount's Technicolor adventure Aloma of the South Seas (1941). In 1941, DeMille decided to retire from films to dedicate her time to raising her children and focusing on her family life.

3.4. Final film roles (1947-1949)

After a six-year absence from the screen, Katherine DeMille made her return to acting. She co-starred for the first and only time with her husband, Anthony Quinn, in the Allied Artists drama Black Gold (1947), directed by Phil Karlson. Her performance in the film garnered positive critical attention. Motion Picture Daily praised her, stating she deserved to share Quinn's "highest acting compliment," noting that "The tender byplay of their mutual understanding, respect and love provide the refreshingly different romance of the picture." The Film Daily also commended her work, writing, "Katherine DeMille does splendid work as Quinn's wife, who has had good schooling, but is a loyal, obedient helpmeet." Similarly, Harrison's Reports highlighted the strong performances of both Quinn and DeMille, asserting, "As to the acting, both Anthony Quinn and Katherine DeMille rise to the occasion."

Her adoptive father, Cecil B. DeMille, cast her in a supporting role as Hannah in his epic film Unconquered (1947), which featured Gary Cooper and Paulette Goddard. The Film Daily noted her portrayal as the Native American wife of the antagonist, played by Howard Da Silva, observing that "Miss DeMille is properly sullen and tragic."

Katherine DeMille's final credited role was Lucille Strang, the wife of Milburn Stone's character, in the film noir The Judge (1949). This Film Classics release was directed by Elmer Clifton. Showmen's Trade Review commended the performances of both lead actors, stating, "The two stars, Milburn Stone and Katherine DeMille, contribute excellent acting, keeping their characterizations consistently within the film's framework." She also appeared in an uncredited role as a Woman in Man from Del Rio (1956).