Actress. Born Kate Cone, she was a popular theatre figure in the 1870s, and became known for her performance as "Louise" in the play "The Two Orphans". She was on stage in that role on the night of December 5, 1876 at the Brooklyn Theatre when fire broke out, which eventually caused the death of 250 people (she herself barely escaped the flames, losing most of her clothes burned off). Less then five months later she was also involved in another fire, this time at the Southern Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri on April 11, 1877. These two fires sparked rumors that she was bad luck, and jeopardized her stage career. However, thanks to a cartoon by Thomas Nast that defended her, her career didn't suffer. Kate Claxton married British actor Charles Stevenson in 1878. However, in 1910 Stevenson claimed to have divorced her secretly and married Frances Reilly, another actress. Kate filed a lawsuit and on October 14, 1911 her marriage was annulled.
Actress. Born Kate Cone, she was a popular theatre figure in the 1870s, and became known for her performance as "Louise" in the play "The Two Orphans". She was on stage in that role on the night of December 5, 1876 at the Brooklyn Theatre when fire broke out, which eventually caused the death of 250 people (she herself barely escaped the flames, losing most of her clothes burned off). Less then five months later she was also involved in another fire, this time at the Southern Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri on April 11, 1877. These two fires sparked rumors that she was bad luck, and jeopardized her stage career. However, thanks to a cartoon by Thomas Nast that defended her, her career didn't suffer. Kate Claxton married British actor Charles Stevenson in 1878. However, in 1910 Stevenson claimed to have divorced her secretly and married Frances Reilly, another actress. Kate filed a lawsuit and on October 14, 1911 her marriage was annulled.
Bio by: The Archivist
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