Keira Slater

**Keira Slater** (January 7th, 1911-December 5th, 1993) was an American actress.

## Early life

Keira Angela Slater was born on January 7th, 1911 in San Fransisco, California, the daughter of Nicholas and Mary Slater, née Henderson, both actors. She was the middle of the Slater sisters, her sisters being Iris Slater (1909-1939) and Hesper Slater (1912-2008).

She was named Keira because of her dark hair at her birth and her mother's Irish origin.

She and her sisters started making movies in 1918 when Keira was seven years old and made six as a trio before quitting in 1924 when she was 13. She continued her education at a normal school with her sisters.

## Career

Keira finished High School in 1928, aged 17. She wished to be in the film business again and starred in *Autumn Rose* with her sister Iris, where they played twins. She was praised for her convincing break down once figuring out her sister was behind her scared life. Barely a year later, she starred in *Summerset* with her other sister, Hesper, playing best friends. She started dating *Summerset* director George Lacey for three years and starred in two other movies. In 1931, she broke off things with Lacey and she resigned from his studio. He dated her sister Iris and the two married in 1934, where Keira was maid of honour.

She took the break to get a nursing license and work in a hospital for some years, despite being relatively rich and famous from her eleven movies. In 1936, aged 25, she married John Holliger (1906), who was a professor.

In 1936 she returned to acting for a small role in *Pirateers* but it wasn't a big success. Four movies later, she earned an Academy Award for *Hell of War* (1944), when she was 33. She would earn another in 1952, aged 41, for *Aspirations* and one in 1970, aged 59 for *One Little Tear*. She made over 40 movies, her last one being *Why So Regal?*, in which Keira was 80 years old.

## Personal life

Keira's personal life was surprisingly normal and uncontroversial. While her sisters faced divorces, law issues and addiction, Keira Slater married once, in 1936, aged 25 to John Holliger. He was supportive of her acting career, convincing her to quit nursing and continue acting. She had three children with Holliger: son Samuel John Holliger (1937), daughter Rosa Iris Holliger (1939) and Thomas Nicholas Holliger (1943). Thomas acted in *Hell of War* with his mother as an infant.

Through her children, she was a grandmother of 10. Among her grandchildren were actresses Cassandra da Castille (1969) and Judith Holliger (1974).

She died in 1993, a year after her husband. They had been married for 56 years.

She lived in the same home from 1938. It's still family property.

## Relationships with sisters

Keira and her daughter Rosa said the Slater sisters were incredibly close as teens. However, during *Autumn Rose* Iris (19) was already married to Harry Leicester and Keira felt it changed her. Leicester forced Iris to sign a binding contract that she wouldn't ever work with her sisters again. Their relationship was strained after Iris married George Lacey, Keira's ex in 1934. In 1935, the three sisters saw each other for the last time during a concert performance. They were 26, 24 and 23 years old.

Iris died aged 30 in 1939 after apparent suicide/murder with Cornelius "Corry" Bridge, her husband. They were both found by Iris' children, both with a gun in hand.