Jane Lee (1912–1957) and Katherine Lee (1909–1968), sisters, were child stars in silent motion pictures and vaudeville theatre. They were also known as the "Baby Grands", "Lee Kids", or the "Fox Kiddies" for their appearances in Fox Film productions.
The Lee sisters were the children of American juggler Tommy Banahan and Irene Lee, an Irish dancer and occasional actor. During Tommy and Irene's European tour, Katherine was born in Berlin, Germany on February 14, 1909, and Jane born February 15, 1912, in either Dublin, Ireland, or Glasgow, Scotland. The sisters appeared in the original Neptune's Daughter, filmed in 1914. In 1915, Jane appeared with Valeska Suratt in The Soul of Broadway at Fox Studios. They both appeared in A Daughter of the Gods (1916), with Katherine's dramatic performance earning praise as a "child prodigy" and a "three-foot Fiske." In 1917, Jane and Katherine starred in two of Fox's "kiddie films", Troublemakers and Two Little Imps.
They appeared in Swat the Spy (1918), Tell It to the Marines (1918), and Smiles (1919). In 1919, they made the list of the Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll.
Jane and Katherine continued performing in vaudeville throughout the 1920s and into early 1930s; their act as adults was filmed by Warner Bros. for Vitaphone Billboard (1936).The Exhobitor, Mar. 1, 1936, p. 33, Jane later had uncredited roles in the sound motion pictures Knock on Any Door (1949), Cheaper By the Dozen (1950), and Comin' Round The Mountain (1951).
Jane married actor James E. Grant in New York on April 5, 1933, and they divorced in 1937. She died in New York's St. Clare's Hospital on March 7, 1957; her married name at the time was St. John. Katherine married Ray Miller of New York, and died in 1968. __NOTOC__
Partial filmography
Year TitleAppearance Notes 1913 The Return of Tony Katherine 1914 The Scales of Justice Katherine 1914 The Old Rag Doll Jane and Katherine 1914 When the Heart Calls Jane and Katherine Short 1914 Neptune's Daughter Jane and Katherine 1914 His Prior Claim Jane Short 1915 A Life in the Balance Jane and Katherine 1915 The Studio of Life Jane and Katherine 1915 The Clemenceau Case Jane 1915 Tony Jane 1915 The Devil's Daughter Jane 1915 The Magic Toy Maker Jane and Katherine 1915 Silver Threads Among the Gold Jane and Katherine 1915 The Soul of Broadway Jane 1915 The Galley Slave Jane 1916 A Daughter of the Gods Jane and Katherine1916 Daredevil KateJane and Katherine 1916 A Wife's Sacrifice Jane 1916 The Ragged Princess Jane and Katherine 1916 Romeo and Juliet Jane and Katherine 1916 Her Double Life Jane and Katherine 1916 Love and Hate Jane and Katherine 1917 Trouble Makers Jane and Katherine 1917 The Small Town Girl Jane 1917 Patsy Jane 1917 A Child of the Wild Jane and Katherine 1917 Two Little Imps Jane and Katherine 1917 Sister Against Sister Jane 1918 American Buds Jane and Katherine 1918 Dixie Madcaps Jane and Katherine 1918 Swat the Spy Jane and Katherine 1918 Tell It to the Marines Jane and Katherine1919 Smiles Jane and Katherine1919Love Us, Love Our Dog Jane and Katherine1922A Pair of AcesJane and KatherineShort1924The Side Show of Life Katherine1936Vitaphone Billboard Jane and KatherineVaudeville short, as adults1949 Knock on Any Door Jane Uncredited 1950 Cheaper by the Dozen JaneUncredited 1951Comin' Round the Mountain JaneUncredited
See also Madeline and Marion Fairbanks, identical twin actresses in film and theatre The Duncan Sisters, American vaudeville duo
References
External links
Jane and Katherine Lee in a clip from Dixie Madcaps on YouTube