Kay Deslys

Her dignity usually in shambles by the end of the first reel, imposing-looking comedienne Kay Deslys hailed from a family of music hall entertainers. Reportedly on stage from the age of five, Deslys -- who presumably took her professional moniker in honor of musical comedy star Gaby Deslys (her real name was Kathleen Herbert) -- later appeared in vaudeville in both Canada and the U.S., and was for a time a member of the Gus Edwards troupe. She entered pictures in 1923 and later earned her modicum of fame as a foil for the team of Laurel & Hardy in such two-reelers as We Faw Down ([1928] as one of the floozies) and Should Married Men Go Home? ([1928] as Hardy's wife). Married to actor/theater owner Jack Baxley (1884-1950), Deslys appeared in literally hundreds of bit parts until her retirement in 1952. She later worked as a saleswoman at Mandel's, a Los Angeles shoe retailer. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi