Ian Keith Video | Celebrity Interview and Paparazzi

Ian Keith (February 27, 1899 – March 26, 1960) was an American actor. Born Keith Ross in Boston, Massachusetts, Ian Keith was a veteran character actor of the legitimate theater, and appeared in a variety of colorful roles in silent features of the 1920s. His stage training made him a natural choice for the new "talking pictures"; he played John Wilkes Booth in D. W. Griffith's first talkie, Abraham Lincoln. Keith had a major role in director Raoul Walsh's 1930 western The Big Trail.In 1932, Cecil B. DeMille cast him in The Sign of the Cross. This established him as a dependable... MORE

Ian Keith (February 27, 1899 – March 26, 1960) was an American actor. Born Keith Ross in Boston, Massachusetts, Ian Keith was a veteran character actor of the legitimate theater, and appeared in a variety of colorful roles in silent features of the 1920s. His stage training made him a natural choice for the new "talking pictures"; he played John Wilkes Booth in D. W. Griffith's first talkie, Abraham Lincoln. Keith had a major role in director Raoul Walsh's 1930 western The Big Trail.In 1932, Cecil B. DeMille cast him in The Sign of the Cross. This established him as a dependable supporting player, and he went on to play dozens of roles - including Octavian (Augustus) in Cleopatra - in major and minor screen fare for the next three decades. Ian Keith's tall frame (6' 2"), dark, handsome features (usually clean-shaven), and his resonant voice served him well. He became one of DeMille's favorites, appearing in many of the producer's epic films. He handled costume roles and modern-day professional types with equal aplomb. In the 1940s he became even busier, working primarily in "B" features and westerns and alternating between playing good guys (a chief of detectives in The Payoff, a LESS