Leila Bennett

Biography

Leila Bennett was an American character actress from Newark, New Jersey. She was reportedly of working-class background, the daughter of a newspaper editor and a stenographer. She made her theatrical debut in 1919, playing a prominent role in the comedy play "Thunder". She continued regularly appearing on stage until making her film debut in 1931. Between 1932 and 1936, Bennett was a freelance actress in Los Angeles. She appeared in various supporting roles in the films of Warner Bros., RKO Radio Pictures, Columbia Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She was typecast in playing comic relief sidekicks, mousy maids, and scatterbrains. In 1934, Bennett married the restaurant manager Francis M. Keough. He was the main manager of the "Beach Club Restaurant and Casino" in Palm Beach, Florida. She spend the following decade or so main dividing her time between New York City and Florida, eventually retiring as a film actress. She was widowed in 1945 and then faded into obscurity. Bennett died in January 1965. She was buried at Fairmount Cemetery in her native Newark, New Jersey. She shares a family grave with her parents at Section F, Lot 157 of the cemetery.