Hazel Ona Keener (October 22, 1904 – August 7, 1979) was a motion picture actress, primarily in silent film, during the 1920s.Katchmer, George A. (2015). A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses. Jefferson, NC; McFarland & Company. p. 186. . "Hazel Keener was born in Fairbury, Illinois, on October 22, 1904, and died in Pacific Grove, California, on August 7, 1979, at age 74. [...] Her first feature was The Married Flapper (1922), a comedy in which she supports Marie Prevost and Kenneth Harlan. [...] At the end of 1927, Hazel Keener may have realized that her carer was taking a downward turn. She dropped out of movies only to return for one last fling in 1941, playing a supporting role in Murder by Invitation. In her late 60s, according to Who's Who in Hollywood, she was a minister in the Church of Religious Science."
Early life and career Born in Fairbury, Illinois and raised in Davenport, Iowa, Keenan attended Lincoln School.
Keener won a national beauty contest sponsored by the Chicago Tribune and used her success to begin her film career. In 1923, Keener was selected as "Miss Hollywood" at the annual musical comedy fete put on by Hollywood artists.Newspapers.com website, Miss Hazel Keener, article published in Quad City Times, May 27, 1923 As tribute to Miss Keener's beauty, her bust was sculpted by sculptor Finn Haaken Frolich for the Norse club. She was a 1924 WAMPAS Baby Star.
Her acting career ran from 1922 through 1956. She also had roles in movies such as The Freshman (1925), The Gingham Girl (1927), Whispering Sage (1927), The Silent Partner (1927), and Vanishing Hoofs (1926).
In the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s, Keener had small parts in approximately twenty movies. She acted in television with roles in episodes of Judge Roy Bean (1956) and Hopalong Cassidy (1954).
Partial filmography The Married Flapper (1922) as Muriel Vane An Old Sweetheart of Mine (1923) as Irene Ryan (credited as Barbara Worth)Lowe, Denise (2005). An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Women in Early Films, 1895–1930. London: The Haworth Press. p. 296. . "During the early years of her film career, she often appeared under the name 'Barbara Worth,' but by the mid-1930s she received billing only under her real name. [...] Her most popular silent film was The Freshman (1925) opposite Harold Lloyd. Although she never attained the stardom predicted for her, she did remain in films through the early 1950s, but often in uncredited or walk-on parts." The Brass Bottle (1923) Tea–with a Kick! (1923) Galloping Gallagher (1924) as Evelyn Churchill North of Nevada (1924) The Silent Stranger (1924) as Lillian Warner The Mask of Lopez (1924) as Doris Hampton His Forgotten Wife (1924) as Irene Humphrey The Dangerous Coward (1924) as Hazel McGuinn The Fighting Sap (1924) as Marjorie Stoddard North of Nevada (1924) as Marion Ridgeway Empty Hands (1924) as Mrs. Endicott Hard Hittin' Hamilton (1924) as Mary Downing Ports of Call (1925) as Marjorie Vail Parisian Love (1925) as Margot The Freshman (1925) as College Belle Ten Days (1925) as Fay Whitney Range Buzzards (1925) as May Vanishing Hoofs (1926) as Edith Marsh One Hour of Love (1927) as Vi Whispering Sage (1927) as Mercedes' friend The First Night (1927) as Miss Leeds The Gingham Girl (1927) as Letty O'Day The Magnificent Flirt (1928) That Gang of Mine (1940) as Mrs. Wilkes Murder by Invitation (1941) as Mary Denham
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