Katherine Chrystal Herne, the middle daughter of James A. Herne and Katherine Corcoran, was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, on June 16, 1883.
She made her stage debut in Washington D.C., at the age of 16 as Sue Hardy in her father's play, The Reverend Griffith Davenport.
Over the following two seasons she played Jane Cauldwell in Sag Harbor, her father's last play.
Sag Harbor was a family affair, with Herne and his daughters Julie and Chrystal playing principal roles.
James Herne died a short while later in early June 1901.

After her father's death, Chrystal played a third season in Sag Harbor, although this time assuming her sister's role as the heroine Martha Reese.
Later that same season she played Helen Berry in one of her father's best-known plays, Shore Acres.
She joined E. H. Sothern in 1903 playing Huguette in If I Were King and as Gertrude in Hamlet.
She scored a major success in early 1905 in special matinees performances of Richter's Wife, in which she played the jealous wife of a famous conductor upset over his interest in a young protégé played by her sister, Julie Herne, who also wrote the piece.

Chrystal was remembered for playing the title role in Arnold Daly's production of Shaw's "Candida" during the 1905–06 season.
and as Vera Revendal opposite Walker Whiteside in Israel Zangwill's The Melting Pot that debuted in 1908 at the Columbia Theatre in Washington, D.C. She was well received playing Diana opposite Dustin Farnum in a 1911 revival of The Squaw Man at the Broadway Theatre and later in her career playing the title role in Craig's Wife opposite Charles Trowbridge produced at the Morosco Theatre in 1925.
She appeared in almost 40 Broadway productions over her career.
Her last performance was as Beatrice Crandall in A Room in Red and White, staged at the 46th Street Theatre in January and February 1936.
Katherine Chrystal Herne, the middle daughter of James A. Herne and Katherine Corcoran, was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, on June 16, 1883. She made her stage debut in Washington D.C., at the age of 16 as Sue Hardy in her father's play, The Reverend Griffith Davenport. Over the following two seasons she played Jane Cauldwell in Sag Harbor, her father's last play. Sag Harbor was a family affair, with Herne and his daughters Julie and Chrystal playing principal roles. James Herne died a short while later in early June 1901.
After her father's death, Chrystal played a third season in Sag Harbor, although this time assuming her sister's role as the heroine Martha Reese. Later that same season she played Helen Berry in one of her father's best-known plays, Shore Acres. She joined E. H. Sothern in 1903 playing Huguette in If I Were King and as Gertrude in Hamlet. She scored a major success in early 1905 in special matinees performances of Richter's Wife, in which she played the jealous wife of a famous conductor upset over his interest in a young protégé played by her sister, Julie Herne, who also wrote the piece.
Chrystal was remembered for playing the title role in Arnold Daly's production of Shaw's "Candida" during the 1905–06 season. and as Vera Revendal opposite Walker Whiteside in Israel Zangwill's The Melting Pot that debuted in 1908 at the Columbia Theatre in Washington, D.C. She was well received playing Diana opposite Dustin Farnum in a 1911 revival of The Squaw Man at the Broadway Theatre and later in her career playing the title role in Craig's Wife opposite Charles Trowbridge produced at the Morosco Theatre in 1925. She appeared in almost 40 Broadway productions over her career. Her last performance was as Beatrice Crandall in A Room in Red and White, staged at the 46th Street Theatre in January and February 1936.
Chrystal Herne