Mary Pickford
The original 'America's Sweetheart' and silent film pioneer.
She was one of the most popular actresses of the silent film era and became Hollywood's first millionaire by 1916.[1] Pickford was known as the "Queen of the Movies" and "America's Sweetheart".[1][2]
Quick Facts
- Born
- 8 April 1892
- Birth name
- Gladys Louise Smith
- Birthplace
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Died
- 29 May 1979
- Place of death
- Santa Monica, California, U.S.
- Burial place
- Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
- Citizenship
- British subject (1892–1947)
- United States (1920–1979)
- Canada (1947–1979)
- Occupation
- Actress
- producer
- screenwriter
- businesswoman
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Mary Pickford was born in 1892 at Victoria Hospital in Toronto, Ontario.[3] Pickford began her film career in 1909 with the Biograph Company under director D. W. Griffith.[4] She appeared in 51 films in 1909, almost one a week.[5] She co-founded United Artists in 1919 with D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, and Douglas Fairbanks.[6]
After her father's death, her mother Charlotte took in boarders; one boarder, a theatrical stage manager named Mr. Murphy, suggested that Gladys (age seven) and Lottie (age six) be given two small theatrical roles in a production of The Silver King.[7] After three expensive box-office failures, Pickford ended her film acting career in 1933, with her final film appearance being Secrets.[8]
What the cited sources add
According to the Mary Pickford Foundation chronology, she was the first movie star to form her own production company in August 1916.[9] The same source notes that movie theater owner David Grauman gave her the nickname "America's Sweetheart" in 1914.[9] Zonarich's account describes how Pickford suggested to Florence La Badie that she "try pictures"[10] The discover-southern-ontario.com source confirms that Pickford appeared in 52 feature films throughout her career.[11]
The u-s-history.com biography reports that Pickford died of a cerebral hemorrhage on May 29, 1979, at age 87.[4] According to the u-s-history.com biography, within three years of her first feature film, Pickford had taken on the role of her own producer.[4][12]
References
- Wikipedia, "Mary Pickford" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Adams Keene Koella 2011, p. 32; Whitfield 1997, p. 8, 25, 28, 115, 125, 126, 131, 300, 376 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mary Pickford" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Love, "Silent Film Actresses and Their Most Popular Characters", National Women's History Museum, 2017 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mary Pickford" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Mary Pickford (1892–1979)", pbs.org; Whitfield 1997, p. 8, 25, 28, 115, 125, 126, 131, 300, 376 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Mary Pickford biography", u-s-history.com. facts only, no text reused. u-s-history.com
- Wikipedia, "Mary Pickford" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Mary Pickford, 86, First Great Film Star, Dies Five Days After Massive Stroke", May 30, 1979, p. 1; Zonarich, "Florence La Badie, Becoming", 11 East 14th Street, August 3, 2013 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mary Pickford" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: The New York Times, November 10, 1918. p. 20 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mary Pickford" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Leavey 2011, p. 15; Whitfield 1997, p. 8, 25, 28, 115, 125, 126, 131, 300, 376 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mary Pickford" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Mary Pickford, 86, First Great Film Star, Dies Five Days After Massive Stroke", May 30, 1979, p. 1; Shipman 1995, p. 461-466; "Mary Pickford, 86, First Great Film Star, Dies Five Days After Massive Stroke", May 30, 1979, p. 1; "Mary Pickford, 86, First Great Film Star, Dies Five Days After Massive Stroke", May 30, 1979, p. 1; Shipman 1995, p. 461-466; Whitfield 1997, p. 8, 25, 28, 115, 125, 126, 131, 300, 376 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Mary Pickford Chronology", Mary Pickford Foundation. facts only, no text reused. marypickford.org
- Zonarich, "Florence La Badie, Becoming", 11 East 14th Street, August 3, 2013. facts only, no text reused. 11east14thstreet.com
- "Mary Pickford, America's Sweetheart, born in Toronto, actress", www.discover-southern-ontario.com. facts only, no text reused. discover-southern-ontario.com
- Wikipedia, "Mary Pickford" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Mary Pickford biography", u-s-history.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Mary Pickford (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Notable Figures
Elsewhere in Historical Figures
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced