Destined to become America's first sweetheart, Mary Pickford was born Gladys Marie Smith on April 8, 1892, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Acting would become second nature to little Mary. Her parents were thespians in their own right and it was only natural that Mary would follow in their footsteps. Her mother wasted no time in introducing her to the stage when she appeared in one production at the age of six. After numerous stage plays, Mary entered into the film world and immortality.
In 1908, at the age of 16, Mary starred as Dorothy Nicholson in MRS. JONES ENTERTAINS. 1909 would offer a very busy year for Mary.
In the early days of film making, it wasn't at all uncommon for performers to churn out several films per year, often times working on more than one at a time. In 1909, Mary appeared in 51 films. That was almost one a week!
Mary had joined the Biograph Company under the direction of D. W. Griffith from Crestwood, Kentucky and some of his films, starring Mary, reflected his home state such as IN OLD KENTUCKY (1909), IN THE BORDER STATES (1910), and A FEUD IN THE KENTUCKY HILLS (1912).
After the busy 1909 season, the following year was no less busy with Mary putting in work on 49 films.
In 1911, Mary left Biograph to work with Carl Laemmle, but returned to Griffith the next year. That year she put out 27 films as opposed to 48 in 1911. By now, Mary was 20 and had appeared in 176 films. Performers of today couldn't boast that kind of work record.
By 1913, Mary had cut back her grueling schedule drastically, with 4 movies in 1913, but she was by no means idle. She was now writing and producing films.
In 1920, Mary was in only two films SUDS and POLLYANNA, but more importantly helped to establish United Artists Studio. This famed studio was responsible for many great films for the next 60+ years before being bought by MGM. As you can see, Mary was more than an actress, but a tough business woman with a lot of savvy. She was proud of the fact that she knew what worked and what didn't.
On top of all that, she was one of 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization who offers the renowned Oscar for motion pictures and performers.
Finally, at 43, Mary made her last film entitled STAR NIGHT AT THE COCONUT GROVE in 1935, whereupon she retired from films forever for a well deserved rest. Her career lasted from 1908 to 1935 encompassing 236 films. Without a doubt, Mary was the most popular star in the silent era if not for all time. She was awarded an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1976, from the very organization she had started years earlier.
On May 29, 1979,
Mary died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Santa Monica, California. She was 87 years old.
HERE ARE SOME NEAT MARY PICKFORD PICS! (sorry for the pun)
Mary Pic 1
Mary Pic 2
Mary Pic 3
Mary Pic 4
Mary Pic 5
Mary Pic 6
Click here to go to Jayne Mansfield
If you have other good pics of Mary Pickford please let me know. My thanks to Kyla McCall-Giles for photo no. 6.
© 1998 Denny C. Jackson dejackso@iglou.com
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