Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford

1892-04-07 – 1979-05-29 (age 87) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Biography

Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1894 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian actress resident in the U.S., and also producer, screenwriter and film studio founder, who was a pioneer in the US film industry with a Hollywood career that spanned five decades.

Pickford alongside her future husband, actor-producer Douglas Fairbanks, founded Pickford–Fairbanks Studios and United Artists, and was one of the 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Pickford is considered to be one of the most recognisable women in history. Known as "America's Sweetheart" during the silent film era, she is named on the list of the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars as the 24th-top female star from the Classical Hollywood Cinema era and the "girl with the curls."

Pickford was one of the Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood and a significant figure in the development of film acting. She was one of the earliest stars to be billed under her own name, and was one of the most popular actresses of the 1910s and 1920s, earning the nickname "Queen of the Movies." She is credited with having defined the ingénue type in cinema.

She was awarded the second Academy Award for Best Actress for her first sound film role in Coquette (1929). By the late 1920s, Pickford's career went into decline. She received an Academy Honorary Award in 1976 in consideration of her contributions to American cinema.

Photos

Known For

100% American
100% American

1918

as Mayme

Cupid Angling
A Kiss from Mary Pickford
A Kiss from Mary Pickford

1927

as Self (archive footage)

Hearts Adrift
Hearts Adrift

1914

as Nina

Madame Butterfly
Madame Butterfly

1915

as Cho-Cho-San

Caprice
Caprice

1913

as Mercy Baxter

Kiki
Kiki

1931

as Kiki

🎦
White Roses

1910

as Betty

Mistress Nell
Mistress Nell

1915

as Nell Gwyn

Esmeralda
Esmeralda

1915

as Esmeralda Rogers

Rags
Rags

1915

as Rags / Alice McCloud

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

1925

as Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)

The Renunciation
The Renunciation

1909

as Kittie Ryan

🎦
The Foundling

1915

as Molly O

🎦
Anniversary

1963

as Herself - Archive Footage (uncredited)

Astrid
Astrid

2014

as Self (archive footage)

🎦
Three Sisters

1911

as Mary

Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford

2005

as Self/Archival Footage

The Love Light
The Love Light

1921

as Angela Carlotti

🎦
The Medallion

1911

as Rumored