Mary Pickford | |
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 Pickford in 1910 | |
| Born | Gladys Louise Smith[1] April 8, 1892 |
| Died | May 29, 1979 (aged 87) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Burial place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California |
| Citizenship |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1900–1955 |
| Known for | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Charlotte Hennessey and John Charles Smith |
| Relatives |
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| Awards | Hollywood Walk of Fame, 2 academy awards |
| Website | Mary Pickford Foundation |
| Signature | |
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Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress, producer, screenwriter and film studio founder. A pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood career that spanned five decades, Pickford was one of the most popular actresses of the silent film era. Beginning her film career in 1909, by 1916 Pickford became Hollywood's first millionaire, and at the height of her career had complete creative control of her films and was one of the most recognizable women in the world.[3][4] Due to her popularity, unprecedented international fame, and success as an actress and businesswoman, she was known as the "Queen of the Movies". She was a significant figure in the development of film acting and is credited with having defined the ingénue type in cinema, a persona that also earned her the nickname "America's Sweetheart".[5]
In 1919, she co-founded United Artists alongside Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith, and was also one of the 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927. She was awarded the second Academy Award for Best Actress for her first sound film role in Coquette (1929) and received an Academy Honorary Award in 1976 in consideration of her contributions to American cinema. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Pickford as the 24th-greatest female star of Classical Hollywood Cinema.
- ^ Biography, pbs.org. Accessed December 20, 2023.
- ^ Photoplay, Volume 18, Issues 2–6. Macfadden Publications. 1920. p. 99.
- ^ Katherine H. Adams, Michael L. Keene and Jennifer C. Koella (December 8, 2011). Seeing the American Woman, 1880–1920: The Social Impact of the Visual Media Explosion. McFarland. p. 32.
- ^ Whitfield, Eileen: Pickford: the Woman Who Made Hollywood (1997), pp. 8, 25, 28, 115, 125, 126, 131, 300, 376. University Press of Kentucky; ISBN 0-8131-2045-4
- ^ Love, Claire; Pollack, Jen; Landsberg, Alison (2017). "Silent Film Actresses and Their Most Popular Characters". National Women's History Museum.