Mary Pickford(1892 — 1979)
Mary Pickford
Canada
6 min read
A Canadian-American actress nicknamed “America's Sweetheart,” she was one of the greatest stars of silent cinema. A pioneer of the Hollywood industry, she co-founded the United Artists studio in 1919.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born in 1892 in Toronto (Canada), she began on the stage and then in film from 1909 with D.W. Griffith
- Became one of the highest-paid actresses in the world in the 1910s
- Co-founded United Artists in 1919 with Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith
- Won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1930 for “Coquette,” one of her first talking pictures
- Received an Honorary Academy Award in 1976 for her lifetime achievement; died in 1979
Works & Achievements
The film that secured her international fame and lastingly established her persona as a working-class young woman.
One of her great successes, emblematic of her roles as spirited and endearing young girls.
An adaptation of the famous novel, the first film she produced for United Artists, and a major commercial hit.
A technical feat in which she plays two roles, including that of a little boy, thanks to elaborate special effects.
Pickford's first talking picture, which earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress and marked her transition to sound cinema.
The creation of a studio by the artists themselves: a revolutionary model of independence from the major studios.
The last film of her career, after which she retired permanently from the screen to devote herself to producing.
Anecdotes
Nicknamed “America's Sweetheart,” Mary Pickford kept her long blonde curls long after she had outgrown the little-girl roles she continued to play. When she finally decided to cut them off in 1928, at the age of 36, the event made front-page news as a genuine national event.
In 1919, tired of being dependent on the major studios, Mary Pickford joined forces with Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and director D.W. Griffith to found United Artists. A studio executive reportedly quipped, “The lunatics have taken over the asylum” — because actors were becoming their own bosses.
Mary Pickford was one of the first actresses to become a “millionaire” thanks to the movies: as early as 1916, she negotiated a contract guaranteeing her 10,000 dollars a week, a colossal sum for the time. A formidable businesswoman, she controlled the choice of her films and her crews.
Her 1920 marriage to actor Douglas Fairbanks made them Hollywood's first star couple. Their mansion, nicknamed “Pickfair,” became the most famous reception venue in the world, where one might rub shoulders with kings, writers, and scholars who had come to see “Hollywood royalty.”
In 1929, Mary Pickford won the Academy Award for Best Actress for “Coquette,” her first talking film. Much later, in 1976, the Academy presented her with an Honorary Oscar for her entire career and her role as a pioneer of the industry.
Primary Sources
“I never liked any of my performances. If I had my life to live over, I think I would do it differently.”
Artists Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith announce the creation of a company to distribute their own productions, free from studio control.
“The public made me what I am, and I owe everything to it. But an actress must also learn the business side of things if she wants to survive.”
The Academy honors Mary Pickford for her unique contribution to the film industry and to the development of film as an art form.
Key Places
Mary Pickford's birthplace, where she was born in 1892 as Gladys Smith and took to the stage at a very young age.
The heart of the film industry where Mary Pickford built her career and her power as a producer. It was there that she shot most of her films.
The mansion she shared with Douglas Fairbanks, which became Hollywood's most prestigious salon, where the world's elite gathered.
The company where she made her film debut in 1909 under the direction of D.W. Griffith, learning the craft of screen acting.
The town where Mary Pickford spent her final years and died in 1979, withdrawn from public life.
