Foto: Arnold Genthe (1869-1942)

1892 - 1979

When Mary Pickford made her film debut in 1908 this was the beginning of an unique career and she became the first American Sweetheart.

Her first movie was "Mrs. Jones Entertains" (08), and already in the following year she appeared in incredible 51 movies - a great deal of work which shouldn't hardly change in the next few years.
One of her directors was the great D.W. Griffiths, who engaged her in many of his early productions. For the Biograph Company she appeared among others in the movies "The Lonely Villa" (09), "The Way of Man" (09), "Tender Hearts" (09), "The Indian Runner's Romance" (09), "The Little Darling" (09), "In Old Kentucky" (09), "The Awakening" (09), "The Call" (10), "His Last Dollar" (10), "A Romance of the Western Hills" (10), "In the Border States" (10), "Ramona" (10), "May and December" (10), "The Sorrows and the Unfaithful" (10) and "Sunshine Sue" (10).

Mary Pickford left Biograph in 1911 and worked for Carl Laemmle and his IMP Film Company. There she acted in "The Italian Barber" (11), "The Stampede" (11), "The Mirror" (11), "Little Red Riding Hood" (11) and "Her Darkest Hour" (11). After that she returned to Biograph.

The year 1912 was the last year in which Mary Pickford played in a great number of movies, so in "The Female of the Species" (12), "A Beast at Bay" (12), "Lena and the Geese" (12), "An Indian Summer" (12), "The Inner Circle" (12), "Friends" (12), The New York Hat" (12) and "The Informer" (12). Afterwards she went to Adolph Zukor and made only a few movies a year, besides it she also wrote and produced movies.
To her other well-known movies of the 10's belong "Fate" (13), "Caprice" (13), "A Good Little Devil" (14), "Tess of the Storm Country" (14), "Cinderella" (14), "Little Pal" (15), "Madame Butterfly" (15), "Broken Hearts" (15), "The Eternal Grind" (16), "The Pride of the Clan" (17), "The Poor Little Rich Girl" (17), "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" (17), "Stella Maris" (18), "Captain Kidd, Jr." (19) and "The Hoodlum" (19).

Mary Pickford was co-founder of United Artists in 1919 together with the actors Douglas Fairbanks and Charles Chaplin as well as director D.W. Griffith. United Artists was a counterpart to the big studios and produced independent movies. United Artists was responsible for many important movies in the next sixty years before it was taken over by M-G-M.
Likewise in 1920 Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks got married and they became the most famous Hollywood couple. Their home "Pickfair Mansion" was the central issue for the filmworld of the 20's and they influenced the social life in Hollywood.

Mary Pickford demonstrated a sure instinct in her function for United Artists which movies will work and which not. She proved that she not only was a great actress but also a very successful businesswoman. She also belonged to the 36 foundation members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts ans Sciences in 1928 which since then awards the Oscars for the best film workers each year.

To her merits belong also that she engaged the famous director Ernst Lubitsch from Germany for the movie "Rosita" (23). As a result Lubitsch continued his career in America very successful and had an important influence on the development of cinema.

Mary Pickford appeared only rarely on the screen during the 20's, among others in "Pollyanna" (20), "The Nut" (21), "Little Lord Fauntleroy" (21), "Little Annie Rooney" (25), "Sparrows" (26), "The Taming of the Shrew" (29) and finally "Coquette" (29), for which she got an Oscar as the best actress in a leading role.

With the development of the sound film she retired from the film business after the talkies "Kiki" (31) and "Secrets" (33).

She got an Honorary Award in 1976.

Mary Pickford was married in first marriage with actor Owen Moore, in second marriage with the famous film hero Douglas Fairbanks and in third marriage with the actor Charles "Buddy" Rogers.
 

Other movies with Mary Pickford:
The Fascinating Mrs. Francis (09) The Deception (09) The Drive for Life (09) Two Memories (09) His Duty (09) What Drink Did (09) The Violin Maker of Cremona (09) The Son's Return (09) Her First Biscuits (09) The Faded Lilies (09) The Peachbasket Hat (09) The Mexican Sweethearts (09) The Necklase (09) The Country Doctor (09) The Cardinal's Conspiracy (09) The Renunciation (09) Sweet and Twenty (09) The Slave (09) A Strange Meeting (09) They Would Elope (09) His Wife's Visitor (09) The Seventh Day (09) Oh, Uncle! (09) The Sealed Room (09) The Hessian Renegades (09) Getting Even (09) The Children's Friend (09) The Broken Locket (09) Wanted, a Child (09) The Little Teacher (09) His Lost Love (09) Lines of White on a Sullen Sea (09) What's Your Hurry? (09) The Gibson Goddess (09) The Restoration (09) The Light That Came (09) A Midnight Adventure (09) A Sweet Revenge (09) The Mountaineer's Honor (09) In the Watches of the Night (09) The Trick That Failed (09) The Test (09) To Save Her Soul (09) The Heart of an Outlaw (09) All on Account of the Milk (10) The Woman From Mellon's (10) The Englishman and the Girl (10) The Newlyweds (10) The Threads of Destiny (10) The Twisted Trail (10) The Smoker (10) As Is Is in Life (10) A Rich Revenge (10) The Unchanging Sea (10) The Two Brothers (10) Love Among the Roses (10) An Affair of Hearts (10) In the Season of Buds (10) A Victim of Jealusy (10) The Face at the Window (10) Never Again (10) A Child's Impulse (10) Muggsy's First Sweetheart (10) What the Daisy Said (10) A Flash of Light (10) Serious Sexteen (10) The Call to Arms (10) An Arcadian Maid (10) The Usurer (10) When We Were in Our Teens (10) Willful Peggy (10) Muggsy Becomes a Hero (10) Little Angels of Luck (10) A Summer Tragedy (10) Examination Day at School (10) The Iconoclast (10) A Gold Necklace (10) That Chink at Golden Gulch (10) Waiter No. 5 (10) Simple Charity (10) The Song of the Wildwood Flute (10) A Plain Song (10) A Child's Stratagem (10) White Roses (10) The Masher (10) A Lucky Toothache (10) When a Man Loves (11) Their First Misunderstanding (11) The Dream (11) Three Sisters (11) A Decree of Destiny (11) Conscience (11) The Aggressor (11) The Courting of Mary (11) While the Cat's Away (11) The Toss of a Coin (11) Sweet Memories (11) The Skating Bug (11) The Sentinel Asleep (11) Second Sight (11) Science (11) The Rose's Story (11) The Message in a Bottle (11) The Master and the Man (11) A Manly Man (11) Maid or Man (11) Love Heeds Not the Showers (11) Little Nell's Tobacco (11) The Lighthouse Keeper (11) In the Sultan's Garden (11) In Old Madrid (11) The House That Jack Built (11) Honor Thy Father (11) His Dress Shirt (11) A Gasoline Engagement (11) From the Bottom of the Sea (11) For the Queen's Honor (11) For Her Brother's Sake (11) The Fisher-Maid (11) The Fair Dentist (11) A Dog's Tale (11) The Daddy's Dream (11) The Call of the Song (11) The Better Way (1) Back to the Soil (11) At the Duke's Command (11) At a Quarter of Two (11) Artful Kate (11) 'Tween Two Loves (11) The Mender of Nets (12) A Siren of Impulse (12) Iola's Promise (12) Fate's Interception (12) Just Like a Woman (12) The Old Actor (12) A Lodging for the Night (12) Home Folks (12) The School Teacher and the Waif (12) The Narrow Road (12) A Child's Romorse (12) With the Enemy's Help (12) A Pueblo Romance (12) A Pueblo Legend (12) So Near, Yet So Far (12) A Feud in the Kentucky Hills (12) The One She Loved (12) My Baby (12) Won by a Fish (12) Grannie (12) The Unwelcome Guest (13) In the Bishop's Carriage (13) Hearts Adrift (14) The Eagle's Mate (14) Such a Little Queen (14) Behind the Scenes (14) Mistress Nell (15) Fanchon, the Cricket (15) The Dawn of a Tomorrow (15) Rags (15) Esmeralda (15) A Girl of Yesterday (15) The Foundling (15) Poor Little Peppina (16) Hulda From Holland (16) Less Than the Dust (16) A Romance of the Redwoods (17) The Little American (17) The Little Princess (17) Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley (18) M'Liss (18) How Could You, Jean? (18) Johanna Enlists (18) One Hundred Percent American (18) Daddy-Long-Legs (19) Heart o' the Hills (19) Suds (20) The Love Light (21) Through the Back Door (21) Tess of the Storm Country (22) Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (24) My Best Girl (27) Coquette (29) 

Producer:
The Foundling (15) Johanna Enlists (18) Suds (20) The Love Light (21) Through the Back Door (21) Little Lord Fauntleroy (21) Rosita (23) Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (24) The Taming of the Shrew (29) Kiki (31) Secrets (33) The Gay Desperado (36) One Rainy Afternoon (36) Little Iodine (46) Susie Steps Out (46) White Cradle Inn (46) Stork Bites Man (47) Sleep, My Love (48)

Writer:
The Awakening (09) The Little Teacher (09) In the Season of Buds (10) May and December (10) Madame Rex (11) Lena and the Geese (12) When Fate Decrees (13) Hearts Adrift (14) A Girl of Yesterday (15)