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 actors and it was only natural that she would follow in their footsteps. Her mother wasted no time in introducing her to the stage, and she appeared in one production at the age of six. After numerous stage plays, Mary entered the film world and immortality. At the age of 16 she starred as Dorothy Nicholson in Mrs. Jones Entertains (1909). The next year was a busy one for her. In the early days of filmmaking it wasn't at all uncommon for performers to churn out several films per year, often working on more than one at a time. In 1909, Mary appeared in 51 films - almost one a week! She had joined the 'American Mutoscope & Biograph [us]' under the direction of D.W. Griffith. Griffith, from Crestwood, Kentucky, and some of his films with Mary reflected his home state such as In Old Kentucky, In the Border States and A Feud in the Kentucky Hills. If the 1909 season was busy for her, the following year was no less hectic, with Mary putting in work on 49 films. In 1911 she left Biograph to work with Carl Laemmle, but returned to Griffith the next year, in which she put out only 27 films, as opposed to the 48 she did in 1911. By now Mary was 20 and had appeared in 176 films; most performers today couldn't boast that kind of work record for their entire career. By 1913 Mary had cut back her grueling schedule drastically, with only four movies in 1913, but she was by no means idle; she was now writing and producing films. In 1920, she was in only two films - Suds and Pollyanna - but, more importantly, she helped to establish United Artists Pictures, a studio that was responsible for many great films for the next 60-plus years before being bought by MGM. Mary was more than an actress; she was a tough, savvy businesswoman with, and was proud of the fact that she knew what worked for her and what didn't. On top of all that, she was one of 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Finally, at 43, Mary made her last film, Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove, and then retired from films for a well-deserved rest. Her career lasted from 1908 to 1935, encompassing 236 films. Without a doubt, Mary Pickford was the most popular star in the silent era, if not of 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, she died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Santa Monica, California. She was 87 years old.



Heart o' the Hills (1919): $350,000
The Hoodlum (1919): $350,000
Daddy-Long-Legs (1919): $350,000
Stella Maris (1918): $250,000
The Little American (1917): $68,666.66
A Romance of the Redwoods (1917): $96,667
Less Than the Dust (1916): $10,000/week + 50% of profits
Rags (1915): $4,000/week
Caprice (1913): $500/week
The Courting of Mary (1911): $275/week
A Gold Necklace (1910): $175/week

She had intended to have all of her films destroyed after her death, fearing that no one would care about them. She was convinced not to do this. Arguably the silent era's most renowned female star. Film historian Ethan Katz goes so far as to call her "the most popular star in screen history". Sister of screen/stage actress Lottie Pickford. Step-mother to Douglas Fairbanks Jr.. Had cousins from Port Dalhousie, Ontario, who owned a hot dog stand on the local beach. She would sometimes help them on her summer visits during World War I by serving customers. She and Charles 'Buddy' Rogers adopted two children, Ronald "Ronnie" Charles and Roxanne. Interred at Forest Lawn, Glendale, California, USA, in the Garden of Memory. (Not accessible to the general public). Sister-in-law of Robert Fairbanks. Turned down the role of Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. (1950). Became a US citizen on her marriage to Douglas Fairbanks, but later reclaimed her Canadian citizenship and died a dual US/Canadian citizen. Sister-in-law of Joe Moore, aunt of Alice Moore. Son Ronnie has two children, daughter Jamie (born 1954) and son Tommy (b. 1955). Daughter Roxanne gave birth to a daughter, Katina, in the early 1960s. Was the subject of the first cinematic close up shot, in 1912's Friends (1912). First star (along with husband Douglas Fairbanks) to officially place hand and footprints in the cement at Grauman's Chinese Theatre (April 30, 1927). Hollywood legend has it that the very first star to do so, unofficially, thus inspiring the ensuing tradition, was Norma Talmadge when she accidentally walked onto the wet cement prior to the official opening of the Theatre Is portrayed by Maria Pitillo in Chaplin (1992) Ernst Lubitsch came to America at Mary's invitation to direct Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (1924), but when he arrived he had changed his mind and wouldn't do it (it was eventually directed by Marshall Neilan). Instead, he and Mary made Rosita (1923) together. Her likeness is included as part of the "Canadians in Hollywood" stamp series released by CanadaPost in 2006. The others in the series were Fay Wray, Lorne Greene and John Candy. She was first hired for the movies by director D.W. Griffith. Her last silent movie was My Best Girl (1927). In October 1911, a court voided her contract with IMP because she was a minor when she signed it. As a result, she left IMP for the Majestic Company for $275/week. She and husband Fairbanks were friends of the Edsel Fords (Henry Ford's son). In the Edsel & Eleanor Ford home at 1100 Lake Shore Rd., Grosse Point Shores, MI there hangs in the study an autographed photo of her signed "Mary Pick-A-Ford", c. 1932. She became estranged from daughter Roxanne for a time when she, at age eighteen, ran off to marry a man her parents did not approve of. She paid for her grandchildren to go to school, provided that they showed proof that they were registered.