The Woman Who Made
Hollywood ...
Mary Pickford
by
Ashley Hirt
Senior 1
Mary's family background
Mary was born April 8,1893 in Toronto, Ontario with the name Gladys Louise Smith. Like many other actress of that time, Mary Pickford changed her name later, because she thought that her original name was too serious for an actress.
Mary's family provided the most unusual start for a talented actress:
 | Her mother's name is Charlotte and her father's is Jhon. Her father was an alcoholic and often took his anger out on the mother. Charlotte was a Catholic and didn't believe in divorce, so she would never have left her husband. |
| Mary had a sister named Lottie and a brother named Jack. |
| Lottie was the neglected child in the family because, unlike Mary, she didn't have the talent to act. |
| Jack was the spoiled rotten child, who then ran wild as an adult and got into trouble all the time. Many times he would look to Mary to get himself out of trouble. Mary was the oldest and the one with the talent. |
Early days 'on stage'
Mary Pickford's father died from alcohol when she was young. Soon after her father's death, Mary Pickford's mother, a struggling actress, thought that Mary could start acting to support the family. At the time Mary had played a baby in many plays when she was one. Now at the age of 5, able to speak and act, her mothers, idea was a smart one that would not only benefit her but Mary as well. Mary started to act in touring theater productions with a friend of the family's. Later, they came back to Toronto to work at the Toronto Princess Theater. After doing this for about 9 years, Mary, who was at this point calling the stage home because of pretty much growing up on it, was looking for a challenge. Not only that but the pay wasn't getting better and her mother needed the money to support the family.
New York - theatre, plays, motion pictures and mother
At this point she moved to New York where she auditioned for David Belasco a major theater producer of his time. The audition didn't go so well and she was not accepted for the part. Mary's fighting spirit didn't give up. She wrote letters, with pictures of herself, all fall spring and summer. Many of the letters requested another audition or interview. David Belasco loved her persistence and asked her to audition again. She did and was hired on the spot to play in "The Warren of Virginia". The play was a huge success and was on stage for two years, one in New York, the other on tour.
After making many plays with David Belasco, Mary's mother said she had to make more money and insisted on her auditioning for D. W. Griffith who made motion pictures. Even though she hated the idea of playing in a motion picture, to her they were a step down to a good acting carrier. To please her mom, she auditioned and tried her hardest to not get the part, but with all of her talent and experience they hired her right away.
Motion Pictures and Marriages and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
| Mary worked with great actors and actress such as Charlie Chaplin and Owen Moore. She was paid $10 a day to play in a series of movies. With the money she would keep half for herself and send the rest to her mother in Toronto. Mary's pay is peanuts compared to what the movie stars are making today. |
| After Mary's work with David Belasco, she signed with Adolph Zukor and made movies like "Tess of the Storm Country" (1914), "Fanchon the Cricket" (1915), "Daddy Long Legs" (1919). |
| In 1919, Mary Pickford founded the motion picture production company United Artists with D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, and Douglas Fairbanks. |
| In 1920, she then married Douglas Fairbanks. Their marriage was called "the Royal Family of Hollywood" because they were in the spotlight 24 hours a day. |
| They lived in the Pickfair Mansion and had a son they named Douglas Fairbanks Jr. |
| Mary won an Oscar in 1928 for her role in "Coqette". |
| Her last movie was "Secrets". |
| In 1933 she retired from acting at the age of 40. |
| She divorced Douglas Fairbanks. |
| Later, Mary married Buddy. |
| She spent the rest of her life as a drunk and recluse, because of the shocking deaths of Lottie and Jack, as many people said. |