Lillian Gish

Lillian Diana Gish was an American actress, director, and screenwriter. She is credited as an influential pioneer in early cinema and was known as “The First Lady of the Silent Screen.” Gish began her acting career in 1901 at the age of five. Her big break came in 1912 when she renewed her acquaintance with Gladys Smith, another former child actor. Smith, a prestigious leading lady, had taken the name Mary Pickford. From 1912 to 1922, she worked for D.W. Griffith in a number of movies, including An Unseen Enemy and Orphans of the Storm. In 1925, Gish began working for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer where she was given the almost unheard-of privilege of selecting her scripts and directors. She left MGM for United Artists in 1928, but appeared in only one UA film. She chose to leave Hollywood behind and returned to New York where she became a leading stage and television actor. In 1970, she was given an Oscar for her collective film career.