Mary PickfordMary Pickford was one of America’s first celebrities. She was a major star in silent films, who won the hearts of Americans all over our country with her innocent roles in movies such as New York Hat and Daddy Long Legs. At the age of twenty-four, Mary was Hollywood’s first millionaire. On April 8, 1892, Gladys Marie Smith was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her name would later be changed to Mary Pickford by her producer, David Belasco. Mary’s father was an alcoholic and died when she was just a child. Mary started acting at a young age to earn money for her family: her mother, Charlotte, and two younger siblings, Lottie and Jack. Mary toured with different road companies and was known as “Baby Gladys.” Mary earned a role on the Broadway stage in The Warrens of Virginia and from there moved on to Biograph Studios to start her film career. She left the studio, however, when she thought she wasn’t getting enough attention from her director, D. W. Griffith. Mary wed Owen Moore, another actor, but quickly divorced after falling in love with David Fairbanks. David was a very popular action star in Hollywood, and he and Mary were married in 1920. They bought an estate in Hollywood entitled PickFair. The two created United Artists with major film star Charlie Chaplin and Mary’s old boss, D. W. Griffith. Their company allowed filmmakers to have complete artistic control over their movies. In 1929, Mary and David got divorced. Mary won an Oscar for her role in Coquette. Although this was an adult role, Mary never felt fully accepted as an adult in the film world and she retired in 1933. In 1937, Mary married Charles “Buddy” Rogers, who was an actor and a musician. After her years as a superstar, Mary performed charity work. She created the Motion Picture Country Home and Hospital for retired filmmakers in need. Mary sold United Artists in 1953 and earned a lot of money for it. In 1955, she wrote her autobiography, Sunshine and Shadow. In the later years of her life, Mary had been known to drink too much, and on May 29, 1979, she died of a cerebral hemmorage, like her father. What interested me in Mary Pickford was that she was an actress. I, also, like to act and find it interesting to learn about important women in the acting world. Mary was a ground breaker, and without her, other actresses may not have had the courage to take control of their career. Mary was determined and never gave up. If she wanted a raise, she got it; if she wanted a job she got it. I think it’s important for women to have role models like this in their life. After all the hardships in her job, her father dying, her various divorces, Mary was brave and didn’t let it limit her success. She also helped many other people in need with her charity work. Her Country Home and Hospital helped many retired filmmakers. Without it, they would never have gotten the help they needed. Although Mary was a great lady and a good person to others, there were parts of her life that I did not like. I did not like that she had three different marriages. I am not against divorce, but it seems to me that, if someone gets divorced three different times, they weren’t getting married because they were in love. The other thing I did not like about Mary was that she died because she was drinking too much. I understand that people cannot help it if they are an alcoholic, but if someone has a problem, he or she should get help. Mary Pickford has affected me in many ways. If it weren’t for her, there wouldn’t be as many girls like me acting today. While she did silent films, she gave later women more confidence in their film careers. It wasn’t just actors that she affected, though, she helped women all over the world have confidence in their jobs and speak up for themselves. All in all, Mary Pickford was a great influence to women everywhere. “Supposing you have tried and failed again and again. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.” This is a quote from Mary Pickford, and it really epitomizes her life. She was brave, determined and kind, Mary is a great role model. Ilse M Works Consulted: 1. http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=56706&mod=bio
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