Actress, born in Springfield, Ohio, USA. She started in silent films as an extra under D W Griffith in 1912, and became the girl heroine in all his classics from The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916) to Orphans of the Storm (1922). After the coming of sound films, she lost interest in the cinema, but continued on the stage, occasionally returning to film and television in character roles, even in the 1970s. Her sister Dorothy Gish (18981968) was also a film actress, and appeared with her in several films, then went into the theatre for many years. Her later film performances included a role in The Cardinal (1963).
| Lillian Gish | |
|
Lillian Gish in the 1920s |
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| Birth name | Lillian Diana de Guiche |
| Born |
October 14, 1893 Springfield, Ohio, United States |
| Died |
February 27, 1993 New York City |
| Height | 5'5½" (1.66 m) |
| Official site | The Official Website of Lillian Gish |
|
Academy Awards |
1971 Academy Honorary Award |
Lillian Diana de Guiche (October 14, 1893 – February 27, 1993), was an Oscar-nominated American actress, better known as Lillian Gish.
Early life
Lillian Gish was born in Springfield, Ohio, the elder sister of actress Dorothy Gish (Some sources cite 1896 as the year she was born). Lillian went on to star in many of Griffith's most acclaimed films, among these The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, Broken Blossoms, Way Down East, and Orphans of the Storm.
Having appeared in over 25 short films and features in her first two years as a movie actress, Lillian became a major star, becoming known as "The First Lady of the Silent Screen" and appearing in lavish productions, frequently of literary works such as The Scarlet Letter (1926). MGM released her from her contract in 1928 after the failure of The Wind, now recognized by many as among her finest performances and one of the most distinguished works of the late silent period. Her most acclaimed television work was starring in the original production of The Trip to Bountiful in 1953.
Her last film role was in The Whales of August in 1987 at the age of 93, with Vincent Price, Bette Davis, who was dying of cancer, and Ann Sothern, who earned her only Academy Award nomination for her final film performance.
Her final professional appearance was a cameo on the 1988 all-star studio recording of Jerome Kern's Show Boat, in which she affectingly spoke the few lines of The Old Lady on the Levee in the final scene.
Some in the entertainment industry were angry that Gish had not received an Oscar nomination for her role in The Whales of August, despite the fact that it was obviously her swan song.
Private life
The association between Gish and Griffith was so close that some suspected a romantic connection, an issue never acknowledged by Gish although several of their associates were certain they were at least briefly involved.
The main street in Massillon, Ohio is named after Gish, who had lived there during an early period of her life and fondly referred to it as her hometown throughout her career.
Filmography
SILENT
An Unseen Enemy (1912) Two Daughters of Eve (1912) So Near, Yet So Far (1912) In the Aisles of the Wild (1912) The One She Loved (1912) The Painted Lady (1912) The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) Gold and Glitter (1912) My Baby (1912) The Informer (1912) Brutality (1912) The New York Hat (1912) The Burglar’s Dilemma (1912) A Cry for Help (1912) Oil and Water (1913) The Unwelcome Guest (1913) A Misunderstood Boy (1913) The Left-Handed Man (1913) The Lady and the Mouse (1913) A Timely Interception (1913) The House of Darkness (1913) Just Gold (1913) The Mothering Heart (1913) During the Round-Up (1913) An Indian’s Loyalty (1913) A Woman in the Ultimate (1913) A Modest Hero (1913) So Runs the Way (1913) The Madonna of the Storm (1913) The Blue or the Gray (1913) The Conscience of Hassan Bey (1913) Just Kids (1913) The Stolen Bride (1913) The Battle at Elderbush Gulch (1913) A Duel For Love (1914) The Green-Eyed Devil (1914) Judith of Bethulia (1914) The Hunchback (1914) The Quicksands (1914) The Battle of the Sexes (1914) Silent Sandy (1914) The Rebellion of Kitty Belle (1914) Man’s Enemy (1914) The Angel of Contention (1914) The Tear That Burned (1914) The Folly of Anne (1914) Men and Women (1914) The Sisters (1914) Home Sweet Home (1914) The Escape (1914) Lord Chumley (1914) The Birth of a Nation (1915) His Lesson (1915) The Lost House (1915) Enoch Arden (1915) Captain Macklin (1915) The Lily and the Rose (1915) Pathways of Life (1916) Daphne and the Pirate (1916) Sold for Marriage (1916) An Innocent Magdalene (1916) Intolerance (1916) Diane of the Follies (1916) The Children Pay (1916) A House Built Upon Sand (1916) Souls Triumphant (1917) Hearts of the World (1918) The Great Love (1918) Liberty Bond (1918) United States Fourth Liberty Loan Drive (1918) Canadian Victory Loan Drive (1918) The Greatest Thing in Life (1918) A Romance of Happy Valley (1919) Broken Blossoms (1919) True Heart Susie (1919) The Greatest Question (1919) Way Down East (1920) Orphans Of The Storm (1921) The White Sister (1923) Romola (1924) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) (uncredited extra) La Bohème (1926) The Scarlet Letter (1926) Annie Laurie (1927) The Enemy (1927) The Wind (1928)POST-SILENT
One Romantic Night (aka The Swan) (1930) His Double Life (1933) Commandos Strike at Dawn (1942) Top Man (aka Man of The Family) (1943) Miss Susie Slagle's (1946) Duel in the Sun (1946) Portrait of Jennie (aka Tidal Wave) (1948) Outward Bound (TV) (1949) The Late Christopher Bean (TV) (1949) The Joyous Season (TV) (1951) Ladies in Retirement (TV) (1951) The Autobiography of Grandma Moses (TV) (1952) The Trip to Bountiful (TV) (1953) The Quality of Mercy (TV) (1954) The Corner Druggist (TV) (1954) Film Fun (1955) (uncredited) The Cobweb (1955) The Night of the Hunter (1955) I, Mrs. Bibb (TV) (1955) The Sound and the Fury (TV) (1955) The Day Lincoln Was Shot (TV) (1956) Morning's At Seven (TV) (1956) Orders to Kill (1958) The Grass Harp (TV) (1960) The Unforgiven (1960) Mr Novak-Hello, Miss Phipps (TV) (1963) Stowaway (TV) (1964) Body in the Barn (TV) (1964) Follow Me, Boys! (1966) Warning Shot (1967) The Comedians (1967) Arsenic and Old Lace (1969) (TV) Twin Detectives (1976) (TV) Sparrow (1978) (TV) A Wedding (1978) Thin Ice (1981) (TV) Hobson's Choice (1983) (TV) Hambone and Hillie (1984) Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1985) (TV) Sweet Liberty (1986) The Whales of August (1987)Books
Autobiographical:
The Movies, Mr. Griffith, and Me (with Ann Pinchot) (Prentice-Hall, 1969) Dorothy and Lillian Gish (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973) An Actor's Life For Me (with Selma G. Other:Lillian Gish an Interpretation - Edward Wagenknecht (University of Washington, 1927) Life and Lillian Gish - Albert Bigelow Paine (Macmillan, 1932) Star Acting - Gish, Garbo, Davis - Charles Affron (E.P. Company, 2000) Lillian Gish Her Legend, Her Life - Charles Affron (Scribner, 2001)
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