Lillian Gish
Hailed as the first Lady of American cinema, Lillian Gish became a pioneering figure in the silent film era thanks to an enduring partnership with director D.W. Griffith which spawned "The Birth of a Nation" (1915), "Intolerance" (1916) and "Way Down East" (1920). Born in Springfield, OH in 1893, Lillian Gish first began performing on stage alongside her mother Mary and sister Dorothy in her pre-teens, and also appeared alongside the latter in her screen debut, the short film "An Unseen Enemy" (1912). Gish went on to work with its director. D.W. Griffith, in countless silent movies throughout the rest of the decade, including his first full-length feature "Judith of Bethulia" (1914), the seminal but hugely controversial Civil War epic "The Birth of a Nation" (1915) and popular melodrama "Way Down East" (1920). Gish suffered permanent nerve damage in her fingers while filming the latter and also refused to eat or drink for three days to prepare for her death scene in "La Boheme" (1926). It was this dedication to her craft, alongside her wonderfully expressive performances, which established Gish as one of the most revered actresses of the silent film era. Gish also directed her sister in "Remodeling Her Husband" (1920) and took full creative control of several MGM pictures including one of her all-time favorites, "The Wind" (1928), having insisted that the studio's million-dollar offer to procure her talents instead be used to attract the best possible behind the scenes team. Gish eventually made the move into talkies playing Princess Alexandra in "One Romantic Night" (1930), although she remained a keen advocate of silent films throughout her career, regularly giving speeches on the subject and later hosting TV special "The Silent Years" (PBS, 1975). Gish proved she could adapt when she was nominated for an Oscar for her turn as the ill-fated Laura Belle McCanles in Western epic "Duel in the Sun" (1946). She later starred in fantasy classic "Portrait of Jennie" (1948), earned critical acclaim for her performance in "The Trip to Bountiful" (NBC, 1953) and starred opposite Robert Mitchum in thriller "Night of the Hunter" (1955). She also became a regular of the TV anthology, guesting on the likes of "The Campbell Playhouse" (NBC, 1952-54) and "The Alcoa Hour" (NBC, 1955-57). In the following decade she portrayed Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna in short-lived Broadway production "Anya," picked up a Golden Globe nod for her turn as Mrs. Smith in political drama "The Comedians" (1967) and appeared in the last ever film produced by Walt Disney, "Follow Me, Boys!" (1966). Gish won a string of lifetime achievement awards in the 1970s but continued to work well into the 1980s, guesting on "The Love Boat" (ABC, 1977-1986), playing Alan Alda's mother in comedy "Sweet Liberty" (1986) and receiving a ten-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival for her co-starring performance alongside Better Davis in "The Whales of August" (1987). Gish passed away from heart failure in 1993 at the age of 99.
Photos
Lillian Gish
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
64% |
|
The Whales of August | Sarah Webber (Character) | $127.3K | 1987 |
76% |
|
Sweet Liberty | Cecelia Burgess (Character) | $12.7M | 1986 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | Mrs Loftus (Character) | - | 1985 |
No Score Yet |
|
Hambone and Hillie | Hillie Radcliffe (Character) | - | 1984 |
No Score Yet |
|
Hobson's Choice | Miss Molly Winkle (Character) | - | 1983 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Sparrow | Mrs Benet (Character) | - | 1983 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Thin Ice | Grandmother (Character) | - | 1981 |
69% |
|
A Wedding | Nettie Sloan (Character) | - | 1978 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Twin Detectives | Billy Jo Haskins (Character) | - | 1976 |
27% |
|
The Comedians | Mrs. Smith (Character) | - | 1967 |
No Score Yet |
|
Warning Shot | Alice Willows (Character) | - | 1967 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Comedians In Africa | Self | - | 1967 |
No Score Yet |
|
Follow Me, Boys! | Hetty Seibert (Character) | - | 1966 |
67% |
|
The Unforgiven | Mattilda Zachary (Character) | - | 1960 |
No Score Yet |
|
Orders to Kill | Mrs. Summers (Character) | - | 1958 |
75% |
|
The Cobweb | Victoria Inch (Character) | - | 1955 |
93% |
|
The Night of the Hunter | Rachel Cooper (Character) | - | 1955 |
93% |
|
Portrait of Jennie | Mother Mary of Mercy (Character) | - | 1948 |
76% |
|
Duel in the Sun | Laura Belle McCanles (Character) | - | 1946 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Miss Susie Slagle's | Miss Susie Slagle (Character) | - | 1945 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Top Man | Beth Warren (Character) | - | 1943 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Commandos Strike at Dawn | Mrs. Bergesen (Character) | - | 1942 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | His Double Life | Alice Chalice (Character) | - | 1933 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | One Romantic Night | Alexandra (Character) | - | 1930 |
100% |
|
The Wind | Letty (Character) | - | 1928 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Enemy | Pauli Arndt (Character) | - | 1927 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Annie Laurie | Annie Laurie (Character) | - | 1927 |
No Score Yet |
|
La Bohème | Mimi (Character) | - | 1926 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Scarlet Letter | Hester Prynne (Character) | - | 1926 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Romola | Romola (Character) | - | 1924 |
No Score Yet |
|
The White Sister | Angela Chiaromonte (Character) | - | 1923 |
88% |
|
Orphans of the Storm | Henriette Girard (Character) | - | 1922 |
96% |
|
Way Down East | Anna Moore (Character) | - | 1920 |
86% | No Score Yet | Remodeling Her Husband | Director | - | 1920 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Romance of Happy Valley | Jennie Timberlake (Character) | - | 1919 |
95% |
|
Broken Blossoms | Lucy (Character) | - | 1919 |
71% |
|
True Heart Susie | True Heart Susie (Character) | - | 1919 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Greatest Question | Nellie Jarvis (Character) | - | 1919 |
95% |
|
Hearts of the World | The Little Disturber (Character) | - | 1918 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Greatest Thing in Life | Unknown (Character) | - | 1918 |
98% |
|
Intolerance |
The Woman Who Rocks the Cradle/ |
- | 1916 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Intolerance - Part 1 |
The Woman Who Rocks the Cradle/ |
- | 1916 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Intolerance - Part 2 |
The Woman Who Rocks the Cradle/ |
- | 1916 |
91% |
|
The Birth of a Nation | Elsie Stoneman (Character) | - | 1915 |
No Score Yet |
|
Judith of Bethulia | The young mother (Character) | - | 1914 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Battle at Elderbush Gulch | Unknown (Character) | - | 1913 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Mothering Heart | Unknown (Character) | - | 1913 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The House of Darkness | Nurse Playing Piano (Character) | - | 1913 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Lady and the Mouse | The Young Woman (Character) | - | 1913 |
No Score Yet |
|
An Unseen Enemy | The Sister - Older (Character) | - | 1912 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Musketeers of Pig Alley | The Little Lady (Character) | - | 1912 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Disney's Wonderful World | Hetty Seibert (Character) | 1981 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | What's My Line? |
Unknown (Character), Guest |
1969 1973 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Unknown (Character) | 1964 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Mr. Novak | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1963 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Alcoa Hour | Esther Crampton (Character) | 1956 |