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Significant Women in Film History: 1900s-1920s

Mary Pickford (1892-1979)

Despite being named America’s Sweetheart at the height of her career, Mary Pickford was actually born in Toronto, Canada. The oldest of three and the daughter of a single mother, Pickford began her career in acting at the age of seven and would eventually become her family’s primary breadwinner. Her siblings soon joined her in the acting profession and would join her in an acting troupe that traveled the US. But by 1909 Pickford had trouble securing jobs on Broadway and moved on to the growing film industry. Pickford made a screen test with Biograph Studios and soon found herself with a contract. Unlike most new actors and actresses Pickford was able to secure an instant pay raise. Pickford got Griffith to agree to pay her $10 a day instead of the usual $5. In 1909 she would appear in 51 films for Biograph and she quickly became popular with audiences. Pickford was popular for playing young girls who were often born in poverty and rose out of it through strength and romance. She became known as ‘the girl with the curls’ since film actors and actress were not listed in film credits. By 1913 she had moved onto Paramount Pictures and her popularity, along with her paycheck, grew. By 1916, Pickford had become one of the most popular actresses in the world. In that year, she signed a contract with Paramount giving her creative control over the films she starred in, something not often given to other actresses of the time. Along with D.W Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, her husband Douglass Fairbanks, she formed the independent production company United Artists. This gave her and her partner’s creative control that they could have never have had while at bigger studios. At this point Pickford had become the most powerful actress in Hollywood. She would begin to lose popularity as the sound film became the main medium and audiences moved on to newer actresses. Despite her retirement from acting, Pickford continued to work at United Artists. She would leave the company in 1956. In addition to acting, she would raise War bonds during WWI, Form the Motion Picture Relief Fund, Build the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital, and be one of the founders of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Many of these programs still exist today and help actors and workers in Hollywood in need of assistance. But most importantly Mary was not just the actress in her films, she was in charge of almost every aspect of filmmaking, from the casting to the script, to the promotion of the film. It is not an understatement to say Mary Pickford was truly one of the most powerful ans influental women of her time.

More About Mary Pickford

Documentary on Mary Pickford

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