Mary Pickford
Destined to become America's first sweetheart, Mary Pickford was born Gladys Marie Smith on April 8, 1892, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Acting would become second nature to little Mary. Her parents were actors and it was only natural that she would follow in their footsteps. Her mother wasted no time in introducing her to the stage, and she appeared in one production at the age of six. In 1907, she adopted a family name Pickford and joined the David Belasco troupe, appearing in the long-running The Warrens of Virginia". She began in films in 1909 with the 'American Mutoscope & Biograph' , run by D.W. Griffith.  In the early days of filmmaking it wasn't at all uncommon for performers to churn out several films per year, often working on more than one at a time. In 1909, Mary appeared in 51 films - almost one a week! .

For a short time in 1911, to earn more money, she joined the IMP Film Co. under Carl Laemmle. She returned to Biograph in 1912, and, in 1913 joined the Famous Players Film Company/States Rights/Paramount under Adolph Zukor. In 1916 she joined the Artcraft Pictures Corp. She then joined First National Exhibitor's Circuit in 1918. In 1920 she helped to establish United Artists, a studio that was responsible for many great films for the next 60-plus years before being bought by MGM. Mary was more than an actress; she was a tough, savvy businesswoman, and was proud of the fact that she knew what worked for her and what didn't. On top of all that, she was one of 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Finally, at 43, Mary made her last film,'Star Night' at the Cocoanut Grove (1934), and then retired from films for a well-deserved rest. Her career lasted from 1908 to 1935, encompassing 236 films. Without a doubt, Mary Pickford was the most popular star in the silent era, if not of all time. She was awarded an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1976, from the very organization she had started years earlier. On May 29, 1979, she died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Santa Monica, California. She was 87 years old.

Mary was maried three time; firstly from 1911 to 1920 to Owen Moore, then from 1920 to 1936 to Douglas Fairbanks and finally from 1937 until her death to Charles Rogers.