Lillian Diana Gish (1893–1993,) originally Lillian de Quiche, the “First Lady of the Silent Screen,” was an American actress of the screen and stage, as well as a director and writer. Celebrated as the greatest silent film actress and one of the greatest actresses in the history of cinema, Gish is credited with turning film acting into an art form.
Born in Springfield, Ohio, she made her stage début at the age of five, and acted in touring theatre companies with her sister Dorothy Gish (1898–1968;) they made a joint film début in An Unseen Enemy (1912.) A long association with film director D. W. Griffith brought her leading roles in Birth of a Nation (1915,) Intolerance (1916,) and Broken Blossoms (1919,) and she created a gallery of waif-like heroines with indomitable spirits.
In 1925, Gish started working with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and negotiated the rights to approve both the director and the script. This arrangement resulted in many successful films, including La Bohème (1926,) The Scarlet Letter (1926,) and The Wind (1928.)
Gish’s early sound films were less successful than her silent films; her acting style began to seem dated. In 1930, she returned to the stage, where her many credits include The Trip to Bountiful (1953,) Romeo and Juliet (1965,) and Uncle Vanya (1973.) She continued to play supporting roles in television and on film, including Duel in the Sun (1946) and The Night of the Hunter (1955,) and returned to a significant screen role in The Whales of August (1987.)
Gish directed one film, Remodeling Her Husband (1920,) and co-wrote several volumes of autobiography, including The Movies, Mr. Griffith, and Me (1969,) Dorothy and Lillian Gish (1973,) and An Actor’s Life for Me (1987.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Lillian Gish
The most valuable gift I ever received was … the gift of insecurity … my father left us. My mother’s love might not have prepared me for life the way my father’s departure did. He forced us out on to the road where we had to earn our bread.
—Lillian Gish
Topics: Adversity, Difficulties
I like people to come back and tell me what I did wrong. That’s the kindest thing you can do.
—Lillian Gish
Topics: Criticism
When I first went into the movies Lionel Barrymore played my grandfather. Later he played my father and finally my husband. If he had lived, I’m sure I would have played his mother. That’s the way it is in Hollywood. The men get younger and the women get older.
—Lillian Gish
Topics: Acting
You can get through life with bad manners, but it’s easier with good manners.
—Lillian Gish
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
Mary Pickford American-Canadian Film Actress
Hedda Hopper American Actress, Gossip Columnist
Cicely Tyson American Actress
Mia Farrow American Actress, Activist
Marie Dressler American-Canadian Actress
Shirley Temple American Actress, Diplomat
Lena Horne American Singer, Actress
Fred Astaire American Dancer, Singer
Jane Fonda American Actress
Joan Rivers American Entertainer