Lillian Gish
Lillian Diana de Guiche (
October 14,
1893 â€"
February 27,
1993), was an
Oscar-nominated
American actress, better known as
Lillian Gish.
Lillian Gish was born in
Springfield, Ohio, the elder sister of actress
Dorothy Gish. The sisters' mother, Mary Robinson McConnell (an
Episcopalian) began acting in order to support the family after her husband, James Leigh Gish (who was of
German Lutheran descent) abandoned them. When Lillian and
Dorothy were old enough, they joined the theatre, often traveling separately in different productions. They also took modeling jobs.
In 1912, their friend
Mary Pickford introduced the sisters to
D.W. Griffith, and she got them contracts with
Biograph Studios. Lillian would soon become one of America's best-loved actresses.
Their first role was in Griffith's short film
An Unseen Enemy. 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 the most distinguished works of the late silent period.
|
Lillian Gish and Norman Kerry in the 1927 film Annie Laurie. |
With her debut in
talkies only moderately successful, she acted on the stage for the most part in the
1930s and early
1940s, appearing with distinction in roles as varied as Ophelia in
Guthrie McClintic's landmark 1936 production of
Hamlet (with
John Gielgud and
Judith Anderson) and Marguerite in a limited run of
La Dame aux Camélias. Of the former, she said, with pride, "I played a
lewd Ophelia!," contrasting the role with the virginal "ga-ga babies" she had tired of portraying on screen.
Returning to movies, Gish was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1946 for
Duel in the Sun. She appeared in films from time to time for the rest of her life, notably in
Night of the Hunter (1955) and
A Wedding (1978).
Lillian Gish made numerous television appearances from the early 1950's into the late 1980's. Her most acclaimed television work was starring in the original production of The Trip to Bountiful in 1953. In addition to her latterday acting appearances, she became one of the leading advocates on the lost art of the silent film, often giving speeches and touring to screenings of classic works. In 1972 she hosted The Silent Years, a PBS film program of silent films.
Miss Gish received a special Academy Award in 1971 "for superlative artistry and for distinguished contribution to the progress of motion pictures." In 1984 she received an American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award, only the second female recipient (Bette Davis was first in 1977) and only recipient who was a major figure in the silent era. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1720 Vine Street.
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. The last words of her century-spanning career: "Good night, dear."
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. Gish, herself, was more complacent, remarking that it saved her the trouble of "losing to Cher" (who did, in fact, win the Oscar for her performance in Moonstruck'').
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.
She was involved with
Charles Duell (a producer) and the drama critic and editor
George Jean Nathan. Gish's association with Duell was something of a tabloid scandal in the 1920s after he sued her and made the details of their relationship public.
She maintained a very close relationship with her sister Dorothy, as well as with
Mary Pickford for her entire life. One of her closest friends was actress
Helen Hayes. Gish was the godmother of Hayes' son
James MacArthur.
She died in her sleep on
February 27,
1993 as a result of
heart failure aged 99. Her estate, which she left to Helen Hayes, who died a month later, was valued at several million dollars, and went to provide prizes for artistic excellence.
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. She was interred beside her sister Dorothy at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church Columbarium in the undercroft of the church in the heart of
New York City.
|
Lillian and her sister Dorothy |
|
Lillian Gish as Anna Moore. in D. W. Griffith's production of "Way Down East". |
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)
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. Lanes) (Viking Penguin, 1987)
Biographical & 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. Dutton, 1977)
*
A Moment with Miss Gish -
Peter Bogdanovich (Santa Teresa Press, 1995)
*
Lillian Gish A Life on Stage and Screen - Stuart Oderman (McFarland & Company, 2000)
*
Lillian Gish Her Legend, Her Life - Charles Affron (Scribner, 2001)
* Gish's life is documented in
Terry Sanders' 1988 documentary
Lillian Gish: An Actor's Life for Me.
* Actress
Jeanne Moreau produced a documentary on Lillian in the 1980's that has not been released.
*1893 Birth of Lillian Diana de Guiche in
Springfield, Ohio on October 14th
*1912 Appeared in her first film, D.W. Griffith's
An Unseen Enemy*
1920 US Census in
Mamaroneck, New York as "Lillian Gish"
*1987
The Whales of August as final film
*1993 Death in
Manhattan on February 27th
* "In my time, when a man used improper language in front of a lady, another man took him outside and knocked him down."
* "The love scenes I did years ago were sensitive and romantic, but in today's (filmed) lovemaking, couples are trying to swallow each other's tonsils."
* "You only get one body to live in so you better take care of it."
* "I've always been a happy person. I love the human race. I love my work. I love the world."
* "I'm a believing person. I believe in God even though I can't see him. You can't see the air in this room, right? But take it away and you're dead."
* "Movies nowadays are all alike, as if they were made on an assembly line. Hollywood has turned into an emotional Detroit."
The
Smashing Pumpkins 1991 album
Gish was named after Lillian Gish.
*
Women's Cinema*
Classic Movies (1939 - 1969): Lillian Gish*
Lillian Gish's biographic sketch at
Find A Grave*
Official website*
Extensive Lillian Gish gallery*
Biography of Lillian Gish Spanish
