LILLIAN GISH BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Lillian Diana Gish was born on October 14th, 1893 in Springfield, Ohio USA.  Her mother, Mary Robinson McConnell, began acting in order to support the family after her husband, James Leigh Gish abandoned the family. When Lillian and her younger sister, Dorothy were old enough, they joined the theatre, often traveling separately in different productions and they also worked part time in the modeling industry.  Beginning at the age of five, Gish performed in New York and with a traveling road company and even at such a young age, she was developing a major love for the theater. 

In 1912, their friend Mary Pickford introduced the sisters to D.W. Griffith, and helped get them contracts with Biograph Studios.  Their first role was in Griffith's short film "An Unseen Enemy" (1912) at the young age of ten, Gish also worked among other films such as, "The Birth of a Nation" (1915), "Intolerance" (1916), "Broken Blossoms" (1919), "Way Down East" (1919) and "Orphans of the Storm" (1922).

By 1924, Gish had left Griffith for MGM, who had offered her an $800,000 contract.  At MGM she not only starred in, but made numerous contributions to the production of "LA Boheme" (1926), "The Scarlet Letter" (1926) and "The Wind" (1928).

In 1930, she made her first sound film, "One Romantic Night."  By the 1930's, problems with the studio began and Gish decided to leave Hollywood and return to working in theater, where she concentrated on theater and radio.  She became a fixture of the stage in productions, including 1930's "Uncle Vanya," 1936's "The Old Maid", and 1937's "The Star Wagon".

By 1948, she made her television debut in, "The Late Christopher Bean" and from there on, continued her television appearances throughout the rest of her life.  A supporting role in, "The Commandos Strike at Dawn" (1943), was her beginning of return to film. Four years later, she received her first Oscar nomination for her work in the acclaimed "Duel in the Sun" starring Gregory Peck and Jennifer Jones, however, after 1948's "Portrait of Jennie", Gish again left Hollywood and the Film industry for the stage, and did not return to movies prior to 1955's "The Cobweb".  Her most acclaimed television work was starring in the original production of "The Trip to Bountiful" in 1953.

Over the years she appeared in such fine films as "Duel In The Sun" (1946), "The Night Of The Hunter" (1955) starring Robert Mitchum and "The Unforgiven" (1960) starring Burt Lancaster, Audrey Hepburn, Audie Murphy and Charles Bickford. After 1967's "The Comedians", Gish largely retired from acting. In 1971, she won a special Academy Award for her "superlative artistry". In 1975, she hosted "The Silent Years", a PBS film program of silent films and in 1977 co-starred in Robert Altman's, "A Wedding".  She was honored in 1984 by the American Film and in 1987, she accepted her final starring role, in "The Whales of August" at the age of 93.

Lillian Gish never married or had children. The association between Gish and Griffith was so close that some suspected a romantic relationship, but this was never acknowledged by Gish.

Lillian Gish died in her sleep of natural causes, in New York City on February 27, 1993 at the age of 99.  She was known as the first lady of the silent screen and she was the movie industry's first true actress.  She was the star of many movies, television shows, radio and the stage for nearly all of the 20th century. The American Film Institute (AFI) named Gish 17th among the greatest female stars of all time. She was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 1971, and in 1984 she received an AFI Life Achievement Award.  She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1720 Vine Street.
 

Filmogrpahy
 
1912   An Unseen Enemy
1912   Two Daughters of Eve
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   The New York Hat
1912   The Burglar’s Dilemma
1912   A Cry for Help
1913   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
1914   Judith of Bethulia
1914   The Battle at Elderbush Gulch
1914   The Green-Eyed Devil
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
1915   The Birth of a Nation
1915   His Lesson
1915   The Lost House
1915   Enoch Arden
1915   Captain Macklin
1915   The Lily and the Rose
1916   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
1917   Souls Triumphant
1918   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
1919   A Romance of Happy Valley
1919   Broken Blossoms
1919   True Heart Susie
1919   The Greatest Question
1920   Way Down East
1921   Orphans of the Storm
1923   The White Sister
1924   Romola
1926   La Bohème
1926   The Scarlet Letter
1927   Annie Laurie
1927   The Enemy
1928   The Wind