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Lillian Gish

Lillian Gish

Acting1893Springfield, Ohio, USA

Biography

Lillian Diana Gish (October 14, 1893 – February 27, 1993) was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987.

She was a prominent film star of the 1910s and 1920s, particularly associated with the films of director D.W. Griffith, including her leading role in Griffith's seminal Birth of a Nation (1915). Her sound-era film appearances were sporadic, but included memorable roles in the controversial western Duel in the Sun (1946) and the offbeat thriller Night of the Hunter (1955). She did considerable television work from the early 1950s into the 1980s, and closed her career playing, for the first time, opposite Bette Davis in the 1987 film The Whales of August.

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.

Acting History

2021
The Flapper
as (archive footage)
2019
I Am Not a Racist
as Elsie (archive footage) (uncredited)
2016
The Women Who Run Hollywood
as Self (archive footage)
2011
2010
Sigrid Holmquist
as Sigrid Holmquist (archive footage)
2009
2008
Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies
as Self (archive footage)
2002
1998
Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists
as Lucy - The Girl (archive footage)
1995
1993
1988
Lillian Gish: The Actor's Life for Me
as Herself, Archive footage
1987
The Whales of August
as Sarah Webber
1986
Sweet Liberty
as Cecelia Burgess
1985
1984
1983
Hambone and Hillie
as Hillie Radcliffe
Hobson's Choice
as Miss Molly Winkle
1982
The Kennedy Center Honors
TVas Self• 1 eps
1981
Thin Ice
as Grandmother
The Love Boat
TVas Mrs. Williams• 1 eps
1980
Hollywood
TVas Self• 13 eps
1978
A Wedding
as Nettie Sloan
1976
Twin Detectives
as Billy Jo Haskins
1975
Black Shadows on a Silver Screen
as Self (archive footage)
1974
Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1971
The Dick Cavett Show
TVas Self - Guest• 1 eps
1970
Langlois
as Self
1969
Arsenic and Old Lace
as Martha Brewster
1967
The Comedians in Africa
as Self (uncredited)
The Comedians
as Mrs. Smith
Lionpower from MGM
as Self - Mrs. Smith (archive footage) (uncredited)
Warning Shot
as Alice Willows
1966
Follow Me, Boys!
as Hetty Seibert
1964
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
TVas Bessie Carnby• 1 eps
The Defenders
TVas Mrs. Cooper / Louisa Clarendon• 1 eps
1963
Mr. Novak
TVas Maude Phipps• 1 eps
1962
1961
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
as Self (archive footage)
The Spiral Staircase
as Mrs. Warren
Tony Awards
TVas Self - Award Accepter• 1 eps
1960
The Unforgiven
as Mattilda Zachary
1958
Orders to Kill
as Mrs. Summers
1955
The Night of the Hunter
as Rachel Cooper
The Cobweb
as Victoria Inch
Film Fun
as (archive footage)
The Alcoa Hour
TVas Esther Crampton
1953
The Trip to Bountiful
as Carrie Watts
The Philco Television Playhouse
TVas Carrie Watts• 1 eps
1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TVas Grandma Moses
1948
Portrait of Jennie
as Mother Mary of Mercy
1946
Duel in the Sun
as Laura Belle McCanles
Miss Susie Slagle's
as Miss Susie Slagle
1943
Top Man
as Beth Warren
1942
Commandos Strike at Dawn
as Mrs. Bergesen
1933
His Double Life
as Alice Chalice
1930
One Romantic Night
as Princess Alexandra
1928
The Wind
as Letty
1927
The Scarlet Letter
as Hester Prynne
Annie Laurie
as Annie Laurie
The Enemy
as Pauli Arndt
1926
La Bohème
as Mimi
1925
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
as Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
1924
Romola
as Romola
1923
The White Sister
as Angela Chiaromonte
1922
From Farm to Fame
as Lillian Gish
1921
Orphans of the Storm
as Henriette Girard
1920
Way Down East
as Anna Moore
Remodeling Her Husband
Scenario Writer
1919
A Romance of Happy Valley
as Jennie Timberlake
True Heart Susie
as Susie May Trueheart
The Greatest Question
as Nellie Jarvis
1918
Hearts of the World
as The Girl - Marie Stephenson
The Greatest Thing in Life
as Jeannette Peret
The Great Love
as Susie Broadplains
1917
Souls Triumphant
as Lillian Vale
1916
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
as The Woman Who Rocks the Cradle
An Innocent Magdalene
as Dorothy Raleigh
Daphne and the Pirate
as Daphne La Tour
The Children Pay
as Millicent
1915
The Birth of a Nation
as Stoneman's Daughter Elsie
The Lily and the Rose
as Mary Randolph
His Lesson
as Participant in Mob Scene (uncredited)
Enoch Arden
as Annie Lee
Captain Macklin
as Beatrice
The Lost House
as Dosia Dale
1914
The Angel of Contention
as Nettie - the Angel
Judith of Bethulia
as The Young Mother
Home, Sweet Home
as Payne's Sweetheart
The Battle of the Sexes
as Jane Andrews, the daughter
Lord Chumley
as Eleanor Butterworth
The Green-Eyed Devil
as Mary Miller
The Hunchback
as The Orphan - as an Adult
The Tear That Burned
as Anita - the Truant
Man's Enemy
as Grace Lisle
1913
An Indian's Loyalty
as The Ranchero's Daughter
The Lady and the Mouse
as The First Sister
The Unwelcome Guest
as At Auction (uncredited)
The Little Tease
as Girl in bandana
Oil and Water
as In First Audience (uncredited)
A Timely Interception
as The Farmer's Daughter
Just Gold
as The First Brother's Sweetheart
So Runs the Way
as Fred's Wife
During the Round-Up
as The Ranchero's Daughter
The Conscience of Hassan Bey
as The Rugmaker's Daughter
The Left-Handed Man
as The Old Soldier's Daughter
A Modest Hero
as The Wife
A Misunderstood Boy
as The Daughter
1912
An Unseen Enemy
as Eldest Sister
Brutality
as At Theatre
The New York Hat
as Customer in Shop / Outside Church
The Musketeers of Pig Alley
as The Little Lady
The Burglar’s Dilemma
as Birthday Wellwisher
The Painted Lady
as Belle at Ice Cream Festival
The Informer
as Walk on role
A Cry for Help
as The Maid
In the Aisles of the Wild
as The Younger Daughter
Two Daughters of Eve
as In Theatre Crowd
Gold and Glitter
as The Young Woman

Social Media

IMDb

Personal Info

Known For
Acting
Gender
Female
Birthday
10/14/1893
Day of Death
2/27/1993
Place of Birth
Springfield, Ohio, USA