Chester Morris

He had been appearing in a stage production of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial at the Bucks County Playhouse at the time of his death.
See also: Other Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood. Soon after appearing in that film, he was found dead in New Hope, Pennsylvania of a drug overdose. During his career, Jack Pickford appeared in more than 70 films. Morris's career began to fade in the 1950s, and he only appeared in three films from 1948 until his final role in 1970's The Great White Hope. Pickford has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1523 Vine Street. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for 1929's Alibi, but perhaps his finest role is in the early prison film The Big House, which was a huge success and propelled his career. His sister Mary arranged for his body to be brought back to Los Angeles, California, where he was interred in the private Pickford plot in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Born in New York City, the son of actor William Morris, Morris is most famous for his role in the Boston Blackie detective series of the 1940s, but his film career began in 1917 in An Amateur Orphan. Pickford died in the American Hospital in Paris, at age 36. John Chester Brooks Morris (February 16, 1901 - September 11, 1970) was an American actor. Married two more times unsuccessfully, including a 1922-1927 marriage to celebrated tap dancer Marilyn Miller, by 1932 Jack Pickford was alone again, his health deteriorating from the ravages of syphilis and the toll that years of alcohol and drug abuse had taken. On the return trip home to America, film director Allan Dwan had to talk the distraught Pickford out of committing suicide. The police investigation into her death centered on Pickford but no charges were ever laid.

Returning to their room in the Hotel Ritz at around 3:00 in the morning, his wife died after ingesting a large dose of the mercury biochloride which had been prescribed for her husband's ongoing venereal disease; infected in 1917, he had passed the disease onto Thomas, as well as the medicine used to treat it. However, while filming in Paris, France, they went out for a night of entertainment at the famous bistros in Montparnasse. Bernhard Krugh Thomas, 1894-1920), a beautiful Pennsylvania-born model turned showgirl turned film actress and reputed heroin addict, was stormy from the start but she was the love of his life. His first marriage, in 1916, to Olive Thomas (né Duffy, ex-Mrs.

For his involvement, Jack Pickford came close to being dishonorably discharged but speculation has it that his sister stepped in and arranged for him to give evidence to the authorities in exchange for a medical discharge. Using the famous Pickford name, he soon became involved in a scheme that allowed rich young men to pay bribes to avoid military service, as well as reportedly procuring young women for officers. In early 1918, after the United States joined World War I, Jack Pickford joined the United States Navy. As his reckless lifestyle worsened, the number of movies he made declined and therefore his income.

He spent money like water and frequently had to suffer the humiliation of asking his mother or sister for help. In those days, the movie studios were able to cover up almost all of their stars misbehavior but within the Hollywood crowd, Jack Pickford's behind-the scenes antics made him a legend in his own time. Despite his on-screen image as the winsome boy-next-door, Jack Pickford's private life was one of alcohol, drugs and womanizing. Jack got a lucrative contract with First National as part of the deal but that year, he gained respect for his acting abilities after starring as Pip in the adaptation of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations and in the same year for playing the title role in Mark Twain' s Tom Sawyer.

Jack, a small, fragile boy, grew up in an adult world, one that suddenly became full of money far beyond anything imaginable for the time when Mary Pickford signed a contract in 1917 for $1 million with First National Pictures. After Biograph opened its studios in Hollywood, California, the Pickford clan moved west. In 1910, he was only 14 years old when, with the help of his sister, he was signed to perform in motion pictures with Biograph Studios. Like her, Jack Pickford's mother had him acting on stage as a very young boy.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, he was the brother of Mary Pickford. John Charles Smith (August 18, 1896 - January 3, 1933) was a Canadian actor.