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Lillian Gish

Lillian Gish

Lillian Gish (October 14, 1893 - February 27, 1993), was an American actress. Born Lillian Diana de Guiche in Springfield, Ohio, she was the sister of actress Dorothy Gish.

The Gish sisters' mother Mary began acting in order to support the family after her husband abandoned them. When Lillian and Dorothy were old enough, they joined her act. They also took modeling jobs. In 1914, they met Mary Pickford, and she got them contracts with Biograph Studios. Their first role was in An Unseen Enemy, directed by D.W. Griffith. The Gish-Griffith association was so close that it has been widely suspected that Lillian was Griffith's lover, though the evidence is circumstantial at best. Known relationships were Lillian's affairs with Charles Duell, a producer, to whom she was reportedly engaged, and the drama critic and editor George Jean Nathan.

Having appeared in over 25 short films and features in her first two years in Hollywood, Lillian became a major star, becoming known as "The First Lady of the Silent Screen". Preferring silent movies, she spurned talkies until MGM finally let her go from her contract in 1928. She acted on the stage for the most part in the 1930s and early 1940s, preferring to care for the aging Griffith and his wife in their later years.

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, in 1971 winning a special Academy Award "For superlative artistry and for distinguished contribution to the progress of motion pictures." In 1984 she received an American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award.

Her last major role was in The Whales of August in 1987, although she had an uncredited role in Bamboozled (in the excerpt of The Birth of a Nation) in 2000.

The musical group The Smashing Pumpkins named their debut album Gish after her.

Filmography

  • The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912)
  • The Birth of a Nation (1915)
  • Broken Blossoms (1919)
  • The White Sister (1923)
  • The Wind (1928)
  • Duel in the Sun (1946)
  • The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Books

  • The Movies, Mr. Griffith, and Me (with Ann Pinchot) (Prentice-Hall, 1969)

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The musical group The Smashing Pumpkins named their debut album Gish after her. Helfer has been married to lawyer Jonathen Marshall since 2002. Her last major role was in The Whales of August in 1987, although she had an uncredited role in Bamboozled (in the excerpt of The Birth of a Nation) in 2000. She also regularly appeared in photo shoots by Maxim magazine and was the magazine's wall calendar girl for 2005. She appeared in films from time to time for the rest of her life, in 1971 winning a special Academy Award "For superlative artistry and for distinguished contribution to the progress of motion pictures." In 1984 she received an American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award. Early in 2004, Helfer was offered the role depicting Farrah Fawcett in the NBC telemovie Behind the Camera: The Unauthorised Story of 'Charlie's Angels'. Returning to movies, Gish was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1946 for Duel in the Sun. Gaius Baltar; it has now become a television series.

She acted on the stage for the most part in the 1930s and early 1940s, preferring to care for the aging Griffith and his wife in their later years. The miniseries, which was a remake of the 1970s series Battlestar Galactica, was a huge ratings success, due in part to the visually attractive mind games between Number Six and scientist Dr. Preferring silent movies, she spurned talkies until MGM finally let her go from her contract in 1928. Helfer appeared as a gynoid Cylon agent, Number Six, in the 2003 Sci Fi channel miniseries Battlestar Galactica. Having appeared in over 25 short films and features in her first two years in Hollywood, Lillian became a major star, becoming known as "The First Lady of the Silent Screen". She also became a noted beauty pageant judge for Miss Teen USA and Miss USA. The Gish-Griffith association was so close that it has been widely suspected that Lillian was Griffith's lover, though the evidence is circumstantial at best. Known relationships were Lillian's affairs with Charles Duell, a producer, to whom she was reportedly engaged, and the drama critic and editor George Jean Nathan. In 2003, Helfer played the female lead Eva in the independent film White Rush.

Griffith. She also co-starred as Sarah on the television series Jeremiah and played the role of a model, Ashleigh James, in the May 16, 2002 episode "The Hunger Artist" on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Their first role was in An Unseen Enemy, directed by D.W. Apart from starring in a number of fashion documentaries, Helfer appeared on the comedy short Eventual Wife, as Inga, in 2000. In 1914, they met Mary Pickford, and she got them contracts with Biograph Studios. She relocated to Los Angeles in 1996 to pursue a full-time film career. They also took modeling jobs. Helfer hosted a televsion fashion program Ooh La La in Canada, before moving to New York City to learn acting.

When Lillian and Dorothy were old enough, they joined her act. She has done photo assignments for Chanel's Cristalle perfume and Victoria's Secret lingerie. The Gish sisters' mother Mary began acting in order to support the family after her husband abandoned them. Modelling clothes for Givenchy, Christian Dior, Claude Montana and Emanuel Ungaro, Helfer has also appeared on the covers of fashion magazines ELLE (August 1993), Amica Italia (November 1996), Cosmopolitan (July 1998), and Vogue. Born Lillian Diana de Guiche in Springfield, Ohio, she was the sister of actress Dorothy Gish. In 1992, she won Ford's Supermodel of the World Contest and was subsequently signed to the Elite modelling agency. Lillian Gish (October 14, 1893 - February 27, 1993), was an American actress. At the age of 17, while standing in line at a local movie theatre, she was "discovered" by modelling agency scout Kelly Streit.

Griffith, and Me (with Ann Pinchot) (Prentice-Hall, 1969). She was raised on her family's grain farm. The Movies, Mr. Helfer was born in the rural community of Donalda, Alberta, Canada. The Night of the Hunter (1955). Patricia (Tricia) Helfer (born 1974), is a Canadian film and television actress and a former Victoria's Secret model. Duel in the Sun (1946). Battlestar Galactica (2004) television series.

The Wind (1928). Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Charlie's Angels' (2004). The White Sister (1923). Battlestar Galactica (2003) mini-series. Broken Blossoms (1919). White Rush (2003). The Birth of a Nation (1915). Eventual Wife (2000).

The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912).