Mary Pickford- Canada's Silent Siren, America's Sweetheart

p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Mary Pickford’s ambition, passion, innate talent, and savvybusiness acumen sent her career into the stratosphere and set the blueprint forthe modern movie star. Born Gladys Louise Smith in 1892, Pickford was raised ina house on University Avenue in Toronto and began her acting career on the stage.However, her determination led her to the new world of motion pictures, whereshe not only revolutionized acting method but negotiated her own terms for thehighest salary for any actress and complete creative control over her films —unheard of behaviour for a woman of that period. Pickford co-founded UnitedArtists in 1919 with Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin, which turned theexisting studio system on its head. The actress’s subsequent marriage toFairbanks incited...