orig. Gladys Mary Smith
born April 9, 1893, Toronto, Ont., Can.
died May 28, 1979, Santa Monica, Calif., U.S.
Canadian-born U.S. film actress.
She acted with a stock company from age 5, went on tour at 8, and was performing on Broadway by 18. She starred in The Lonely Villa (1909) and by 1913 was acting in movies exclusively. One of the first movie stars, she became a symbol of innocence and was known as "America's sweetheart." Her silent films include Tess of the Storm Country (1914), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1917), Poor Little Rich Girl (1917), and Pollyanna (1920). A shrewd businesswoman, she formed United Artists Corp. (1919) with her second husband, {{link=Fairbanks, Douglas">Douglas Fairbanks , and others. She received an Academy Award for her first sound film, Coquette (1929). She retired from acting in 1933 and received a special Academy Award in 1975.