Born Lillian Diana de Guiche, October 14, 1893, in Springfield, OH; died of heart failure, February 27, 1993, in Manhattan, NY. Actress, lecturer, and writer. Gish will be best remembered as a pioneer of the film industry and a legendary silent film star. An internationally famous performer who began actingon stage at age five and continued acting into her 90s, Gish found success as a leading lady in movies, starring in such silent film classics as The Birth of a Nation, Broken Blossoms, Way Down East, and Intolerance.She later made the transition to talking pictures, but after clashing with studio heads over contractual issues, Gish returned to the stage. She spent much of the rest of her career there, appearing in productions of Uncle Vanya, Hamlet, and The Trip to Bountiful. When she wasn't acting, Gishtoured the world, lecturing and showing the films of legendary director D. W. Griffith, who gave Gish her most famous silent roles. Gish could also be seen on television in The Autobiography of Grandma Moses and Arsenicand Old Lace. In 1970, she received an honorary Academy Award for her contributions to film, and the American Film Institute honored her with its lifetime achievement award in 1984. Gish appeared in her last film, The Whalesof August, in 1987. Her publications include Lillian Gish: An Autobiography; Lillian Gish: The Movies, Mr. Griffith, and Me; Dorothy and Lillian Gish; and An Actor's Life for Me!
Periodicals
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