Lottie Pickford
Encyclopedia
Lottie Pickford was a Canadian-born silent film
actress, socialite
, and sister to Mary Pickford
and Jack Pickford
. Her career is often overshadowed by that of her siblings and though she was a notable figure in the 1920s her films and role in the Pickford acting family is now largely forgotten. Perhaps one of her best known roles was in The Diamond from the Sky
directed by William Desmond Taylor
in 1915.
. Pickford was named for her mother. She was the middle child, born a year and two months after her sister Mary Pickford
and two years before her brother Jack Pickford
. She quickly became her father's favorite, much to her sister's annoyance. After mistakenly believing she was a boy when first born her father lovingly gave her the boyish nickname, 'Chuckie'.
As a child she caught typhoid fever
, though she wasn't as sickly as Mary was. Pickford's father left the family while she was young and Mary took over the father figure role. This caused Jack and Lottie to become extremely close, banding together against their sister who they saw as strict. Pickford idolized her brother Jack, and they remained close throughout their lifetimes. Despite her tense relationship with Mary she was protective of her, once jumping on D.W. Griffith to defend her sister during a heated argument with the director.
In need of extra income the family began to act. On January 8, 1900 Lottie and Mary began acting in The Silver King. Pickford was either offered a lesser sum than her sister or was part of a packaged deal.
The family eventually moved to New York City
where they all acted in various productions, sometimes together, sometimes not. At one point Lottie and Mary had to travel on their own for one production.
Of the family Mary was the breakout star, and her family members were usually attached to her as a contractual stipulation. This continued when Mary began in films, eventually getting her siblings on the payroll.
said Mary had decided her sister was not pretty enough for films, and had done her best to keep her away from Biograph. However the Pickford family had always worked together, and Lottie was on the payroll. She often hung around sets, grabbed an odd role here or there, and would understudy for Mary.
When the Biograph Company departed for California
, Pickford and her mother were left behind. She would eventually join her sister in California. As Mary became a bigger star Pickford's employment was a condition of her contracts.
Away from her sister, Pickford's first starring role came in 1914 in The House of Bondage. It was a vice
film, with Pickford playing a prostitute. This greatly contrasted her sister's role as "America's Sweetheart". The film did not receive good reviews, being considered too crude. In 1915 Pickford made Fanchon, The Cricket. It is the only film in which all 3 Pickford siblings appear, and was thought lost until rediscovered in the British Film Institute by a fan.
Pickford then starred in The Diamond from the Sky
serial (1915) although, to her humiliation, she was only given the role after Mary turned it down. A Photoplay
article from around the time of the release declared her "Pickford The Second!" and compared her to her sister, albeit as a worthy sequel. However, the serial was jeopardized when she became pregnant by her husband. This incident put her on the unofficial Hollywood blacklist
for a short time. Pickford only performed in 5 roles between 1915 and 1918, when she took a break from acting, most likely due to personal problems.
After her divorce she took a starring role in 1921's They Shall Pay which co-starred her future husband Allan Forrest
. Pickford again took several years' time off from acting before returning in a minor role in her sister's 1924 film "Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall
". She billed herself as Lottie Pickford Forrest. Her final role would be in her brother-in-law Douglas Fairbanks Sr.'s "Don Q Son of Zorro" in 1925. During her career Pickford starred in only 8 features while her brother starred in over 40 features.
The last time Pickford saw Mary they were playing a Christian
hymn
, "Oh Jesus when I'm sad and lonely" on the piano. Pickford bet her sister a dollar she couldn't listen to it without crying. The girls apparently had a religious conversation, as by this point in life Pickford had taken a religious turn.
On December 9, 1936 Pickford suddenly fell ill and collapsed on the floor. She had suffered a heart attack and died. Pickford is buried at the Forest Lawn Cemetery
in the family plot.
Despite her reputation as a party girl, Pickford was considered to be down to earth, friendly, sweet, and unpretentious.
For unknown reasons Pickford gave her mother custody of her daughter, who was then renamed Gwynne in 1920. Pickford did not comment to the press on the matter, other than to say she would never marry again. It is likely by this time Pickford had become an alcoholic (alcoholism ran in the Pickford family) as well as a drug user, possibly prompting her mother to take custody of her daughter. Gwynne remained with Charlotte until Charlotte's death, at which time Mary took custody of her until Gwynne married Hugh Ernst at age 24 (months after her mother's death) and left Pickfair
in 1939.
Pickford married actor Allan Forrest
in 1922. She performed her two final screen roles during this time under the name Lottie Pickford Forrest. The pair divorced in 1928. On August 5, 1929 she married Russel O. Gillard, an undertaker from Los Angeles. In the wedding announcement Pickford was referred to as, "Lotta Rupp". She sued him for divorce in 1933 claiming she had tried to fund business for him but he had failed because of negligence and he had not wanted to work. The judge granted the divorce. Pickford then announced she had married a Pittsburgh society man named John William Lock. This would make her legally a bigamist and possibly cause her to be arrested. However Pickford just giggled at the thought, doubting anything would be done.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
actress, socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
, and sister to Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
and Jack Pickford
Jack Pickford
Jack Pickford was a Canadian-born American actor. He was best known for his tabloid lifestyle, marriage to the top starlets of his day, and being of the famous Pickford acting family.-Early life:...
. Her career is often overshadowed by that of her siblings and though she was a notable figure in the 1920s her films and role in the Pickford acting family is now largely forgotten. Perhaps one of her best known roles was in The Diamond from the Sky
The Diamond from the Sky
The Diamond from the Sky was a 1915 silent era adventure motion picture serial starring Lottie Pickford, Irving Cummings, Charlotte Burton, and William Russell.Directed by Jacques Jaccard and William Desmond Taylor, the film is considered to be lost...
directed by William Desmond Taylor
William Desmond Taylor
William Desmond Taylor was an Irish-born American actor, successful film director of silent movies and a popular figure in the growing Hollywood film colony of the 1910s and early 1920s...
in 1915.
Early years
Pickford was born Charlotte Smith, to John Charles Smith and Charlotte HennessyCharlotte Hennessy
Charlotte Hennessy , born Elsie Charlotte Printer, and aka Charlotte Smith Pickford, was a Canadian-born, American actress, and the mother of Mary, Lottie, and Jack Pickford....
. Pickford was named for her mother. She was the middle child, born a year and two months after her sister Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
and two years before her brother Jack Pickford
Jack Pickford
Jack Pickford was a Canadian-born American actor. He was best known for his tabloid lifestyle, marriage to the top starlets of his day, and being of the famous Pickford acting family.-Early life:...
. She quickly became her father's favorite, much to her sister's annoyance. After mistakenly believing she was a boy when first born her father lovingly gave her the boyish nickname, 'Chuckie'.
As a child she caught typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
, though she wasn't as sickly as Mary was. Pickford's father left the family while she was young and Mary took over the father figure role. This caused Jack and Lottie to become extremely close, banding together against their sister who they saw as strict. Pickford idolized her brother Jack, and they remained close throughout their lifetimes. Despite her tense relationship with Mary she was protective of her, once jumping on D.W. Griffith to defend her sister during a heated argument with the director.
In need of extra income the family began to act. On January 8, 1900 Lottie and Mary began acting in The Silver King. Pickford was either offered a lesser sum than her sister or was part of a packaged deal.
The family eventually moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where they all acted in various productions, sometimes together, sometimes not. At one point Lottie and Mary had to travel on their own for one production.
Of the family Mary was the breakout star, and her family members were usually attached to her as a contractual stipulation. This continued when Mary began in films, eventually getting her siblings on the payroll.
Film career
In 1907 Mary adopted the stage name 'Mary Pickford' (her birth name was Gladys Louise Smith). The rest of the family adopted the Pickford name by the time they began appearing in films. Mary signed with D.W. Griffith's Biograph Company in 1909 and also secured work for her siblings. Between 1909 and 1910 Mary made 80 shorts, Jack made 28, and Lottie made 25. Of the three Pickfords, Lottie's talents were considered the weakest. Linda ArvidsonLinda Arvidson
-Biography:Linda Arvidson was the first wife of film director D.W. Griffith . She played lead roles in many of his earliest films. While acting, she was sometimes credited as Linda Griffith...
said Mary had decided her sister was not pretty enough for films, and had done her best to keep her away from Biograph. However the Pickford family had always worked together, and Lottie was on the payroll. She often hung around sets, grabbed an odd role here or there, and would understudy for Mary.
When the Biograph Company departed for California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Pickford and her mother were left behind. She would eventually join her sister in California. As Mary became a bigger star Pickford's employment was a condition of her contracts.
Away from her sister, Pickford's first starring role came in 1914 in The House of Bondage. It was a vice
Vice
Vice is a practice or a behavior or habit considered immoral, depraved, or degrading in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a defect, an infirmity, or merely a bad habit. Synonyms for vice include fault, depravity, sin, iniquity, wickedness, and corruption...
film, with Pickford playing a prostitute. This greatly contrasted her sister's role as "America's Sweetheart". The film did not receive good reviews, being considered too crude. In 1915 Pickford made Fanchon, The Cricket. It is the only film in which all 3 Pickford siblings appear, and was thought lost until rediscovered in the British Film Institute by a fan.
Pickford then starred in The Diamond from the Sky
The Diamond from the Sky
The Diamond from the Sky was a 1915 silent era adventure motion picture serial starring Lottie Pickford, Irving Cummings, Charlotte Burton, and William Russell.Directed by Jacques Jaccard and William Desmond Taylor, the film is considered to be lost...
serial (1915) although, to her humiliation, she was only given the role after Mary turned it down. A Photoplay
Photoplay
Photoplay was one of the first American film fan magazines. It was founded in 1911 in Chicago, the same year that J. Stuart Blackton founded a similar magazine entitled Motion Picture Story...
article from around the time of the release declared her "Pickford The Second!" and compared her to her sister, albeit as a worthy sequel. However, the serial was jeopardized when she became pregnant by her husband. This incident put her on the unofficial Hollywood blacklist
Blacklist
A blacklist is a list or register of entities who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. As a verb, to blacklist can mean to deny someone work in a particular field, or to ostracize a person from a certain social circle...
for a short time. Pickford only performed in 5 roles between 1915 and 1918, when she took a break from acting, most likely due to personal problems.
After her divorce she took a starring role in 1921's They Shall Pay which co-starred her future husband Allan Forrest
Allan Forrest
Allan Forrest was an American silent film actor.-Life and career:He starred in 119 films mostly silent between 1913 and 1932 in films such as The Torch Bearer, with actresses such as Charlotte Burton....
. Pickford again took several years' time off from acting before returning in a minor role in her sister's 1924 film "Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall
Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall
Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall is a 1902 historical novel written by Charles Major. Following the life and romances of Dorothy Vernon in Elizabethan England, the novel became the year's third most successful novel according to the New York Times annual list of bestselling novels...
". She billed herself as Lottie Pickford Forrest. Her final role would be in her brother-in-law Douglas Fairbanks Sr.'s "Don Q Son of Zorro" in 1925. During her career Pickford starred in only 8 features while her brother starred in over 40 features.
Later life and death
According to her daughter Pickford had once wanted to start a children's radio show. However Mary shot her down saying "One Pickford on the radio at a time is enough!" According to her daughter it broke Pickford's heart.The last time Pickford saw Mary they were playing a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
, "Oh Jesus when I'm sad and lonely" on the piano. Pickford bet her sister a dollar she couldn't listen to it without crying. The girls apparently had a religious conversation, as by this point in life Pickford had taken a religious turn.
On December 9, 1936 Pickford suddenly fell ill and collapsed on the floor. She had suffered a heart attack and died. Pickford is buried at the Forest Lawn Cemetery
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original location of Forest Lawn, a chain of cemeteries in Southern California. The land was formerly part of Providencia Ranch.-History:...
in the family plot.
Personal life
Pickford was a socialite and partying was her first love. Her parties were legendary and lasted until morning; drugs and alcohol were plentiful as was nudity. Pickford's maid recalled that when they heard Mary's car pulling in, Pickford and her friends would "Jump into their knickers!"Despite her reputation as a party girl, Pickford was considered to be down to earth, friendly, sweet, and unpretentious.
Marriages
In 1915 before the release of The Diamond from the Sky Pickford had quietly married a New York broker named Alfred Rupp on an unknown date. The couple had a daughter Mary Pickford Rupp (who would be later renamed Gwynne Rupp) in 1915. By 1919 the couple no longer lived together and by 1920 they had divorced.For unknown reasons Pickford gave her mother custody of her daughter, who was then renamed Gwynne in 1920. Pickford did not comment to the press on the matter, other than to say she would never marry again. It is likely by this time Pickford had become an alcoholic (alcoholism ran in the Pickford family) as well as a drug user, possibly prompting her mother to take custody of her daughter. Gwynne remained with Charlotte until Charlotte's death, at which time Mary took custody of her until Gwynne married Hugh Ernst at age 24 (months after her mother's death) and left Pickfair
Pickfair
Pickfair was a 56 acre estate in the city of Beverly Hills, California designed by architect Wallace Neff for silent film actors Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. Coined "Pickfair" by the press, it was once one of the most celebrated homes in the world...
in 1939.
Pickford married actor Allan Forrest
Allan Forrest
Allan Forrest was an American silent film actor.-Life and career:He starred in 119 films mostly silent between 1913 and 1932 in films such as The Torch Bearer, with actresses such as Charlotte Burton....
in 1922. She performed her two final screen roles during this time under the name Lottie Pickford Forrest. The pair divorced in 1928. On August 5, 1929 she married Russel O. Gillard, an undertaker from Los Angeles. In the wedding announcement Pickford was referred to as, "Lotta Rupp". She sued him for divorce in 1933 claiming she had tried to fund business for him but he had failed because of negligence and he had not wanted to work. The judge granted the divorce. Pickford then announced she had married a Pittsburgh society man named John William Lock. This would make her legally a bigamist and possibly cause her to be arrested. However Pickford just giggled at the thought, doubting anything would be done.
Family
Pickford was always extremely close with her brother. When he died in 1933 Mary said of her, "Poor Chuckie...she was never quite the same after Jack's going...it was as though with my brother's passing the better part of her had died too". Pickford's relationship with her sister was strained at best. In Mary's biography she defended Jack and constantly praised him, while never doing so for Pickford. It seems Pickford resented her sister, once asking her, "Mary, how does it feel to be able to give Mama everything her heart desired, and all the same and honor besides?"Alternative names
Throughout her career Pickford occasionally used different names- Charlotte Smith
- Lottie Pickford Forrest
- Lottie Pickford Rupp
- Lotta Rupp
Filmography
- To Save Her Soul (1909)
- The Test (1909)
- The Red Man's ViewThe Red Man's ViewThe Red Man's View is a 1909 Western film directed by D. W. Griffith. Prints of the film exist in the film archives of the Museum of Modern Art and the Library of Congress.-Cast:* Owen Moore - Silver Eagle...
(1909) - Through the Breakers (1909)
- In the Window Recess (1909)
- The Light That Came (1909)
- What's Your Hurry? (1909)
- His Lost Love (1909)
- The Broken Locket (1909)
- Getting Even (1909)
- The Hessian RenegadesThe Hessian RenegadesThe Hessian Renegades is a 1909 silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith.-Cast:* Owen Moore - American Soldier* Linda Arvidson - Farmer* Kate Bruce - Soldier's Family* William J. Butler - Farmer* Verner Clarges - Farmer* D.W. Griffith...
(1909) - The Little Darling (1909)
- The Indian Runner's Romance (1909)
- The Better Way (1909)
- A Strange Meeting (1909)
- The Slave (1909)
- Tender Hearts (1909)
- The Cardinal's Conspiracy (1909)
- The Necklace (1909)
- The Faded Lilies (1909)
- Two Memories (1909)
- White Roses (19101910 in filmThe year 1910 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The newsreel footage of the funeral of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom is shot in Kinemacolor, making it the first color newsreel....
) - His Sister-In-Law (1910)
- The Golden Supper (1910)
- Happy Jack, a Hero (1910)
- A Child's Stratagem (1910)
- A Plain Song (1910)
- Simple Charity (1910)
- Two Little Waifs (1910)
- The Broken Doll (1910)
- A Gold Necklace (1910)
- Examination Day at School (1910)
- The Oath and the Man (1910)
- A Summer Idyll (1910)
- The Affair of an Egg (1910)
- Unexpected Help (1910)
- The Call to Arms (1910)
- Serious Sixteen (1910)
- A Victim of Jealousy (1910)
- A Knot in the Plot (1910)
- The Tenderfoot's Triumph (1910)
- The Smoker (1910)
- The Newlyweds (1910)
- The Woman from Mellon's (1910)
- Little Red Riding Hood (1911)
- Love at Gloucester Port (1911)
- The Courting of Mary (1911)
- Who's Who (1911)
- The Toss of a Coin (1911)
- Sweet MemoriesSweet MemoriesSweet Memories is a 1911 silent short romantic drama film, written and directed by Thomas H. Ince, released on March 27, 1911.-Plot:...
(1911) - Three Sisters (1911)
- A Wreath of Orange Blossoms
- Fate's Turning (1911)
- His TrustHis TrustHis Trust is a 1911 drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. It concerns "The faithful devotion and self- sacrifice of an old negro servant," who is played in blackface. The film's sequel is His Trust Fulfilled. Prints of the film survive in the film archives of the Museum of Modern Art and the...
(1911) - Help Wanted (1911)
- The Midnight Marauder (1911)
- The Italian Barber (1911)
- The Two Paths (1911)
- A Child's Remorse (1912)
- Love's Diary (1912)
- Lena and the Geese (1912)
- The Girl Strikers (1912)
- Into the Jungle (1912)
- A Beast at Bay (1912)
- The Pilgrimage (1912)
- A Mardi Gras Mix-Up (1912)
- The Belle of New Orleans (1912)
- Love Finds the Way (1912)
- For Old Time's Sake (1913)
- When a Girl Loves (1913)
- The House of Bondage (1914)
- The Diamond from the Sky (1915)
- Fanchon, the Cricket (1915)
- Curly (1915)
- The Reward of Patience (1916)
- On the Level (1917)
- Mile-a-Minute Kendall (1918)
- The Man from Funeral Range (1918)
- They Shall Pay (1921)
- Dorothy Vernon of Haddon HallDorothy Vernon of Haddon HallDorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall is a 1902 historical novel written by Charles Major. Following the life and romances of Dorothy Vernon in Elizabethan England, the novel became the year's third most successful novel according to the New York Times annual list of bestselling novels...
(1924) - Don Q, Son of ZorroDon Q, Son of ZorroDon Q, Son of Zorro is the 1925 sequel to the 1920 silent film The Mark of Zorro. It was loosely based upon the 1909 novel Don Q.'s Love Story, written by the mother-and-son duo Kate and Hesketh Hesketh-Prichard. The story was reworked in 1925 into a vehicle for the Johnston McCulley character Zorro...
(1925)