Lillian Gish

Lillian Gish

Known for Acting · 153 credits

Born
1893-10-14
Died
1993-02-27
Place of birth
Springfield, Ohio, USA
Also known as
Lillian Diana Gish · The First Lady of American Cinema · Dorothy Elizabeth Carter · 릴리안 기쉬 · 릴리안 기시 · 릴리언 기쉬

Biography

Lillian Diana Gish (October 14, 1893 – February 27, 1993) was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987.

She was a prominent film star of the 1910s and 1920s, particularly associated with the films of director D.W. Griffith, including her leading role in Griffith's seminal Birth of a Nation (1915). Her sound-era film appearances were sporadic, but included memorable roles in the controversial western Duel in the Sun (1946) and the offbeat thriller Night of the Hunter (1955). She did considerable television work from the early 1950s into the 1980s, and closed her career playing, for the first time, opposite Bette Davis in the 1987 film The Whales of August.

The American Film Institute (AFI) named Gish 17th among the greatest female stars of all time. She was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 1971, and in 1984 she received an AFI Life Achievement Award.

Known For

TV Shows (16)

Movies (137)

The Night of the Hunter
Movie

The Night of the Hunter

1955

as Rachel Cooper

Lionpower from MGM
Movie

Lionpower from MGM

1967

as Self - Mrs. Smith (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Unforgiven
Movie

The Unforgiven

1960

as Mattilda Zachary

Romola
Movie

Romola

1924

as Romola

Captain Macklin
Movie

Captain Macklin

1915

as Beatrice

Film Fun
Movie

Film Fun

1955

as (archive footage)

The Birth of a Nation
Movie

The Birth of a Nation

1915

as Stoneman's Daughter Elsie

The Sisters
Movie

The Sisters

1914

as May

Duel in the Sun
Movie

Duel in the Sun

1946

as Laura Belle McCanles

Langlois
Movie

Langlois

1970

as Self

The Battle at Elderbush Gulch
Movie

The Battle at Elderbush Gulch

1913

as Melissa Harlow

Lillian Gish
Movie

Lillian Gish

1984

as Self

Portrait of Jennie
Movie

Portrait of Jennie

1948

as Mother Mary of Mercy

Sparrow
Movie

Sparrow

1978

as Widow

Follow Me, Boys!
Movie

Follow Me, Boys!

1966

as Hetty Seibert

Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl
Movie

Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl

1919

as Lucy Burrows

The Cobweb
Movie

The Cobweb

1955

as Victoria Inch

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Movie

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

1986

as Mrs Loftus

Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
Movie

Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages

1916

as The Woman Who Rocks the Cradle

The Women Who Run Hollywood
Movie

The Women Who Run Hollywood

2016

as Self (archive footage)

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Movie

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

1925

as Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)

Night of 100 Stars II
Movie

Night of 100 Stars II

1985

as Self

The Stolen Bride
Movie

The Stolen Bride

1913

The Whales of August
Movie

The Whales of August

1987

as Sarah Webber

Sweet Liberty
Movie

Sweet Liberty

1986

as Cecelia Burgess

Mrs. Winchester's House
Movie

Mrs. Winchester's House

1963

as Narrator

Commandos Strike at Dawn
Movie

Commandos Strike at Dawn

1942

as Mrs. Bergesen

The Comedians
Movie

The Comedians

1967

as Mrs. Smith

The Flapper
Movie

The Flapper

2021

as (archive footage)

Arsenic and Old Lace
Movie

Arsenic and Old Lace

1969

as Martha Brewster

The Tear That Burned
Movie

The Tear That Burned

1914

as Anita - the Truant

The Wind
Movie

The Wind

1928

as Letty

Warning Shot
Movie

Warning Shot

1967

as Alice Willows

Night of 100 Stars
Movie

Night of 100 Stars

1982

as Self

Night Hunter
Movie

Night Hunter

2011

Judith of Bethulia
Movie

Judith of Bethulia

1914

as The Young Mother

True Heart Susie
Movie

True Heart Susie

1919

as Susie May Trueheart

Orders to Kill
Movie

Orders to Kill

1958

as Mrs. Summers

The Movie Album
Movie

The Movie Album

1932

as (archive footage)

The Making of 'The Birth of a Nation'
Movie

The Making of 'The Birth of a Nation'

1993

as Self (Archive footage)

Way Down East
Movie

Way Down East

1920

as Anna Moore

Just Gold
Movie

Just Gold

1913

as The First Brother's Sweetheart

Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
Movie

Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood

1987

as Self

So Runs the Way
Movie

So Runs the Way

1913

as Fred's Wife

Brutality
Movie

Brutality

1912

as At Theatre

The Children Pay
Movie

The Children Pay

1916

as Millicent

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
Movie

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

1961

as Self (archive footage)

Oil and Water
Movie

Oil and Water

1913

as In First Audience (uncredited)

The Folly of Anne
Movie

The Folly of Anne

1914

as Anne

A Modest Hero
Movie

A Modest Hero

1913

as The Wife

A Wedding
Movie

A Wedding

1978

as Nettie Sloan

In the Aisles of the Wild
Movie

In the Aisles of the Wild

1912

as The Younger Daughter

Madonna of the Storm
Movie

Madonna of the Storm

1913

as The Mother

Orphans of the Storm
Movie

Orphans of the Storm

1921

as Henriette Girard

The Scarlet Letter
Movie

The Scarlet Letter

1927

as Hester Prynne

The Comedians in Africa
Movie

The Comedians in Africa

1967

as Self (uncredited)

The White Sister
Movie

The White Sister

1923

as Angela Chiaromonte

Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)
Movie

Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)

1921

as Herself

The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Movie

The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies

1995

as Self (archive footage)

Hambone and Hillie
Movie

Hambone and Hillie

1983

as Hillie Radcliffe

Home, Sweet Home
Movie

Home, Sweet Home

1914

as Payne's Sweetheart

Gold and Glitter
Movie

Gold and Glitter

1912

as The Young Woman

Hearts of the World
Movie

Hearts of the World

1918

as The Girl - Marie Stephenson

The Trip to Bountiful
Movie

The Trip to Bountiful

1953

as Carrie Watts

A Duel for Love
Movie

A Duel for Love

1914

The One She Loved
Movie

The One She Loved

1912

Hobson's Choice
Movie

Hobson's Choice

1983

as Miss Molly Winkle

Two Daughters of Eve
Movie

Two Daughters of Eve

1912

as In Theatre Crowd

A Misunderstood Boy
Movie

A Misunderstood Boy

1913

as The Daughter

Twin Detectives
Movie

Twin Detectives

1976

as Billy Jo Haskins

The Burglar’s Dilemma
Movie

The Burglar’s Dilemma

1912

as Birthday Wellwisher

Top Man
Movie

Top Man

1943

as Beth Warren

An Unseen Enemy
Movie

An Unseen Enemy

1912

as Eldest Sister

Moving Pictures: 'The Night of the Hunter'
Movie

Moving Pictures: 'The Night of the Hunter'

1995

as Self

Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still
Movie

Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still

1974

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Battle of the Sexes
Movie

The Battle of the Sexes

1914

as Jane Andrews, the daughter

The New York Hat
Movie

The New York Hat

1912

as Customer in Shop / Outside Church

The Unwelcome Guest
Movie

The Unwelcome Guest

1913

as At Auction (uncredited)

An Innocent Magdalene
Movie

An Innocent Magdalene

1916

as Dorothy Raleigh

Daphne and the Pirate
Movie

Daphne and the Pirate

1916

as Daphne La Tour

The Musketeers of Pig Alley
Movie

The Musketeers of Pig Alley

1912

as The Little Lady

Miss Susie Slagle's
Movie

Miss Susie Slagle's

1946

as Miss Susie Slagle

Enoch Arden
Movie

Enoch Arden

1915

as Annie Lee

An Indian's Loyalty
Movie

An Indian's Loyalty

1913

as The Ranchero's Daughter

Annie Laurie
Movie

Annie Laurie

1927

as Annie Laurie

So Near, Yet So Far
Movie

So Near, Yet So Far

1912

as A Friend

The Spiral Staircase
Movie

The Spiral Staircase

1961

as Mrs. Warren

The Conscience of Hassan Bey
Movie

The Conscience of Hassan Bey

1913

as The Rugmaker's Daughter

The Lily and the Rose
Movie

The Lily and the Rose

1915

as Mary Randolph

Diane of the Follies
Movie

Diane of the Follies

1916

as Diane

Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies
Movie

Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies

2008

as Self (archive footage)

The House of Darkness
Movie

The House of Darkness

1913

as The Nurse

Sold for Marriage
Movie

Sold for Marriage

1916

as Marfa

Black Shadows on a Silver Screen
Movie

Black Shadows on a Silver Screen

1975

as Self (archive footage)

The Greatest Question
Movie

The Greatest Question

1919

as Nellie Jarvis

I Am Not a Racist
Movie

I Am Not a Racist

2019

as Elsie (archive footage) (uncredited)

La Bohème
Movie

La Bohème

1926

as Mimi

One Romantic Night
Movie

One Romantic Night

1930

as Princess Alexandra

The Enemy
Movie

The Enemy

1927

as Pauli Arndt

Sigrid Holmquist
Movie

Sigrid Holmquist

2010

as Sigrid Holmquist (archive footage)

The Great Love
Movie

The Great Love

1918

as Susie Broadplains

The Rebellion of Kitty Belle
Movie

The Rebellion of Kitty Belle

1914

as Kitty Belle

A Cry for Help
Movie

A Cry for Help

1912

as The Maid

The Great Chase
Movie

The Great Chase

1962

Greta Garbo: The Temptress and the Clown
Movie

Greta Garbo: The Temptress and the Clown

1986

as Self (archive footage)

Lord Chumley
Movie

Lord Chumley

1914

as Eleanor Butterworth

My Baby
Movie

My Baby

1912

The Hunchback
Movie

The Hunchback

1914

as The Orphan - as an Adult

Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists
Movie

Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists

1998

as Lucy - The Girl (archive footage)

The Green-Eyed Devil
Movie

The Green-Eyed Devil

1914

as Mary Miller

A Romance of Happy Valley
Movie

A Romance of Happy Valley

1919

as Jennie Timberlake

The House Built Upon Sand
Movie

The House Built Upon Sand

1916

as Evelyn Dare

The Mothering Heart
Movie

The Mothering Heart

1913

as The Wife

The Painted Lady
Movie

The Painted Lady

1912

as Belle at Ice Cream Festival

A Timely Interception
Movie

A Timely Interception

1913

as The Farmer's Daughter

The Informer
Movie

The Informer

1912

as Walk on role

Souls Triumphant
Movie

Souls Triumphant

1917

as Lillian Vale

The Angel of Contention
Movie

The Angel of Contention

1914

as Nettie - the Angel

The Lady and the Mouse
Movie

The Lady and the Mouse

1913

as The First Sister

From Farm to Fame
Movie

From Farm to Fame

1922

as Lillian Gish

About Lillian Gish

Lillian Diana Gish (October 14, 1893 – February 27, 1993) was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987. She was a prominent film star of the 1910s and 1920s, particularly associated with the films of director D.W. Griffith, including her leading role in Griffith's seminal Birth of a Nation (1915). Her sound-era film appearances were sporadic, but included memorable roles in the controversial western Duel in the Sun (1946) and the offbeat thriller Night of the Hunter (1955). S… With 153 credits spanning from 1912 to 2021, Lillian Gish has appeared in 137 films and 16 TV shows.

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