
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)

The Love Boat
1977
as Mrs. Williams

Robert Montgomery Presents
1950

The Dick Cavett Show
1968
as Self - Guest

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
1962
as Bessie Carnby

Tony Awards
1956
as Self - Award Accepter / Self - Presenter

The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self

The Defenders
1961
as Louisa Clarendon / Mrs. Cooper

The Philco Television Playhouse
1948
as Abby / Narrator / Carrie Watts
Film '72
1971
as Self

The Kennedy Center Honors
1978
as Self

Mr. Novak
1963
as Maude Phipps

The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973
as Self
Playwrights '56
1955

The Alcoa Hour
1955
as Esther Crampton

Hollywood
1980
as Self

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as Grandma Moses
Movies (137)

The Night of the Hunter
1955
as Rachel Cooper

Lionpower from MGM
1967
as Self - Mrs. Smith (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Unforgiven
1960
as Mattilda Zachary

Romola
1924
as Romola
Captain Macklin
1915
as Beatrice
Film Fun
1955
as (archive footage)

The Birth of a Nation
1915
as Stoneman's Daughter Elsie

The Sisters
1914
as May

Duel in the Sun
1946
as Laura Belle McCanles

Langlois
1970
as Self

The Battle at Elderbush Gulch
1913
as Melissa Harlow

Lillian Gish
1984
as Self

Portrait of Jennie
1948
as Mother Mary of Mercy
Sparrow
1978
as Widow

Follow Me, Boys!
1966
as Hetty Seibert

Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl
1919
as Lucy Burrows

The Cobweb
1955
as Victoria Inch

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
1986
as Mrs Loftus

Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
1916
as The Woman Who Rocks the Cradle

The Women Who Run Hollywood
2016
as Self (archive footage)

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
1925
as Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)

Night of 100 Stars II
1985
as Self
The Stolen Bride
1913

The Whales of August
1987
as Sarah Webber

Sweet Liberty
1986
as Cecelia Burgess

Mrs. Winchester's House
1963
as Narrator

Commandos Strike at Dawn
1942
as Mrs. Bergesen

The Comedians
1967
as Mrs. Smith

The Flapper
2021
as (archive footage)

Arsenic and Old Lace
1969
as Martha Brewster

The Tear That Burned
1914
as Anita - the Truant

The Wind
1928
as Letty

Warning Shot
1967
as Alice Willows

Night of 100 Stars
1982
as Self

Night Hunter
2011

Judith of Bethulia
1914
as The Young Mother

True Heart Susie
1919
as Susie May Trueheart

Orders to Kill
1958
as Mrs. Summers

The Movie Album
1932
as (archive footage)

The Making of 'The Birth of a Nation'
1993
as Self (Archive footage)

Way Down East
1920
as Anna Moore
Just Gold
1913
as The First Brother's Sweetheart

Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
1987
as Self
So Runs the Way
1913
as Fred's Wife

Brutality
1912
as At Theatre

The Children Pay
1916
as Millicent

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
1961
as Self (archive footage)

Oil and Water
1913
as In First Audience (uncredited)
The Folly of Anne
1914
as Anne
A Modest Hero
1913
as The Wife

A Wedding
1978
as Nettie Sloan

In the Aisles of the Wild
1912
as The Younger Daughter
Madonna of the Storm
1913
as The Mother

Orphans of the Storm
1921
as Henriette Girard

The Scarlet Letter
1927
as Hester Prynne

The Comedians in Africa
1967
as Self (uncredited)

The White Sister
1923
as Angela Chiaromonte

Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)
1921
as Herself

The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
1995
as Self (archive footage)

Hambone and Hillie
1983
as Hillie Radcliffe

Home, Sweet Home
1914
as Payne's Sweetheart

Gold and Glitter
1912
as The Young Woman

Hearts of the World
1918
as The Girl - Marie Stephenson
The Trip to Bountiful
1953
as Carrie Watts
A Duel for Love
1914
The One She Loved
1912

Hobson's Choice
1983
as Miss Molly Winkle

Two Daughters of Eve
1912
as In Theatre Crowd
A Misunderstood Boy
1913
as The Daughter

Twin Detectives
1976
as Billy Jo Haskins

The Burglar’s Dilemma
1912
as Birthday Wellwisher

Top Man
1943
as Beth Warren

An Unseen Enemy
1912
as Eldest Sister

Moving Pictures: 'The Night of the Hunter'
1995
as Self

Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still
1974
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Battle of the Sexes
1914
as Jane Andrews, the daughter

The New York Hat
1912
as Customer in Shop / Outside Church

The Unwelcome Guest
1913
as At Auction (uncredited)

An Innocent Magdalene
1916
as Dorothy Raleigh

Daphne and the Pirate
1916
as Daphne La Tour

The Musketeers of Pig Alley
1912
as The Little Lady

Miss Susie Slagle's
1946
as Miss Susie Slagle

Enoch Arden
1915
as Annie Lee

An Indian's Loyalty
1913
as The Ranchero's Daughter

Annie Laurie
1927
as Annie Laurie

So Near, Yet So Far
1912
as A Friend

The Spiral Staircase
1961
as Mrs. Warren
The Conscience of Hassan Bey
1913
as The Rugmaker's Daughter

The Lily and the Rose
1915
as Mary Randolph
Diane of the Follies
1916
as Diane

Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies
2008
as Self (archive footage)

The House of Darkness
1913
as The Nurse

Sold for Marriage
1916
as Marfa

Black Shadows on a Silver Screen
1975
as Self (archive footage)

The Greatest Question
1919
as Nellie Jarvis

I Am Not a Racist
2019
as Elsie (archive footage) (uncredited)

La Bohème
1926
as Mimi

One Romantic Night
1930
as Princess Alexandra

The Enemy
1927
as Pauli Arndt

Sigrid Holmquist
2010
as Sigrid Holmquist (archive footage)

The Great Love
1918
as Susie Broadplains

The Rebellion of Kitty Belle
1914
as Kitty Belle

A Cry for Help
1912
as The Maid

The Great Chase
1962

Greta Garbo: The Temptress and the Clown
1986
as Self (archive footage)
Lord Chumley
1914
as Eleanor Butterworth

My Baby
1912
The Hunchback
1914
as The Orphan - as an Adult

Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists
1998
as Lucy - The Girl (archive footage)
The Green-Eyed Devil
1914
as Mary Miller

A Romance of Happy Valley
1919
as Jennie Timberlake
The House Built Upon Sand
1916
as Evelyn Dare

The Mothering Heart
1913
as The Wife

The Painted Lady
1912
as Belle at Ice Cream Festival

A Timely Interception
1913
as The Farmer's Daughter

The Informer
1912
as Walk on role

Souls Triumphant
1917
as Lillian Vale

The Angel of Contention
1914
as Nettie - the Angel

The Lady and the Mouse
1913
as The First Sister

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.
Fans searching for Lillian Gish movies, Lillian Gish filmography, or the latest projects starring Lillian Gish can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Lillian Gish Movies
- The Night of the Hunter (1955) — as Rachel Cooper
- Lionpower from MGM (1967) — as Self - Mrs. Smith (archive footage) (uncredited)
- The Unforgiven (1960) — as Mattilda Zachary
- Romola (1924) — as Romola
- Captain Macklin (1915) — as Beatrice
Where to Watch Lillian Gish Films
Most Lillian Gish movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Lillian Gish, check our movies catalogue and browse page.