Lillian Diana Gish was born on October 14, 1893, in Springfield, Ohio. Her father, James Lee Gish, was an alcoholic who frequently absented himself from home, leaving the family to fend for themselves. To make ends meet, Lillian, her sister Dorothy Gish, and their mother, Mary Gish, a.k.a. Mary Robinson McConnell, took up acting in local productions.
Lillian made her stage debut at the age of six and went on to appear before stage audiences with great success for the next 13 years. If she had not transitioned to films, she could have potentially become one of the greatest stage actresses of all time. However, she was discovered by renowned director D.W. Griffith in 1912 and made her film debut in An Unseen Enemy, followed by The One She Loved, and My Baby.
Griffith was impressed by her talent and cast her in 12 films that same year. Over the next two years, Lillian appeared in 25 films, solidifying her status as a top star in the industry, alongside Mary Pickford. Her success led to her being cast in Griffith's most ambitious project to date, The Birth of a Nation, in 1915, as well as Intolerance in 1916.
By the early 1920s, Lillian's career began to decline, as new faces emerged in the film industry. She took a break from acting, only to return to the stage in the 1930s. In 1933, she filmed His Double Life, but did not make another film for nine years.
Lillian returned to the screen in 1942 with Commandos Strike at Dawn and Top Man, earning an Oscar nomination for her role in Duel in the Sun in 1946. She continued to act in films throughout her career, including The Night of the Hunter in 1955, which is notable for being the only film directed by actor Charles Laughton.
In 1969, Lillian published her autobiography, "The Movies, Mr. Griffith, and Me." Her 75-year career in the film industry is almost unmatched in any field. Lillian Gish passed away peacefully in her sleep on February 27, 1993, at the age of 99, in her Manhattan apartment in New York City. She never married.
