Jack Pickford
Jack Pickford , born John Charles Smith, Jr. , (born August 18, 1896 in Toronto , Canada , † January 3, 1933 in Paris , France ) was a Canadian actor . He was a brother of the silent movie star Mary Pickford and the actress Lottie Pickford .
Career
Jack Pickford followed his older sister Mary Pickford on stage as a child and quickly became a popular performer among romantic lovers. In 1910 his sister got him a contract with the film company Biograph and in 1917 Mary Pickford negotiated a lucrative contract for her brother as part of her multi-million dollar contract with First National . In the following years, Jack became a star by portraying somewhat naive but lovable men in a number of comedies. His best-known films included a 1917 film adaptation of Tom Sawyer and Waking Up the Town from 1925, which featured some hair-raising stunts with a bear. In the same year he had his last major success alongside Constance Bennett in The Goose Woman , directed by Clarence Brown .
Pickford directed some of his films himself. He was also granted the status of co-director in several of his sister Mary's successes, such as The Little Lord and Through the Back Door , both from 1921.
Alcohol addiction prevented Jack Pickford from making the leap into talkies , and in 1928 he retired entirely from show business.
Private life
Jack Pickford had the reputation of a playboy and was involved in the spectacular death of his wife, the silent film star Olive Thomas , in 1920 , in which substance abuse and excessive alcohol are said to have played a not insignificant role. The couple had met in 1916 and had had a tumultuous marriage since they got married. Jack Pickford married twice more. Both wives, including the dancer Marilyn Miller , were also Ziegfeld girls . Jack Pickford died on January 3, 1933 at the age of 36 in the American Hospital in Paris. Progressive neuritis of the central cranial nerves was given as the cause of death .
Mary Pickford arranged for his remains to be transported back to the United States, where he was buried in the Pickford family grave in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale .
Today a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1523 Vine Street commemorates Jack Pickford.
Web links
- Jack Pickford in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Jack Pickford in the Internet Broadway Database (English)
- Biography in the New York Times
- On the death of Olive Thomas
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Pickford, Jack |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Smith, John Charles Jr. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 18, 1896 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Toronto , Canada |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 3, 1933 |
| Place of death | Paris , France |