Lillian Gish
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- October 14, 1893
- Died
- February 27, 1993
- Birthplace
- Springfield, Ohio, USA
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.
Filmography
The Flapper 2021
as (archive footage)
I Am Not a Racist 2019
as Elsie (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Women Who Run Hollywood 2016
as Self (archive footage)
Discovering: Robert Mitchum 2014
as Self (archive footage)
Night Hunter 2011
Actor
Sigrid Holmquist 2010
as Sigrid Holmquist (archive footage)
Early Directors on Directing 2009
as Self
Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies 2008
as Self (archive footage)
D.W. Griffith - Years of Discovery 1909-1913 2002
Actor
Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists 1998
as Lucy - The Girl (archive footage)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies 1995
as Self (archive footage)
Moving Pictures: 'The Night of the Hunter' 1995
as Self
The Silent Feminists: America's First Women Directors 1993
Thanks
The Making of 'The Birth of a Nation' 1993
as Self (Archive footage)
Lillian Gish: The Actor's Life for Me 1988
as Self (archive footage)
The Whales of August 1987
as Sarah Webber
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood 1987
as Self
Sweet Liberty 1986
as Cecelia Burgess
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1986
as Mrs Loftus
Greta Garbo: The Temptress and the Clown 1986
as Self (archive footage)
Night of 100 Stars II 1985
as Self
Lillian Gish 1984
as Self
Hobson's Choice 1983
as Miss Molly Winkle
Hambone and Hillie 1983
as Hillie Radcliffe
Night of 100 Stars 1982
as Self
Thin Ice 1981
as Grandmother
A Wedding 1978
as Nettie Sloan
- Sparrow
Sparrow 1978
as Widow
Twin Detectives 1976
as Billy Jo Haskins
D.W. Griffith: An American Genius 1975
as Self
Black Shadows on a Silver Screen 1975
as Self (archive footage)
Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still 1974
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Langlois 1970
as Self
Arsenic and Old Lace 1969
as Martha Brewster
The Comedians 1967
as Mrs. Smith
The Comedians in Africa 1967
as Self (uncredited)
Warning Shot 1967
as Alice Willows
Lionpower from MGM 1967
as Self - Mrs. Smith (archive footage) (uncredited)
Follow Me, Boys! 1966
as Hetty Seibert
Mrs. Winchester's House 1963
as Narrator
The Great Chase 1962
Actor
The Spiral Staircase 1961
as Mrs. Warren
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino 1961
as Self (archive footage)
The Unforgiven 1960
as Mattilda Zachary
Orders to Kill 1958
as Mrs. Summers
- Film Fun
Film Fun 1955
as (archive footage)
The Night of the Hunter 1955
as Rachel Cooper
The Cobweb 1955
as Victoria Inch
- The Trip to Bountiful
The Trip to Bountiful 1953
as Carrie Watts
Portrait of Jennie 1948
as Mother Mary of Mercy
Duel in the Sun 1946
as Laura Belle McCanles
Miss Susie Slagle's 1946
as Miss Susie Slagle
Top Man 1943
as Beth Warren
Commandos Strike at Dawn 1942
as Mrs. Bergesen
His Double Life 1933
as Alice Chalice
The Movie Album 1932
as (archive footage)
One Romantic Night 1930
as Princess Alexandra
The Wind 1928
as Letty
The Enemy 1927
as Pauli Arndt
Annie Laurie 1927
as Annie Laurie
The Scarlet Letter 1927
as Hester Prynne
La Bohème 1926
as Mimi
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ 1925
as Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
Romola 1924
as Romola
The White Sister 1923
as Angela Chiaromonte
From Farm to Fame 1922
as Lillian Gish
Orphans of the Storm 1921
as Henriette Girard
Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20) 1921
as Herself
Way Down East 1920
as Anna Moore
Remodeling Her Husband 1920
Director, Scenario Writer, Story
The Greatest Question 1919
as Nellie Jarvis
True Heart Susie 1919
as Susie May Trueheart
Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl 1919
as Lucy Burrows
A Romance of Happy Valley 1919
as Jennie Timberlake
The Greatest Thing in Life 1918
as Jeannette Peret, Story
Lillian Gish in a Liberty Loan Appeal 1918
Actor
The Great Love 1918
as Susie Broadplains
Hearts of the World 1918
as The Girl - Marie Stephenson
Souls Triumphant 1917
as Lillian Vale
- The House Built Upon Sand
The House Built Upon Sand 1916
as Evelyn Dare
The Children Pay 1916
as Millicent
- Diane of the Follies
Diane of the Follies 1916
as Diane
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages 1916
as The Woman Who Rocks the Cradle
An Innocent Magdalene 1916
as Dorothy Raleigh
Sold for Marriage 1916
as Marfa
Daphne and the Pirate 1916
as Daphne La Tour
- Pathways of Life
Pathways of Life 1916
Actor
The Lily and the Rose 1915
as Mary Randolph
- Captain Macklin
Captain Macklin 1915
as Beatrice
Enoch Arden 1915
as Annie Lee
The Lost House 1915
as Dosia Dale
The Birth of a Nation 1915
as Stoneman's Daughter Elsie
- His Lesson
His Lesson 1915
as Participant in Mob Scene (uncredited)
The Sisters 1914
as May
- The Folly of Anne
The Folly of Anne 1914
as Anne
The Tear That Burned 1914
as Anita - the Truant
- Man's Enemy
Man's Enemy 1914
as Grace Lisle
The Angel of Contention 1914
as Nettie - the Angel
The Rebellion of Kitty Belle 1914
as Kitty Belle
- Lord Chumley
Lord Chumley 1914
as Eleanor Butterworth
Home, Sweet Home 1914
as Payne's Sweetheart
- The Quicksands
The Quicksands 1914
Actor
The Battle of the Sexes 1914
as Jane Andrews, the daughter
- The Hunchback
The Hunchback 1914
as The Orphan - as an Adult
Judith of Bethulia 1914
as The Young Mother
- The Green-Eyed Devil
The Green-Eyed Devil 1914
as Mary Miller
- A Duel for Love
A Duel for Love 1914
Actor
- The Conscience of Hassan Bey
The Conscience of Hassan Bey 1913
as The Rugmaker's Daughter
The Battle at Elderbush Gulch 1913
as Melissa Harlow
- The Blue or the Gray
The Blue or the Gray 1913
Actor
- Madonna of the Storm
Madonna of the Storm 1913
as The Mother
- So Runs the Way
So Runs the Way 1913
as Fred's Wife
- A Modest Hero
A Modest Hero 1913
as The Wife
A Woman in the Ultimate 1913
as Verda
An Indian's Loyalty 1913
as The Ranchero's Daughter
- During the Round-Up
During the Round-Up 1913
as The Ranchero's Daughter
The Mothering Heart 1913
as The Wife
A Timely Interception 1913
as The Farmer's Daughter
- Just Gold
Just Gold 1913
as The First Brother's Sweetheart
The House of Darkness 1913
as The Nurse
The Lady and the Mouse 1913
as The First Sister
- The Left-Handed Man
The Left-Handed Man 1913
as The Old Soldier's Daughter
- A Misunderstood Boy
A Misunderstood Boy 1913
as The Daughter
The Little Tease 1913
as Girl in bandana
- The Stolen Bride
The Stolen Bride 1913
Actor
The Unwelcome Guest 1913
as At Auction (uncredited)
Oil and Water 1913
as In First Audience (uncredited)
A Cry for Help 1912
as The Maid
The Burglar’s Dilemma 1912
as Birthday Wellwisher
The New York Hat 1912
as Customer in Shop / Outside Church
Brutality 1912
as At Theatre
The Informer 1912
as Walk on role
My Baby 1912
Actor
Gold and Glitter 1912
as The Young Woman
The Musketeers of Pig Alley 1912
as The Little Lady
The Painted Lady 1912
as Belle at Ice Cream Festival
- The One She Loved
The One She Loved 1912
Actor
In the Aisles of the Wild 1912
as The Younger Daughter
So Near, Yet So Far 1912
as A Friend
Two Daughters of Eve 1912
as In Theatre Crowd
An Unseen Enemy 1912
as Eldest Sister
Credits from TMDB.