Jack Pickford
| Jack Pickford | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
John Charles Smith August 18, 1896 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | January 3, 1933 (aged 36) Paris, France |
| Cause of death | Multiple neuritis |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale |
| Occupation | Actor, director, producer |
| Years active | 1909-1928 |
| Spouse(s) |
Olive Thomas (m. 1916; d. 1920) Marilyn Miller (m. 1922; div. 1927) Mary Mulhern (m. 1930–33) |
| Parent(s) | John Charles Smith Charlotte Hennessy Smith |
| Relatives |
Mary Pickford (sister) Lottie Pickford (sister) |
Jack Pickford (born John Charles Smith; August 18, 1896 – January 3, 1933) was a Canadian-born American actor, film director and producer. He was the younger brother of actresses Mary and Lottie Pickford.
After their father deserted the family, all three Pickford children began working as child actors on the stage. Mary Pickford later became a highly popular silent film actress, producer and early Hollywood pioneer. While Jack also appeared in numerous films as the "All American boy next door" and was a fairly popular performer, his popularity never matched that of his sister's as his off screen antics overshadowed his career. By the late 1920s, his career had begun to decline due to his penchant for partying and frequent use of drugs and alcohol. In 1933, Pickford died in Paris of progressive multiple neuritis, aged thirty-six.
He was born John Charles Smith in 1896 in Toronto, Ontario, to John Charles Smith, an English immigrant odd-job man of Methodist background, and Charlotte Hennessy Smith, who was Irish Catholic. He was called Jack as a child. His alcoholic father left the family while Pickford was a young child. This incident left the family impoverished. Out of desperation, Charlotte allowed Jack and his two sisters Gladys and Lottie to appear onstage, beginning with Gladys, the eldest. This proved a good source of income and, by 1900, the family had relocated to New York City and the children were acting in plays across the United States.
Due to the work the family was constantly separated until 1910 when Gladys signed with Biograph Studios. By that time his sister 'Gladys Smith' had been transformed into Mary Pickford (Marie was her middle name, and Pickford an old family name). Following suit, the Smiths changed their stage names to 'Pickford'.
...
Wikipedia