MARY PICKFORD
M ary Pickford ( April 8 , 1892 ? M ay 29 , 1979 ) was a Canadian-American motion picture actress , writer , director and producer . She was co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of M otion Picture Arts and Sciences .[ 3 ]
Known in her prime as " America ' s Sweetheart " and the " girl with the curls ", Pickford was one of the Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood and a significant figure in the development of film acting . Pickford was one of the earliest stars to be billed under her name ( film stars up until that time were usually unbilled ), and was one of the most popular actresses of the 10s and 20s , earning the nickname " Queen of the M ovies ".
Pickford was awarded the second ever Academy Award for Best Actress for her first sound film role in Coquette ( 1929 ) and also received an honorary Academy Award in 1976 . In consideration of her contributions to American cinema , the American Film Institute ranked Pickford as 24th in its 1999 list of greatest female stars of classic H ollywood Cinema .