Lillian Gish

Acting

Born October 14, 1893 · Springfield, Ohio, USA

Died February 27, 1993

Also known as Lillian Diana Gish · The First Lady of American Cinema · Dorothy Elizabeth Carter

Biography

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.

Awards & recognition

National Board of Review Award — Best Actress · 1987
AFI Life Achievement Award · 1984
Kennedy Center Honors · 1982
Ohio Women's Hall of Fame · 1980
Crystal Award · 1979

Show all 12 awards →

Academy Honorary Award · 1970
Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Independent Spirit Award — Best Female Lead · 1988 · nominated
Golden Globe Award — Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture · 1967 · nominated
Academy Award — Best Supporting Actress · 1947 · nominated