1981 – New York City
Miss Gish made her debut in the world of entertainment on stage at age five. Her talent and sensitivity highlighted such films as “Birth of a Nation” (1915), “Broken Blossoms” (1919), “Orphans of the Storm” (1921), “The Scarlet Letter” (1926), “His Double Life” (1933), “Night of the Hunter” (1955), “The Unforgiven” (1960) and “A Wedding” (1978). Lillian Gish took to the stage in “Hamlet” (1936), “Life With Father” (1939), “The Curious Savage” (1950), “The Family Reunion” (1959), “Romeo and Juliet” (1965), “A Musical Jubilee” (1976) and both productions of Checkhov’s “Uncle Vanya” – the Jed Harris version (1930) and Mike Nichols’ in 1973. All in all, this remarkable woman performed in one hundred movies, over thirty plays and a great number of television series and specials. Her one-woman show, “Lillian Gish and the Movies – The Art of Film 1900-1928,” toured Russia, France, England, Scotland, Canada, the United States and around the world on the Queen Elizabeth II. In 1971, Lillian was the recipient of an Honorary Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for her monumental contributions to the medium. Miss Gish did much to help preserve and advance the arts. One particular project was to help establish the Department of Film at the Museum of Modern Art. She once said, “The things that are necessary in the acting profession are these: taste, talent and temerity.” (Deceased 1993)
