Pickford

Many people picture Mary Pickford as the curly-haired girl of the silent screen, all ruffles and childlike poses. This biography argues that the image hides a far more important figure, a performer who helped shape both the craft of screen acting and the Hollywood studio system that grew up around it.

Whitfield traces Pickford's life through careful research, beginning with her struggling early years in turn-of-the-century Toronto. The narrative moves on to her time as the lady of Pickfair, the Beverly Hills estate where she and Fairbanks entertained the world's elite, and ends with the sad final chapter of her life.

The book also examines the intense psychological bond between Pickford and her mother, which lasted throughout her life. Whitfield assesses Pickford's inventive approach to acting for the camera, her wide influence on the movie business, and her place in the history of fame. Once regarded as the best-known woman in the world, Pickford drew a devotion that anticipated today's celebrity culture.