Lottie Pickford

Charlotte Smith (June 9, 1893 – December 9, 1936), known professionally as Lottie Pickford, was a Canadian-American silent film actress and socialite. She was the younger sister of fellow actress Mary Pickford and elder sister of actor Jack Pickford.

One of her best known roles was in The Diamond from the Sky directed by William Desmond Taylor in 1915. Pickford's career often is overshadowed by that of her siblings and though she was a notable figure in the 1920s, her films and role in the Pickford acting family largely are forgotten.

Early years Born to John Charles Smith and Charlotte Hennessy, Lottie Pickford was named for her mother. She was the middle child, born a year and two months after her sister Gladys Smith and three years before her brother John Charles Smith, who was known as Jack. She quickly became her father's favorite, much to her sister's annoyance. After mistakenly believing she was a boy when first born, her father lovingly gave her the boyish nickname Chuckie. Lottie idolized her brother Jack, and they remained close throughout their lifetimes. Despite her sometimes tense relationship with her sister, Lottie was protective of her, and once jumped on D. W. Griffith to defend her sister during a heated argument with the director.

In need of extra income, the family began to act. On January 8, 1900, Gladys and Lottie appeared in The Silver King. Lottie either was offered a lesser sum than her sister or was part of a packaged deal. The family eventually moved to New York City where they all acted in various productions, sometimes together, sometimes not. At one point, Lottie and Gladys had to travel on their own for one production. After she started in films, Gladys took the name Mary Pickford. Lottie and Jack also took the surname Pickford in their acting careers. Mary was influential in getting her siblings on the payroll after she started acting in films.

Film career In 1907, Gladys adopted the stage name Mary Pickford from her middle name and the last name of her maternal grandmother, at the suggestion of Broadway producer David Belasco. The rest of the family adopted the Pickford name by the time they began appearing in films. Mary signed with D.W. Griffith's Biograph Company in 1909 and secured work for her siblings.

Between 1909 and 1910, Mary made eighty shorts, Jack made twenty-eight, and Lottie made twenty-five. Of the three Pickfords, Lottie's talents were considered the weakest. Actress Linda Arvidson said Mary had claimed her sister was not pretty enough for films, and had done her best to keep her away from Biograph.

Away from her elder sister, Pickford's first starring role came in 1914 in The House of Bondage. It was a vice film, with Pickford playing a prostitute, in stark contrast to her sister's image as "America's Sweetheart". The film did not receive good reviews, being considered too crude. In 1915, Pickford appeared in Fanchon, the Cricket, opposite both her siblings. It is the only film in which all three Pickford siblings appear. It was thought lost until rediscovered in the 20th century at the British Film Institute.

Pickford starred in The Diamond from the Sky serial (1915) although, to her humiliation, she was only given the role after Mary turned it down. A Photoplay article from around the time of the release declared her "Pickford the Second!" and compared her to her sister, albeit as a worthy sequel. Pickford performed in only five roles between 1915 and 1918, when she took a break from acting.

After divorcing her first husband, Pickford next starred in 1921's They Shall Pay which co-starred Allan Forrest, her future husband. Pickford again took several years' time off from acting before returning in a minor role in the 1924 film Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall. Her final role was opposite her brother-in-law Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in Don Q Son of Zorro in 1925. During her career, Pickford starred in eight features, and her brother starred in over 40 features.

Personal life Pickford was a socialite and partying was her first love. She and her brother Jack both struggled with alcoholism. Her parties were legendary and lasted until morning with plentiful drugs and alcohol and nudity. Pickford's maid recalled that when they heard Mary's car pulling in, Pickford and her friends would "Jump into their knickers!"

Marriages Fairbanks, Mary Pickford Rupp (daughter of Lottie Pickford) and Mary Pickford. December 1921 Photoplay, Page 80. On an unknown date in 1915, before the release of The Diamond from the Sky, Pickford quietly married New York broker Alfred Rupp. The couple had a daughter in 1915, Mary Pickford Rupp (1915-1984), who later was renamed Gwynne Rupp. For unknown reasons, Pickford allowed her mother Charlotte to legally adopt her daughter, who was renamed Gwynne in 1920. Pickford did not comment to the press on the matter, other than to say she never would marry again.

Lottie Pickford did marry again, to actor Allan Forrest, in January 1922. She obtained a divorce from Forrest in Paris in 1927. On July 22, 1929, she married Russel O. Gillard, an undertaker from Los Angeles. They divorced in February 1933 on charges of "extreme cruelty" by her husband. Later that year, Pickford married a Pittsburgh society man named John William Lock. They remained married until her early death in 1936.

Death On December 9, 1936, Pickford suffered a heart attack at the age of 43. She was said to have been in failing health for three years, related to alcohol abuse. She died at her home in Beverly Hills. She is buried in the Pickford family plot in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Filmography +Key Denotes a lost or presumed lost film.

Short Subject Year Film Role Notes 1909 Two Memories 1909 The Faded Lilies 1909 The Necklace 1909 The Cardinal's Conspiracy The Princess' Servant Unconfirmed 1909 Tender Hearts Nellie's Friend 1909 The Slave A Dancer 1909 A Strange Meeting At Party 1909 The Better Way Puritan 1909 The Indian Runner's Romance Indian Unconfirmed 1909 The Little Darling 1909 The Hessian Renegades 1909 Getting Even Party Guest 1909 The Broken Locket 1909 His Lost Love At Wedding 1909 What's Your Hurry? 1909 The Light That Came 1909 In the Window Recess 1909 Through the Breakers At the Ball 1909 The Red Man's View Minnewanna 1909 The Test A Maid Unconfirmed 1909 To Save Her Soul 1910 The Woman from Mellon's Young Woman Unconfirmed 1910 The Newlyweds 1910 The Smoker 1910 The Tenderfoot's Triumph 1910 A Knot in the Plot 1910 A Victim of Jealousy 1910 Serious Sixteen 1910 The Call to Arms 1910 Unexpected Help 1910 The Affair of an Egg 1910 A Summer Idyll 1910 You Saved My Life 1910 The Oath and the Man 1910 Examination Day at School 1910 A Gold Necklace Nellie 1910 The Broken Doll Townswoman 1910 Two Little Waifs 1910 Simple Charity In Hallway 1910 A Plain Song Storemate 1910 A Child's Stratagem 1910 Happy Jack, a Hero At Party 1910 The Golden Supper Flower Girl 1910 His Sister-In-Law Eva 1910 White Roses At Party 1911 The Two Paths At Party 1911 The Italian Barber At Ball 1911 The Midnight Marauder Mrs. Henry Blowhard 1911 Help Wanted In Corridor 1911 His Trust Woman at Farewell 1911 The Dream Bess - the Typewriter Uncredited 1911 Fate's Turning 1911 A Wreath of Orange Blossoms 1911 Three Sisters At Dancing Academy 1911 Sweet Memories Young Lettie Terrell 1911 The Lighthouse Keeper Wedding Guest Uncredited 1911 The Toss of a Coin 1911 Who's Who Georgia 1911 The Courting of Mary 1911 Love at Gloucester Port Alice Newall 1911 Little Red Riding Hood 1912 Love Finds the Way Margaret Durand - Jack's Sweetheart 1912 The Belle of New Orleans 1912 Rescued by Wireless Grace Langton Credited as Lottie Smith 1912 A Mardi Gras Mix-Up Paul's wife 1912 The Pilgrimage Gretchen 1912 A Beast at Bay Unconfirmed role 1912 Into the Jungle Mary 1912 The Girl Strikers Ann 1912 Lena and the Geese 1912 Love's Diary Kate Morgan - the Stenographer 1912 A Child's Remorse 1913 When a Girl Loves Betty 1913 For Old Time's Sake 1913 Granny Eileen - an Orphan 1915 Curly

Film Year Title Role Notes 1914 The House of Bondage Mary Denbigh 1915 The Diamond from the Sky Esther Stanley, the Gypsy Heroine 1915 Fanchon, the Cricket Madelon Incomplete film, 3 1/2 of 5 films survive 1916 The Reward of Patience Edith Penfield 1917 On the Level Eleanore Duke 1918 Mile-a-Minute Kendall Rosalynde d'Aubre 1918 The Man from Funeral Range Dixie 1921 They Shall Pay Margaret Seldon 1924 Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall Jennie Faxton Credited as Lottie Pickford Forrest 1925 Don Q, Son of Zorro Lola Credited as Lottie Pickford Forrest

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