The actress known as “America’s Sweetheart” who starred in the silent film *Daddy-Long-Legs* was Mary Pickford.
Pickford was born Gladys Louise Smith in Toronto in 1892 and began performing on stage as a child. She entered films in 1909 and quickly became one of the medium’s first major stars. Audiences admired her expressive acting, emotional warmth, and recurring roles as spirited young women, even though she was an adult playing characters much younger than herself.
Pickford starred in Marshall Neilan’s 1919 silent comedy-drama *Daddy-Long-Legs*, adapted from Jean Webster’s 1912 novel. She played Jerusha “Judy” Abbott, an orphan whose life changes when an anonymous benefactor sends her to school. Pickford also produced the film through her own company.
She is sometimes confused with Clara Bow, Gloria Swanson, or Lillian Gish, all important silent-era actresses. Pickford was also a pioneering business figure: in 1919, she co-founded United Artists with Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, and Douglas Fairbanks. Her influence extended beyond acting into production and film ownership.