Which actress was known as 'America's Sweetheart'?

The actress known as “America’s Sweetheart” was Mary Pickford. The title captured her screen image as a charming, wholesome, spirited young woman and became one of the earliest examples of Hollywood publicity turning an actor into a national celebrity.

Pickford was born Gladys Louise Smith in Toronto in 1892 and began performing professionally on stage as a child. She entered films in 1909 and became one of the silent era’s biggest stars. Her small stature and ability to play youthful characters, including children, helped define the popular screen ingénue.

The nickname was publicly associated with Pickford by 1914 and was later used heavily to promote her films. Although other actresses, including Shirley Temple and Debbie Reynolds, were also called “America’s Sweetheart” at different times, Pickford is generally regarded as the title’s original and canonical film reference.

Pickford was more than an actress: she produced films, gained unusual creative control, became Hollywood’s first million-dollar star, and co-founded United Artists in 1919 with Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith. She won an Oscar for Coquette in 1929.