Jack Pickford
(08/18/1896 - 01/03/1933)
Born John Charles Smith in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, he was the younger brother of actresses Mary and Lottie Pickford. Like them, Jack Pickford's mother Charlotte Hennessy had him acting on stage as a very young boy. In 1910, he was only 14 years old when, with the help of his sister Mary, he was signed to perform in motion pictures with Biograph Studios.
After Biograph opened its studios in Hollywood, California, the Pickford clan moved west. Jack, a small, fragile boy, grew up in the adult world, one that suddenly became full of money far beyond anything imaginable for the time when Mary Pickford signed a contract in 1917 for $1 million with First National Pictures. Jack got a lucrative contract with First National as part of the deal but that year, he gained respect and found boy-
He even produced several of his own films. Some of his better films during this time included The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1920), The Man Who Had Everything (1920) and Waking Up the Town (1925), but a taste for the high life soon took over. A ne'er-
Jack Pickford has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1523 Vine Street.
He appeared in 130 films from 1909 to 1928.