Lottie Pickford - Actress (Hollywood Silent Era)
Lottie Pickford
Wednesday 11, February 2026, 20:30.
Lottie Pickford - 1920
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About:
Born: Charlotte Smith -June 9, 1893 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died: December 9, 1936 (aged 43) - Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Other names Lottie Pickford Forrest
Occupation Actress
Years active 1900–1925
Spouses:
1.Alfred Rupp - (m. 1915; div. 1920)
2.Allan Forrest - (m. 1922; div. 1927)
3.Russel O. Gillard - (m. 1929; div. 1933)
4.John William Lock (m. 1933)
Children 1
Mother - John Charles Smith and Charlotte Hennessy
Relatives - Mary Pickford (sister). Jack Pickford (brother)
Introduction:
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.
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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. Their father, John Charles Smith, died in 1898 and eldest sibling Gladys took on responsibilities. Lottie and Jack became extremely close, banding together against Gladys, whom they saw as strict. 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.
Mary with her sister, Lottie and some child extras on the set of Fanchon the Cricket, released May 10th, 1915.
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. Of the family, Gladys was the breakout star. Her family members usually were attached to her as a contractual stipulation. 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:
The House of Bondage (1914) poster
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. When the Biograph, Company departed for California, Lottie Pickford and her mother were left behind. She would eventually join her sister in California.
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. The serial was jeopardized when she became pregnant. This incident put her on the unofficial Hollywood blacklist for a short time. 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:
Mary Pickford, Ethel Grandin, Lottie Pickford, Irvin Willat, and the rest of the cast in “The Toss of A Coin” (1911).
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. The couple separated in 1919 and divorced the following year. 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. Gwynne lived with her grandmother until Charlotte, Sr.'s death in 1928. At that time, Gwynne's aunt, Mary Pickford, took custody of her. This arrangement lasted until Gwynne married radio announcer Hugh "Bud" Ernst in June 1939.
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:
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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. Her funeral was held on December 13 at Wee Kirk o' the Heather Church in Glendale, California. 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
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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
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1921 They Shall Pay Margaret Seldon
1924 Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall Jennie Foxton Credited as Lottie Pickford Forrest
1925 Don Q, Son of Zorro Lola Credited as Lottie Pickford Forrest
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