Mary Gish


Mary Robinson McConnell Gish was an American actress and the mother of screen stars Lillian and Dorothy Gish.

Life

Mary Gish was born on September 16, 1876, in Dayton, Ohio, as Mary Robinson McConnell. On January 8, 1893 she married James L. Gish in Clark County, Ohio. They are the parents of actresses Lillian and Dorothy. The girls' father, James Leigh Gish, died in January 1912, when his daughters were 18 and 13 years old. According to father's christening record dated November 29, 1872, his full name is James Leonidas Gish. Around the 1890s Mary would operate a concession stand in Fort George Amusement Park in New York City.
In 1917 Mary and her daughters were traveling to England and France as members of D. W. Griffith's film company,"Biograph Studios", to make a film at the behest of the British Government. This film was almost certainly Hearts of the World, which featured all three Gishes, rising star Bobby Harron, British Prime Minister Lloyd George, and Griffith himself. The purpose of this film was to change the neutral mindset of the American public regarding World War I.

Films