America's Sweetheartand the first Million Dollar Baby, Mary Pickford.
The film fans of today probably do not recognize nor can they fathom the importance of Mary Pickford to film history. She was one of the very first "movie stars" before the phrase had been coined and before film stars were known by name. She was a tough as nails businesswoman (along with her mother) and negotiated her contracts with an iron-gloved fist. She was the most popular woman in the world, all over the world for nearly 20 years. She is remembered as being typecast as the "girl with the curls" but Pickford's range went far beyond playing children.
Her charm, her spunk and her appealing nature can be seen in countless films like Pollyanna.
