We often hear actors and actresses talk about how many acting credits they have or how much they were paid for a role (which always seems insanely high) but have you ever wondered why actors are paid so much for having their name in the credits? It wasn’t an actor who felt he deserved more, or even a legal matter about artists owning their own work, but rather the result of an extremely bright, driven, and talented woman named Mary Pickford. 
Gladys Smith made her Broadway debut in a show called “The Warrens of Virginia” in 1907, finding success as a child stage actor. As her fame grew, she and those close to her felt that her birth name no longer suited her profession, and Mary Pickford was born. Pickford, after two years in stage theatre, decided to try her hand in film, and landed a small role in D.W. Griffith’s production company in 1909. Within her first year she secured 51 roles in silent films, launching not only her acting career, but also her fanbase. After running into three girls who instantly recognized her from her films, Pickford demanded a raise from Griffith, who had been trying to hide her true value by destroying her fan mail before it could get to her. People had fallen in love with the young girl who would downright refuse to do something she didn’t want to do, whether it be on or off camera.
This was the moment that Pickford recognized her own value both as an employee and an actress and changed Hollywood forever. Up until this point, no actors were given credit for their work in the films they starred in, only the producers and directors were listed in the credits. This was a tactic put in place to keep actor’s salaries (and egos) in check. However, Mary Pickford knew that she was worth every penny and more, and demanded not only that her name be listed in the credits, but also that she be paid as much as the highest-earning male actor in the studio. If another studio made a better offer, she would simply jump to their roster instead. Due to this strategy and being the most desirable actress in Hollywood at the time, Mary Pickford became the first actor or actress to become a millionaire. Along with this, she also earned 251 acting credits in her career, placing her 24th in the world and making her the highest-ranking woman on that list.
After over 20 years of fast-paced success in both silent and “talkie” film, Pickford chose to retire after her 1933 film “Secrets”, deciding to spend her time writing for, producing for, and running the film production company she co-founded with her husband Douglas Fairbanks and friends D.W. Griffith and Charlie Chaplin. However, in order to keep her image of “America’s Sweetheart in tact, she chose to keep her name off of directing and producing credits, even if she was the one calling all the shots behind the scenes. Mary Pickford changed the game for men and women in Hollywood simply by believing in her own worth. Not only did she establish that credit that now immediately goes to an actor for their performance, but she also demanded to be paid the same as her male “co-workers”, which was unheard of at the time.She made it possible for women to demand more in exchange for what they give to their employer, whether that be a film director or the manager at a corporate office. Without Mary Pickford’s intelligence, determination, and swagger, the mechanics of Hollywood and presentation of women both on and off camera would be much different.
References
gordonm888. “Prolific Actors with 200+ Acting Credits .” IMDb, IMDb.com, 16 Nov. 2013, www.imdb.com/list/ls052175137/.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, and Patricia Bauer. “Mary Pickford.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 4 Nov. 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Pickford.
Nicholson, Amy. “Mary Pickford: The Woman Who SHAPED HOLLYWOOD.” BBC Culture, BBC, 4 Feb. 2019, www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190204-mary-pickford-the-woman-who-shaped-hollywood.
Shen, Ann. “Mary Pickford.” Bad Girls throughout History: 100 REMARKABLE Women Who Changed the World, by Ann Shen, Chronicle Books, 2016, pp. 104–105.
Perhaps focus in on gender representation in Star Wars of “heroes.” You could use the “Representation” Keyword for assistance.
I had no idea that a woman was responsible for demanding actors’ name in after credits. First, I thought they were always in after credits. Second, if I did know this, I’d guess a man started it because of the state of society at the time. We all wish we could know our worth and be as direct as Mary Pickford.
I thought that the name of the actors were always included in the after credits. I didn’t know any about this, but now I know that it was Mary Pickford’s work that changed things around for actors and actresses.