When
the first films were produced at the end of the nineteenth century, the actors
were normally friends or members of the family of the film-maker. Even when
the first feature films appeared, the actors did not receive any publicity themselves.
The first films to name the actors appearing in them often used false names,
and many actors were simply known by description - Mary Pickford was 'the girl
with the dimples', and Norma Talmadge was 'the girl with the curls'.
The first star publicity came in 1909 when producer Carl Laemmle circulated a rumour that the 'Biograph girl', whom he now revealed to be Florence Lawrence, had been killed in a car crash. The statement was made purely to boost sales figures for Lawrence's forthcoming film, and was denied in a press release, which provided further publicity. From that point it was realised how important the stars of a film could be for attracting greater audiences to particular films.
You can find out more about Florence Lawrence at the Biograph Company.
Click on to the next page to meet some of the other early film stars.
| Stars page 1 | Stars page 2 | Stars page 3 | Stars page 4 | Stars page 5 |