Happy birthday, film director D.W. Griffith

It is the birthday of famed film director D.W. Griffith (1875), who is considered one of the most important figures in cinema. He is credited with pioneering film techniques such as extreme camera angles, lighting and crosscut editing, He was among the first to recognize film as a medium for story telling. Among his best known films are The Birth of a Nation (1915), Intolerance (1916). Broken Blossoms (1919), and Way Down East (1920). The last two starred actress Lillian Gish. Griffith joined Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, and Mary Pickford to create a film company, United Artists.

Happy birthday, screen legend Lillian Gish

It is the birthday of legendary actress Lillian Gish (1893), who is remembered for her roles in The Birth of a Nation (1915), Intolerance (1916), Broken Blossoms (1919), Way Down East (1920), Orphans of the Storm (1921), The Wind (1928), Duel in the Sun (1946), and Night of the Hunter (1955). At the age of 93, she appeared in her last film, The Whales of August (1987), with Bette Davis and Vincent Price. Her autobiographies include The Movies, Mr. Griffith, and Me (1969), Dorothy and Lillian Gish (1973), and An Actor's Life For Me (1987).