Lottie Pickford - Early Years

Early Years

Pickford was born Charlotte Smith, to John Charles Smith and Charlotte Hennessy. Pickford was named for her mother. She was the middle child, born a year and two months after her sister Mary Pickford and two years before her brother Jack Pickford. She quickly became her father's favorite, much to her sister's annoyance. After mistakenly believing she was a boy when first born her father lovingly gave her the boyish nickname, 'Chuckie'.

As a child she caught typhoid fever, though she wasn't as sickly as Mary was. Pickford's father left the family while she was young and Mary took over the father figure role. This caused Jack and Lottie to become extremely close, banding together against their sister who they saw as strict. Pickford idolized her brother Jack, and they remained close throughout their lifetimes. Despite her tense relationship with Mary she was protective of her, once jumping on D.W. Griffith to defend her sister during a heated argument with the director.

In need of extra income the family began to act. On January 8, 1900 Lottie and Mary began acting in The Silver King. Pickford was either offered a lesser sum than her sister or was part of a packaged deal.

The family eventually moved to New York City where they all acted in various productions, sometimes together, sometimes not. At one point Lottie and Mary had to travel on their own for one production.

Of the family Mary was the breakout star, and her family members were usually attached to her as a contractual stipulation. This continued when Mary began in films, eventually getting her siblings on the payroll.