58-418: The Fifth Horseman may refer to: The Fifth Horseman , a 1924 film starring Una Merkel The Fifth Horseman , a 1974 novel by José Antonio Villarreal The Fifth Horseman , a 1976 novel by Walter Harris The Fifth Horseman , a 1980 novel by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre "The Fifth Horseman" , a 1996–97 X-Men episode The 5th Horseman ,
116-582: A Sarah Bernhardt production in New York City. After 10 years of acting on the stage, she made her film debut opposite Dorothy in Griffith's short film An Unseen Enemy (1912). At the time, established thespians considered "the flickers" a rather base form of entertainment, but she was assured of its merits. Gish continued to perform on the stage, and in 1913, during a run of A Good Little Devil , she collapsed from anemia. Lillian took suffering for her art to
174-789: A 2006 novel by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro The Fifth Horseman and the New MAD , a 2022 book by Harlan K. Ullman In the context of the Four Horsemen of New Atheism , Ayaan Hirsi Ali was referred to as the Fifth Horseman or One Horse-Woman See also [ edit ] [REDACTED] Search for "fifth horseman" or "5th horseman" on Misplaced Pages. The Third Horseman (TV episode), 2002 season 1 episode 11 of Law & Order: Criminal Intent The Fourth Horseman (disambiguation) Four Horsemen (disambiguation) Horseman (disambiguation) Topics referred to by
232-456: A big success in sound films. During the 1930s, she became a popular second lead in a number of films, usually playing the wisecracking best friend of the heroine, supporting actresses such as Jean Harlow , Carole Lombard , Loretta Young , and Eleanor Powell . Merkel was known for her Kewpie-doll looks, strong Southern accent, and wry line delivery. She played Sam Spade 's secretary in the original 1931 version of The Maltese Falcon . Merkel
290-423: A child, Gish was a prominent film star from 1912 into the 1920s, being particularly associated with the films of director D. W. Griffith . This included her leading role in the highest-grossing film of the silent era, Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915). Her other major films and performances from the silent era included Intolerance (1916), Broken Blossoms (1919), Way Down East (1920), Orphans of
348-469: A close relationship with her sister Dorothy and with Mary Pickford for her entire life. Another of her closest friends was actress Helen Hayes , the "First Lady of the American Theatre". Gish was the godmother of Hayes's son James MacArthur , and designated Hayes (who survived her by just 18 days) as a beneficiary of her estate. Gish was a devout Episcopalian . Gish was a staunch Republican , and
406-484: A decade later, Gish reportedly did not eat and drink for three days beforehand, causing the director to fear he would be filming the death of his star, as well as of the character. Lillian starred in many of Griffith's most acclaimed films, including The Birth of a Nation (1915), Intolerance (1916), Broken Blossoms (1919), Way Down East (1920), and Orphans of the Storm (1921). He utilized her expressive talents to
464-608: A form of artistic expression, actress Lillian Gish forged a new creative path at a time when more serious thespians regarded motion pictures as a rather base form of employment. Gish brought to her roles a sense of craft substantially different from that practiced by her theatrical colleagues. In time, her sensitive performances elevated not only her stature as an actress, but also the reputation of movies themselves. American rock band The Smashing Pumpkins named their 1991 debut album Gish after her. Singer Billy Corgan explained in an interview, "My grandmother used to tell me that one of
522-447: A housemaid, in "The Late Christopher Bean", an episode of The Philco Television Playhouse on NBC. A review in the trade publication Variety described her work as "an excellent portrayal". She made numerous television appearances from the early 1950s into the late 1980s. Her most acclaimed television work was starring in the original production of The Trip to Bountiful in 1953. She appeared as Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna in
580-523: A limited run of La Dame aux Camélias . Of the former, she said, with pride, "I played a lewd Ophelia!" Returning to movies, Gish was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1946 for Duel in the Sun . The scenes of her character's illness and death late in that film seemed intended to evoke the memory of some of her silent-film performances. She appeared in films from time to time for
638-611: A screening at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. She was a special guest at the Telluride Film Festival in 1983. The Gish Film Theatre and Gallery of Bowling Green State University 's Department of Theatre and Film was named for Lillian and Dorothy Gish. Gish was in attendance at the dedication on June 11, 1976; she accepted the honor for herself and her sister, who had died several years earlier. The university awarded Gish
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#1732909732983696-505: A stunning emotional impact. While by no means the biggest or most popular actress of the silent era, she was the most gifted, her seeming waiflike frailty masking unparalleled reserves of physical and spiritual strength. More than any other early star, she fought to earn film recognition as a true art form, and her achievements remain the standard against which those of all other actors are measured. Turner Classic Movies wrote, Having pioneered screen acting from vaudeville entertainment into
754-522: A year or so before settling in New York City , where she began attending the Alviene School of Dramatic Art. Because of her strong resemblance to actress Lillian Gish , Merkel was offered a part as Gish's youngest sister in a silent film called World Shadows . However, the funding for the film dried up and it was never completed. Merkel went on to appear in a few silent movies , several of them for
812-521: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Una Merkel Una Merkel (December 10, 1903 – January 2, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress. Merkel was born in Kentucky and acted on stage in New York in the 1920s. She went to Hollywood in 1930 and became a popular film actress. Two of her best-known performances are in
870-559: The attack on Pearl Harbor , she maintained an outspoken noninterventionist stance. She was an active member of the America First Committee , an anti-intervention organization founded by a group of law students led by R. Douglas Stuart Jr. , with aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh as its leading spokesman. She said she was blacklisted by the film and theater industries until she signed a contract in which she promised to cease her anti-interventionist activities and never disclose
928-592: The greatest female stars of classic American cinema. In 1955, she was awarded the George Eastman Award , for distinguished contribution to the art of film, at the George Eastman Museum 's (then George Eastman House's) inaugural Festival of Film Artists. She was awarded an Academy Honorary Award in 1971, and in 1984 she received an AFI Life Achievement Award . Gish was also awarded Kennedy Center Honors in 1982. In 1979, she introduced The Wind at
986-572: The novella of the same name . She had a major part in the MGM 1959 film The Mating Game as Paul Douglas 's character's wife and Debbie Reynolds ' character's mother, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in Summer and Smoke (1961). She was also featured as Brian Keith 's character's housekeeper, Verbena, in the Walt Disney comedy The Parent Trap in 1961. Her final film role
1044-577: The vamp , was at the height of its popularity and Gish was increasingly seen as a "silly, sexless antique" (to quote fellow actress Louise Brooks 's sarcastic summary of those who criticized Gish). Gish did not want to act on screen and returned to her first love, the theater. She acted on the stage for the most part in the 1930s and early 1940s, appearing in roles as varied as Ophelia in Guthrie McClintic's landmark 1936 production of Hamlet (with John Gielgud and Judith Anderson ) and Marguerite in
1102-518: The 1940s, although she continued working in smaller productions and in radio as Adeline Fairchild on The Great Gildersleeve . In 1950, she starred with William Bendix in the baseball comedy Kill the Umpire , which was a surprise hit. She made a comeback as a middle-aged woman playing mothers and maiden aunts, and in 1956 won a Tony Award for her role on Broadway in The Ponder Heart , adapted from
1160-532: The American Silent Film (1980). Gish received a Special Academy Award in 1971 "for superlative artistry and for distinguished contribution to the progress of motion pictures". In 1979, she was awarded the Women in film Crystal Award in Los Angeles. In 1984, she received an American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award , becoming only the second female recipient (preceded by Bette Davis in 1977) and
1218-605: The Cannes festival, Gish won a 10-minute standing ovation from the audience. Some in the entertainment industry were angry that Gish did not receive an Oscar nomination for her role in The Whales of August . Gish herself was more complacent, only remarking, "Well, now I won't have to go and lose to Cher ". Her final professional appearance was a cameo on the 1988 studio recording of Jerome Kern 's Show Boat , starring Frederica von Stade and Jerry Hadley , in which she affectingly spoke
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#17329097329831276-692: The Lee Bradford Corporation. She also appeared in the two-reel Love's Old Sweet Song (1923), which was made by Lee de Forest in his Phonofilm sound-on-film process and starred Louis Wolheim and Helen Weir. Not making much of a mark in films, Merkel turned her attention to the theater and found work in several important plays on Broadway. Her biggest triumph was in Coquette (1927), which starred her idol, Helen Hayes . Invited to Hollywood by famous director D. W. Griffith to play Ann Rutledge in his film Abraham Lincoln (1930), Merkel became
1334-676: The Majestic Candy Kitchen, and the girls helped sell popcorn and candy to patrons of the old Majestic Theater , located next door. The girls attended St. Henry's School, where they acted in school plays. In 1910, the girls were living with their aunt Emily in Massillon, Ohio , when they were notified that their father, James, was gravely ill in Oklahoma. The 17-year-old Lillian traveled to Shawnee, Oklahoma, where James's brother Alfred Grant Gish and his wife, Maude, lived. Her father, who by then
1392-691: The Storm (1921), La Bohème (1926), and The Wind (1928). At the dawn of the sound era, she returned to the stage and appeared in film occasionally, with leading roles in the Western Duel in the Sun (1946) and the thriller The Night of the Hunter (1955). She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Duel in the Sun . Gish also had major supporting roles in Portrait of Jennie (1948), A Wedding (1978), and Sweet Liberty (1986). She also did considerable television work from
1450-599: The age of 82. She is buried near her parents, Arno and Bessie Merkel, in Highland Cemetery in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky . For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Una Merkel has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (6230 Hollywood Boulevard). In 1991, a historical marker was dedicated to her in her hometown of Covington. Lillian Gish Lillian Diana Gish (October 14, 1893 – February 27, 1993)
1508-541: The biggest things that ever happened was when Lillian Gish rode through town on a train, my grandmother lived in the middle of nowhere, so that was a big deal..." "Lillian Gish" is Scottish rhyming slang for fish and urinating. An example of the latter occurs in the Scottish sitcom, Still Game , when Winston Ingram says, "I'm away for a Lillian Gish"—meaning "I'm away for a pish" ("pish" being Scottish vernacular for piss). American rock band Fruit Bats referenced Gish in
1566-451: The crew would work harder for a girl. Gish never directed again, telling reporters at the time that directing was a man's job. The film is now thought to be lost . Gish reluctantly ended her work with Griffith in 1925 to take an offer from the recently formed MGM , which gave her more creative control. MGM offered her a contract in 1926 for six films, for which she was offered $ 1 million (equivalent to $ 17.2 million in 2023). She turned down
1624-482: The early 1950s into the 1980s, and retired after playing opposite Bette Davis and Vincent Price in the 1987 film The Whales of August . During her later years, Gish became a dedicated advocate for the appreciation and preservation of silent film. Despite being better known for her film work, she was also accomplished on stage, and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1972. In 1971, she
1682-510: The end of Sjostrom’s life. Her debut in talkies was only moderately successful, largely due to the public's changing attitudes. Many of the silent era's leading ladies, such as Gish and Pickford, had been wholesome and innocent, but by the early 1930s (after the full adoption of sound and before the Motion Picture Production Code was enforced), these roles were perceived as outdated. The ingénue ' s diametric opposite,
1740-509: The extreme in a film career which became her obsession. One of the enduring images of Gish's silent film years is the climax of the melodramatic Way Down East , in which Gish's character floats unconscious on an ice floe towards a raging waterfall, her long hair and hand trailing in the water. Her performance in these frigid conditions gave her lasting nerve damage in several fingers. Similarly, when preparing for her death scene in La Bohème over
1798-490: The fact that she had agreed to do so. Gish died of heart failure on February 27, 1993, at the age of 99. She was cremated and her ashes were interred beside those of her sister Dorothy at Saint Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in New York City. Her estate was valued at several million dollars, the bulk of which went toward the creation of the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize Trust. A retrospective of Gish's life and achievements
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1856-605: The few lines of The Old Lady on the Levee in the final scene. The last words of her long career were: "Good night". Gish starred in an episode of the popular CBS Radio series Suspense . The episode "Marry for Murder" was broadcast on September 9, 1943. In 1944, Gish starred in an episode of I Was There , broadcast on CBS. The episode dramatized the making of the film The Birth of a Nation . On May 31, 1951, she starred in an adaptation of Black Chiffon on Playhouse on Broadway . The American Film Institute named Gish 17th among
1914-519: The filming of Broken Blossoms . Gish became a vegetarian in her childhood through influence of her aunt and could not bear the thought of killing animals. Her vegetarianism became well known in 1925 as she was seen nibbling on a raw carrot in federal court. Newspaper photographs of her caused a carrot-eating fad across the United States. She later gave up vegetarianism and preferred to eat boiled eggs, fruit, meat and vegetables. She maintained
1972-534: The films 42nd Street and Destry Rides Again . She won a Tony Award in 1956 and was nominated for an Oscar in 1961. Merkel was born in Covington, Kentucky , to Bessie ( née Phares) and Arno Merkel. In her early childhood, she lived in many of the Southern United States due to her father's job as a traveling salesman. At the age of 15, she and her parents moved to Philadelphia . They stayed there
2030-602: The fullest, developing her into a suffering yet strong heroine. Having appeared in over 25 short films and features in her first two years as a movie actress, Lillian became a major star, becoming known as the "First Lady of the Screen" and appearing in lavish productions, frequently of literary works such as Way Down East . She became the most esteemed actress of budding Hollywood cinema. She directed her sister Dorothy in one film, Remodeling Her Husband (1920), when D. W. Griffith took his unit on location. He told Gish that he thought
2088-470: The girls became good friends with a next-door neighbor, Gladys Smith. Gladys was a child actress who did some work for director D. W. Griffith, and later took the stage name Mary Pickford . When Lillian and Dorothy were old enough, they joined the theatre, often traveling separately in different productions. They also took modeling jobs, with Lillian posing for artist Victor Maurel in exchange for voice lessons. In 1912, their friend Mary Pickford introduced
2146-636: The honorary degree of doctor of performing arts the next day. In 1982, the University accepted a collection of Gish films and photographs that had previously been displayed at the Museum of Modern Art . It solicited donations from Gish friends and associates to renovate the Gish Theatre and create an endowment in the 1990s. Following Gish's 1993 death, the university raised funds to enlarge its gallery to display memorabilia received from Gish's estate. In February 2019,
2204-472: The money, requesting a more modest wage and a percentage, so the studio could use the funds to increase the quality of her films—hiring the best actors, screenwriters, etc. By the late silent era, Greta Garbo had surpassed her as MGM's leading lady, and Gish's contract with MGM ended in 1928. Three films with MGM gave her near-total creative control: La Bohème , The Scarlet Letter (both 1926), and The Wind (1928). The Wind , directed by Victor Sjöström ,
2262-566: The names of actresses Dorothy and Lillian Gish to the film theater. The protest was signed by over 50 film-industry figures, including actors Helen Mirren and James Earl Jones and directors Bertrand Tavernier and Martin Scorsese . Gish never married or had children. The association between D. W. Griffith and herself was so close that some suspected a romantic connection, an issue never acknowledged by Gish, although several of their associates were certain they were at least briefly involved. For
2320-548: The only recipient who was a major figure in the silent era. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1720 Vine Street. Her last film role was appearing in The Whales of August in 1987 at the age of 93, with Vincent Price , Bette Davis, and Ann Sothern , in which Gish and Davis starred as elderly sisters in Maine . Gish's performance was received glowingly, winning her the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress . At
2378-411: The remainder of her life, she always referred to him as "Mr. Griffith". She was also involved with producer Charles Duell, and drama critic and editor George Jean Nathan . In the 1920s, Gish's association with Duell became something of a tabloid scandal when he sued her and made the details of their relationship public. Gish was a survivor of the 1918 flu pandemic , having contracted the illness during
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2436-596: The rest of her life, notably in The Night of the Hunter (1955) as a rural guardian angel protecting her charges from a murderous preacher played by Robert Mitchum . She was considered for various roles in Gone with the Wind ranging from Ellen O'Hara, Scarlett 's mother (which went to Barbara O'Neil ), to prostitute Belle Watling (which went to Ona Munson ). Gish's television debut occurred on February 6, 1949, when she portrayed Abby,
2494-433: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title The Fifth Horseman . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Fifth_Horseman&oldid=1240618430 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
2552-400: The short-lived 1965 Broadway musical Anya . In addition to her later acting appearances, Gish became one of the leading advocates of the lost art of the silent film, often giving speeches and touring to screenings of classic works. In 1975, she hosted The Silent Years , a PBS film program of silent films. She was interviewed in the television documentary series Hollywood: A Celebration of
2610-610: The sisters to Griffith and helped get them contracts with Biograph Studios . Lillian Gish soon became one of America's best-loved actresses; she was 19 years old at the time, but told casting directors she was 16. Gish made her stage debut in 1902, at the Little Red School House in Risingsun, Ohio . From 1903 to 1904, she toured in Her First False Step , with her mother and Dorothy. In the following year, she danced with
2668-493: The university's Black Student Union called for the renaming of the Gish Theatre due to Gish's involvement with the controversial The Birth of a Nation . In April 2019, a task force recommended removing the Gish name; the trustees unanimously voted to remove the name on May 3, 2019. Mike Kaplan, co-producer of The Whales of August (1987), Lillian Gish's final film, circulated a petition urging Bowling Green State University to restore
2726-474: The verse: "Matrimony is baloney. She'll be wanting alimony in a year or so./Still they go and shuffle, shuffle off to Buffalo." Merkel appeared in both the 1934 and the 1952 film versions of The Merry Widow , playing different roles. She received second billing in The Good Old Soak (1937) with Wallace Beery and Ted Healy in the same year that Healy died mysteriously. One of her most famous roles
2784-443: Was Gish's favorite film of her MGM career. A commercial failure with the rise of talkies, it is now recognized as one of the most distinguished works of the silent period. Gish biographer Edward Wagenknecht wrote: Like Miss Gish herself, Sjöström was a great human being as well as a great artist; each instantly perceived kinship in the other and drew upon their own and each other’s deepest resources, and they remained close friends to
2842-425: Was a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player from 1932 to 1938, appearing in as many as 12 films in a year, often on loan-out to other studios. She was also often cast as leading lady opposite Jack Benny , Harold Lloyd , Franchot Tone , and Charles Butterworth , among others. In 42nd Street (1933), Merkel played a streetwise show girl. In the famous "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" number, Merkel and Ginger Rogers sang
2900-401: Was a Scottish Episcopalian and her father was of German Lutheran descent. The first several generations of Gishes were Dunkard ministers. Gish's father was an alcoholic and left the family; her mother took up acting to support them. The family moved to East St. Louis, Illinois , where they lived for several years with Lillian's aunt and uncle, Henry and Rose McConnell. Their mother opened
2958-493: Was an American actress. Her film-acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912, in silent film shorts , to 1987. Gish was dubbed the "First Lady of the Screen" by Vanity Fair in 1927 and is credited with pioneering fundamental film performance techniques. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Gish as the 17th-greatest female movie star of Classic Hollywood cinema . Having acted on stage with her sister as
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#17329097329833016-481: Was awarded an Academy Honorary Award for her career achievements. She was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor for her contribution to American culture through performing arts in 1982. Lillian Diana Gish was born on October 14, 1893, in Springfield, Ohio , the first child of actress Mary Robinson McConnell , and James Leigh Gish. Lillian had a younger sister, Dorothy , who also became a popular movie star. Her mother
3074-600: Was found unconscious by a nurse who was caring for her at the time and remained in a coma for a day before recovering. Merkel was a lifelong Methodist . Merkel was married once and had no children. She married North American Aviation executive Ronald L. Burla in 1932. They separated in April 1944. Merkel filed for divorce on December 19, 1946, in Miami , and it was granted in March 1947. On January 2, 1986, Merkel died in Los Angeles at
3132-528: Was friendly with President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie . She supported Richard Nixon in his failed 1960 presidential run, and was also friends with Ronald Reagan . During Reagan's presidency, Gish wrote in a letter to Nancy Reagan , "Every time you and Ronnie open your mouths you echo my thoughts." During the period of political turmoil in the US that lasted from the outbreak of World War II in Europe until
3190-449: Was in the Western comedy Destry Rides Again (1939), in which her character, Lily Belle, gets into a famous "cat-fight" with Frenchie ( Marlene Dietrich ) over the possession of her husband's trousers, won by Frenchie in a crooked card game. She played the elder daughter to the W. C. Fields character, Egbert Sousé, in the 1940 film The Bank Dick . Her film career went into decline during
3248-572: Was institutionalized in the Oklahoma Hospital for the Insane in Norman, was able to travel the 35 miles to Shawnee and the two got reacquainted. She stayed with her aunt and uncle, and attended Shawnee High School there. Her father died in Norman, Oklahoma, in 1912, but she had returned to Ohio a few months before this. When the theater next to the candy store burned down, the family moved to New York, where
3306-497: Was opposite Elvis Presley in Spinout (1966). On March 5, 1945, Merkel was nearly killed when her mother Bessie, with whom she shared an apartment in New York City, died by suicide by gassing herself. Merkel was overcome by the five gas jets her mother had turned on in their kitchen and was found unconscious in her bedroom. On March 4, 1952, seven years almost to the day after her mother died, Merkel overdosed on sleeping pills. She
3364-560: Was showcased in an episode of the Emmy award-winning PBS series, American Masters . The AllMovie Guide wrote on her legacy: Lillian Gish is considered the movie industry's first true actress. A pioneer of fundamental film performing techniques, she was the first star to recognize the many crucial differences between acting for the stage and acting for the screen, and while her contemporaries painted their performances in broad, dramatic strokes, Gish delivered finely etched, nuanced turns carrying
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