Pearl Fay White, born March 4, 1889 in Green Ridge, Missouri, United States - died August 4, 1938 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, was a singer and star of silent film. March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Green Ridge is a city located in Pettis County, Missouri, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 445. ... Official language(s) none, English most common Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 21st 69,709 mi²; 180,693 km² 240 mi; 385 km 300 mi; 480 km 1. ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Neuilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the Hauts-de-Seine département in France. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ...

Early Life

The daughter of a poor Missouri farmer, Pearl White grew up in Springfield, Missouri where in High School she became interested in acting and participated in a local theatre company. At age 18, she joined the Trousedale Stock Company as a part-time performer, working the evening shows while keeping her day job to help support her family. Before too long she was able to join the company full time, touring with the group throughout the American Midwest. In 1907 she married fellow actor Victor Sutherland (1889-1968) but they soon separated and eventually divorced. Official language(s) none, English most common Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 21st 69,709 mi²; 180,693 km² 240 mi; 385 km 300 mi; 480 km 1. ... Springfield is the third largest city in Missouri. ... The Midwest is a common name for a region of the United States of America. ... Victor Sutherland (February 28, 1889 - August 29, 1968) was an American actor. ...

Career Rise

In 1910, Pearl White was offered a chance by Pathé Frères to perform in The Girl From Arizona, the French company's first American film produced at their new studio in Bound Brook, New Jersey. She then worked at Lubin Studios and several other of the independents until the Crystal Film Company in Manhattan, gave her top billing in numerous short films. Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France. ... Map showing location of Bound Brook in Somerset County Bound Brook is a borough located in Somerset County, New Jersey. ... Lubin Studios, Philadelphia (c. ... The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ...

Having gained some degree of public recognition, in 1914 the Pathé director Louis J. Gasnier (1875-1963) offered Pearl White the starring role in The Perils of Pauline, a film based on a story by playwright, Charles W. Goddard (1879-1951). The film was not about a helpless woman, but one where "Pauline" was the central character in a story involving considerable action for which the athletic and unblinking Peal White proved ideally suited. The Perils of Pauline was a silent movie serial which debuted in 1914. ... Charles William Goddard, born November 26, 1879 in Portland, Maine, United States – died January 11, 1951 in Miami, Florida, was a playwright and screenwriter. ...

The Perils of Pauline consisted of twenty episodes that enlarged upon the heroine-in-jeopardy cliffhanger style of film. An enormous box-office success, it made Pearl White a major celebrity and she was soon earning the astronomical sum of $3,000 a week. She followed this major achievement with an even bigger box-office winner, The Exploits of Elaine. A poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914). ... A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in which a movie, novel, or other work of fiction contains an abrupt ending, often leaving the main characters in a precarious or difficult situation. ... The Exploits of Elaine is a 1914 film serial in the genre of The Perils of Pauline, and even outgrossed that serial in ticket sales. ...

While flying airplanes, racing cars, swimming across rivers, and other assorted feats, she did four more successful serials based on the same theme. For these action-packed films, Pearl White did much of her own dangerous stunt work and as a result she suffered a number injuries that forced her to begin using a stunt double in her later films. Serial is a term, originating in literature, for a format by which a story is told in contiguous installments in sequential issues of a single periodical publication. ...

Fame

By 1919, Pearl White was a wealthy young woman when she met and married World War I veteran Major Wallace McCutcheon, Jr. (1880-1928) who had become an actor, director and cinematographer. This marriage did not last and they divorced in 1921 and two years later White made her last American film. Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead:5 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:8 million Military dead:4 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:7 million The First World...

Influenced by the French friends she made while working for Pathé, and someone who appreciated different cultures, Pearl White was drawn to the great gathering of artistic genius happening in the Montparnasse Quarter of Paris, France. While living there she made her last film for her friend, the Belgian-born director Edward José (1880-1930), who had directed her in several serials in the USA. Silent films could be made in any country and because White was a highly recognizable star worldwide, in France she was offered many roles but chose to perform live on stage in a Montmartre production called, "Tu Perds la Boule" (You Lost the Ball). Enjoying this type of performance, in 1925 she accepted an offer to star with comedian Max Wall in the "London Review" at the Lyceum Theatre in London. The Montparnasse Tower, which at 209m was the tallest building in Western Europe when it was built. ... The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Montmartre seen from the centre Georges Pompidou (1897), a painting by Camille Pissarro of the boulevard that led to Montmartre as seen from his hotel room. ... Max Wall (March 12, 1908 - May 21, 1990) was a British comedian, born in Brixton, London son of the successful music-hall entertainer Jack (Jock) Lorimer. ... For other uses, see London (disambiguation) and Defining London (below). ...

Pearl White's childhood poverty made her frugal with money. A shrewd businesswoman, she invested in a successful Parisian nightclub, a Biarritz resort hotel/casino, plus a profitable stable of thoroughbred race horses. Living in a fashionable town house in the exclusive Parisian suburb of Passy, she also owned a villa in Rambouillet. Tourist Office Hotel du Palais or Eugenie Palace La Grande Plage, the towns largest beach Biarritz is a town and commune which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in southwestern France. ... The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed in 18th century England when English mares were bred with imported Arabian stallions to create a distance racer. ... Passy is an exclusive suburb on the Right Bank of Paris, France and traditional home to many of the citys wealthiest residents. ... Rambouillet is a town and commune in the Yvelines département, lying about 50 km south-west of Paris. ...

The 'poor girl' from Missouri hobnobbed with the elite of European society, and in time became involved with Greek businessman, Theodore Cossika who shared her interest in travel. Together they acquired a home near Cairo, Egypt and White further expanded her cultural horizons by touring with her companion throughout the Middle East and the Orient. For other uses, see Cairo (disambiguation). ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... The term the Orient - literally meaning sunrise, east - is traditionally used to refer to Near, Middle, and Far Eastern countries. ...

Alcoholism

Over the years, White's alcohol use increased substantially, possibly in an attempt to numb the chronic pain from the injuries resulting from her film stunts. In 1933 she had to be hospitalized which led to an addiction to the drugs used to lessen her suffering. Her last few years were spent in a painful alcoholic haze and she died from cirrhosis of the liver at age 49 in the American Hospital in the Paris suburb of Neuilly. She was buried in the Cimetière de Passy. Cirrhosis is a chronic disease of the liver in which liver tissue is replaced by connective tissue, resulting in the loss of liver function. ... The Cimetière de Passy, with the Eiffel Tower in the background The Cimetière de Passy is a famous cemetery located at 2, rue du Commandant SchÅ“lsing in Passy, in the 16ème arrondissement of Paris. ...

Pearl White's place in film is seen as a benchmark in the evolution of both cinema genres and the role of women. Her film, The Exploits of Elaine, has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. All her films were made at East Coast studios and it is believed White never visited Hollywood who would honor her contribution to the film industry with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ... ... An example of a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, for the film actress Carole Lombard. ...

Selected filmography:

• The Perils of Pauline (1914)
• The Exploits of Elaine (1914)
• The New Exploits of Elaine (1915)
• The Romance of Elaine (1915)
• The Iron Claw (1916)
• Pearl of the Army (1916)
• The Fatal Ring (1917)
• The House of Hate (1918)
• The Lightning Raider (1919)
• Plunder (1923)
• Perils of Paris (1924)

The Perils of Pauline was a silent movie serial which debuted in 1914. ... The Exploits of Elaine is a 1914 film serial in the genre of The Perils of Pauline, and even outgrossed that serial in ticket sales. ...

External link

• Pearl White - Biography on (re)Search my Trash
• Pearl White at The Internet Movie Database