“I envy this dear, darling Dorothy with all my heart, for she is the side of me that God left out. . .”All my life I have wanted to play happily, as she does, only to find myself bad at playing. As a little girl, I was not much good at playing, and I find that, try as I will, I don’t play very convincingly today.” (Lillian Gish)

, in full Dorothy Elizabeth Gish, (born March 11, 1898, Massillon, Ohio, U.S.—died June 4, 1968, Rapallo, Italy), American actress who, like her sister Lillian, was a major figure in silent films, particularly director D.W. Griffith’s classics.

Gish grew up in New York City and made her stage debut at age four. She and Lillian formed close friendships with the actress Mary Pickford (then known as Gladys Mary Smith) during their childhood. Pickford introduced them to Griffith in 1912. Griffith immediately gave them small parts in a series of silent movies, beginning with An Unseen Enemy (1912), and placed them under contract to his studio the next year.

Dorothy, who was more vivacious than her sister, attracted a following in The Mountain Rat (1914), The Mysterious Shot (1914), and other films. Together, Dorothy and Lillian appeared in several of Griffith’s greatest films, including Home, Sweet Home (1914), The Sisters (1914), Hearts of the World (1918), and Orphans of the Storm (1921). In 1920 Dorothy appeared in Remodeling Her Husband, which was directed by Lillian.

Dorothy Gish 1926 – Nell Gwyn

Dorothy Gish in “Nell Gwyn”

Two years later they both left Griffith, Dorothy going to Paramount Studios and Lillian to the Tiffany Company and later to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Dorothy’s subsequent films include Romola (1924), in which Lillian also appeared; Clothes Make the Pirate (1925); and two movies made in England, Nell Gwyn (1926) and Madame Pompadour (1927).

Photo Gallery:

Dorothy Gish Playing Louis in Orphans of the Storm (Photo by VCG Wilson/Bettmann Archive)

circa 1922: Famous American silent star Dorothy Gish (1898 – 1968).

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Dorothy Gish, as pictured in “Dorothy and Lillian Gish” by Lillian Gish

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Actress Dorothy Gish (shown from waist up), wearing a dress with small bows up the front of the taffeta bodice and short, white lace sleeves. (Photo by Adolph de Meyer/Condé Nast via Getty Images)

Actress, Dorothy Gish, wearing a black satin dress with a white rounded lace collar and short puffed sleeves, with bobbed hair and bow lips, seated with hands folded in her lap. (Photo by Nickolas Muray/Condé Nast via Getty Images)

Close-up of actress, Dorothy Gish, wearing a white lace shawl over a black dress, a headband, and two pearl necklaces, turning her head to face forward and staring into the distance. (Photo by George Hoyningen-Huene/Condé Nast via Getty Images)

Actress Dorothy Gish (Photo by  John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Actress Dorothy Gish (Photo by  John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Actress, Dorothy Gish, wearing a long-sleeved white dress with tiered skirt, standing in a bed of flowers, holding a small basket full of flowers, from the film The Streets of New York. (Photo by Edward Steichen/Condé Nast via Getty Images)

American silent film actress Dorothy Gish (1898 – 1968), 1924. (Photo by E. O. Hoppe/Getty Images)

Dorothy Gish (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Dorothy Gish (Photo by Oscar White/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)

Actress Dorothy Gish in costume as she appears in the 1924 movie Romola. (Photo by  John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

1924: Dorothy Gish (1898 – 1968) stars in the silent film ‘Romola’, adapted from a novel by George Eliot and directed by Henry King for MGM. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

circa 1921: Dorothy Gish (1898 – 1968), silent era Hollywood actress with her husband Mr James. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

circa 1922: Famous American silent star Dorothy Gish (1898 – 1968). (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Dorothy Gish (Photo by Oscar White/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)

Portrait of actress Dorothy Gish wearing a satin dress, circa 1920-1930. (Photo by American Stock Archive/Moviepix/Getty Images)

(Original Caption) Early movie called Her Official Sweetheart being filmed with Dorothy Gish. The director is Elmer Clifton and the camera crew Pathe Camera and Karl Brown.

Dorothy Gish Playing Louis in Orphans of the Storm (Photo by VCG Wilson/Bettmann Archive)

Dorothy Gish (Photo by Oscar White/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)

June 1946: American silent star Dorothy Gish (1898 – 1968), sister of the better-known Lillian Gish emerges from her dressing room at the 20th Century Fox studios, California. She has recently returned to films after an absence of more than ten years and is starring in the musical ‘Centennial Summer’. (Photo by Keystone Features/Getty Images)

Actress Dorothy Gish in costume for her role in scene from the movie Centennial Summer. (Photo by Bob Landry/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

Actress Linda Darnell and Dorthy Gish in a scene from the movie “Centennial Summer” (Photo by Donaldson Collection/Getty Images)

Portrait of Dorothy Gish (1898-1968), American actress, director, and writer, photograph by James Abbe (1883-1973) from The Tatler, No 1388, February 1, 1928, London.

Circa 1946: Actor Louis Calhern and actress Dorothy Gish appearing in the play “The Magnificent Yankee.” (Photo by Eileen Darby/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images)

June 1946: William Eythe (1918 – 1957) chats with American silent star Dorothy Gish (1898 – 1968) and actress Linda Darnell (1923 – 1965) during the filming of ‘Centennial Summer’ at the 20th Century Fox studios, California. (Photo by Keystone Features/Getty Images)

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Amon Carter Museum Forth Worth Texas, Dorothy Gish photographed by Nell Dorr cca 1930

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Young woman at side of seated elderly woman view 3]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3489

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Young woman at side of seated elderly woman view 4]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3490

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Young woman at side of seated elderly woman view 1]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3487

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Dorothy Gish in costume]; ca. 1920s; Gelatin silver print; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth, Texas; Bequest of Nell Dorr; P1990.45.464

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Girl seated with book on lap]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3479

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Portrait of girl wearing short sleeves and head band view 1]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3480

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Portrait of girl wearing short sleeves and head band view 2]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3481

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Portrait of girl wearing short sleeves and head band view 3]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3482

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Portrait of young woman with scarf around neck view 1]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3512

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Portrait of young woman with scarf around neck view 2]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3513

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Woman with hands at neck] [Dorothy Gish]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3547

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Portrait of Dorothy Gish view 1]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3548

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Portrait of Dorothy Gish view 2]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3549

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Portrait of Dorothy Gish view 3]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3550

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Portrait of Dorothy Gish view 5]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3552

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Portrait of Dorothy Gish view 7]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3554

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Portrait of Dorothy Gish view 8]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3555

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Portrait of two women view 1]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3483

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Portrait of two women view 2]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3484

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Portrait of two women view 3]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.3485

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); Dorothy Gish; ca. 1930’s; Gelatin silver print; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth, Texas; Bequest of Nell Dorr; P1990.45.239

Nell Dorr (1893-1988); [Nell with two girls and Lillian and Dorothy Gish]; nitrate negative; Amon Carter Museum of American Art; Fort Worth TX; P1990.47.1248

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