Florence Lawrence

Florence Lawrence was a CanadianAmerican stage performer and film actress. She is often referred to as The First Movie Star, and was the first film actor to be named publicly. At the height of her fame in the 1910s, she was known as The Biograph Girl for work as one of the leading ladies in Biograph Studios motion pictures. She appeared in almost 300 films for various motion picture companies throughout her career.

Laemmle generated attention by falsely claiming that Lawrences St. Louis fans were so excited to learn that she had not died that they rushed her in a frenzy and tore her clothes off. Partially due to Laemmles ingenuity, the star system was born and before long, Florence Lawrence became a household name. However, her fame also proved that the studio executives who had concerns over wage demands soon had their fears proved correct. Laemmle managed to lure William Ranous, one of Vitagraphs best directors, over to IMP. Ranous introduced Laemmle to Lawrence and Solter, and they began to work together. Lawrence and Solter worked for IMP for eleven months, making fifty films. After this, they went on vacation in Europe.

Source: Wikipedia