Jack Pickford

Jack Pickford was a Canadianborn American actor, film director and producer. He was the younger brother of early film star Mary Pickford, born Gladys Smith.

He was born John Charles Smith in 1896 in Toronto, Ontario, to John Charles Smith, an English immigrant oddjob man of Methodist background, and Charlotte Hennessy Smith, who was Irish Catholic. He was called Jack as a child. His alcoholic father left the family while Pickford was a young child. This incident left the family impoverished. Out of desperation, Charlotte allowed Jack and his two sisters Gladys and Lottie to appear onstage, beginning with Gladys, the eldest. This proved a good source of income and, by 1900, the family had relocated to New York City and the children were acting in plays across the United States.

Source: Wikipedia