Florence Lawrence was a Canadian-American stage performer and film actress. She is often referred to as the "first movie star", and was long thought to be the first film actor to be named publicly until evidence published in 2019 indicated that the first named film star was French actor Max Linder. 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 silent films from the Biograph Company. She appeared in almost 300 films for various motion picture companies throughout her career.
Lawrence in 1908
Portrait of Lawrence by Frank C. Bangs Studio, c. 1908
Florence Lawrence in Ingomar, the Barbarian (1908)
Florence Lawrence, Harry Solter and Mack Sennett in The Slave (1909)
Gabriel Leuvielle, known professionally as Max Linder, was a French actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and comedian of the silent film era. His onscreen persona "Max" was one of the first recognizable recurring characters in film. He has also been cited as the "first international movie star" and "the first film star anywhere".
Linder in the February 1922 issue of Photoplay
Linder in March 1918
Linder in 1913
Linder c. 1917