(1898-1968)
The beloved sister of Lillian Gish was born in Massillion, Ohio, and first performed on stage at age four as Little Willie in East Lynne. She played child roles on the road and in New York until 1912. That year, she and her sister joined D. W. Griffith's motion picture company, for which Dorothy made 61 films before obtaining her first star contract in 1915. Her performance as the Little Disturber in Hearts of the World (1917) endeared her to the public. She returned to legitimate theatre in 1928 to perform in Young Love on Broadway, followed by a London engagement. Most of the remainder of her career was on stage, with only occasional films.
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.