Cissy Fitzgerald
Cissy Fitzgerald was a vaudeville actress, dancer, and singer for four decades. She started her career in 1894 and became famous as “the girl with the wink” (due to a muscle disorder) in a short called Gaiety Girl by Thomas Edison’s production company.
Her first film was Cissy Fitzgerald (1896) followed by a gap to get married and travel the world and then a return to film for comedy shorts in 1914.
The Milwaukee Journal said of her, “Her face radiates fun and it is on that account that she is so very famous. Cissy’s wink won her fame back in the days of ‘The Gaiety Girl’ and ‘The Foundling,’ and now that she is with the Vitagraph Film Co., she and her wink are more popular than ever” (“Cissy’s Wink Make Her Famous” n.p.).
She is credited as the first female producer starting in 1921 with her comedy shorts under Cissy Fitzgerald Productions. As she got older, she transitioned to a character supporting actress in silent films and talkies.
She passed away in 1941.
A lot of her work has been lost but here are a few you can check out:
Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) — a drama (it’s creepy and sad but also weirdly kinda good?) — the screenplay was written by Elizabeth Meehan
Clip of Maids A La Mode (1933)
Clip of The Dust of Egypt (1915)
Resources:
Slapstick Divas
