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The silent film era represents the earliest days of cinema. In Hollywood, silent movies starred some truly original and innovative talent, famous names that still resonate throughout the world today.

Browse the gallery and meet some of the superstars who appeared on screen without uttering a word of dialogue, when silence was golden.

▲One of the most influential figures in the film industry, Charlie Chaplin's "Little Tramp" character has become an icon in world cinema.

▲A famous scene in which he dines on his own shoes, Chaplin declared this film the one he most wanted to be remembered for.

▲Hollywood's original swashbuckler, Fairbanks was also a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and hosted the first Oscars Ceremony in 1929.

▲A dashing and flamboyant Robin Hood, Fairbanks set the tone for later action-adventure movies. Incidentally, this was the first motion picture ever to have a Hollywood premiere.

▲Lloyd was one of the most popular and successful film comedians of the silent era and was known for his daredevil stunts.

▲One of these was the famous hanging clock sequence—arguably the most recognized image in silent film history.

▲Admired as much for his physical comedy as his trademark deadpan expression, Keaton is ranked among the greatest stars of the silent era.

▲Regarded as his masterpiece, the film ends with a climactic train wreck sequence, a shot that cost US$42,000 to film—the most expensive single shot in silent film history!

▲The handsome Italian actor was an early Hollywood hearthrob, a 1920's icon whose premature death at the age of 31 prompted an outpouring of grief from his female fans.

▲Smoldering good looks and a buff physique suited his role as Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan in this romantic drama, a huge box-office hit.

▲A screen and stage actor, as well as a writer and director, Gish has been called "The First Lady of American Cinema."

▲Gish appeared in many films directed by the celebrated D.W. Griffith including this one, made four years after his seminal 'Birth of a Nation,' in which she also starred.

▲Recognized as one of the first child stars in cinema history, Coogan began appearing in both vaudeville and film at the tender age of three.

▲One role that defined the rest of Coogan's career was that of the adopted son and sidekick of Chaplin's "Little Tramp" in the second-highest-grossing film of 1921.

▲The first "It" girl and a 1920's crush, Bow's pulling power was such that the majority of producers considered her a "safe return" on film investments.

▲This early film role saw her play a tomboy, but critics and the public were already smitten.

▲Brooks epitomized the brash '20's flapper look and stood out for her bobbed haircut, an image she carefully honed throughout her film career.

▲This lighthearted comedy saw her costar with popular Broadway actor Gregory Kelly, who died shortly after the film's release.

▲Enjoying greater fame with the advent of the "talkies," Swanson nonetheless was a big silent movie star as well as a fashion icon.

▲The romantic comedy was the first of director Cecil B. Demille's films to feature Swanson.

▲An actress, screenwriter, director, and producer, Normand ran her own movie studio and production company.

▲This film was written and directed by Charlie Chaplin. Normand herself wrote and directed several movies featuring Chaplin as a her leading man.

▲Gilbert rivaled Valentino in terms of popularity with audiences, and was known as "The Great Lover." Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo numbered among his dates.

▲Director King Vidor's war epic was one of the biggest box office draws of the 1920s, boosting Gilbert's career and making a star out of French actress Renée Adorée.

▲He mentored Charlie Chaplin, discovered Buster Keaton, and became one of the highest paid actors of the silent era. Yet "Fatty" Arbuckle's name is forever associated with a notorious 1921 scandal that totally overshadowed his legacy.

▲Directed by and starring Arbuckle, the film also featured Buster Keaton, who was praised for his comic antics.

▲Younger sister of Lillian, Dorothy found fame on the stage as well as in film.

▲A drama set in late 18th-century France directed by D.W. Griffith, the film starred Dorothy and sister Lillian.

▲One half of arguably the greatest comedy double act in entertainment history, the British comic first arrived in the US with Fred Karno's troupe of actors, an ensemble that included Charlie Chaplin.

▲Laurel appeared in numerous silent films before acting briefly alongside another comic actor in 1921 called Oliver Hardy.

▲Oliver Hardy's first film was the silent comedy 'Outwitting Dad' (1914), credited as O.N.Hardy—Oliver Norvell Hardy.

▲This is the first appearance on film of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, long before they became a comedy team. Laurel is seated while Hardy is with moustache.

▲In a relatively short career, Moore became one of the highest paid actresses of the day, and one of the most fashionable.

▲A rare still from the 'The Wall Flower.' Nearly half of her films are now considered lost.

▲Hollywood's first cowboy, Hart, along with Tom Mix, remains the one of the silent era's foremost Western stars.

▲Hart's films were noted for their authentic costumes and props—he was fascinated with the Old West, and had met legendary lawmen Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson.

▲Acting since she was a young child, by 1909 the burgeoning actress was working with D.W. Griffith and rivaling Mary Pickford in popularity.

▲Based on a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, this is an early silent horror film with a classic twist in the tale.

▲Along with William S. Hart, Mix helped define the Western as a movie genre. Interestingly, it was an appearance in a documentary in which he displays his skills as a cattle rancher that helped launch Mix's film career.

▲Shooting them up in a barroom brawl in a scene from one of the 270 films Mix appeared in. Sadly, many are now lost.

▲One of the most admired and visionary film directors of the silent era was also an actor, sometimes appearing uncredited.

▲Written, produced, and directed by Stroheim, this 1919 feature also saw him star as Lieutenant Eric Von Steuben.

▲Born in France as Gabriel-Maximilien Leuvielle, Linder worked in theater for many years and in film for Pathé before relocating to the USA.

▲One of the first truly global movie stars, Linder made this comedy in Hollywood. Considered by some as his best film, the actor nonetheless returned to France the following year.

▲A hugely influential figure of early cinema, Chaney was known as "The Man of a Thousand Faces" for his makeup skills and roles as grotesque and disfigured characters.

▲One of two seminal horror films starring Chaney, the other being 'The Phantom of the Opera' (1925), this was Universal Pictures' most successful silent picture.

▲Enjoying enormous success in the 1910s and 1920s, Hayakawa was the first actor of Asian descent to find fame as a leading man in Europe and the US.

▲An early Hollywood heartthrob, the Japanese actor often played dominant villains.

▲The Canadian actress appeared in nearly 300 films, peaking during the 1910s to become what many described as "The First Movie Star."

▲Florence Lawrence, (pictured far right) as Margie in a film made by Lawrence's motion picture company Victor Studios.

▲Born into a prominent acting family, she first appeared on screen as child star in 1909 opposite her father.

▲The mid-1920s were her most productive and profitable period, when she was earning as much as US$3,000 a week.

▲Dubbed by the press as "The Girl Who is Too Beautiful," La Mar enjoyed her reputation as a femme fatale and someone who liked to party.

▲Between 1920 and 1926 she appeared in 27 films, but her hedonistic lifestyle caught up with her quickly: she died at just 29 years of age of pulmonary tuberculosis and inflammation of the kidneys.

▲Pickford enjoyed enormous success in the 1910s and 1920s. She also cofounded the United Artists film studio and was one of the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

▲Pickford with Joseph Graybill and Marion Sunshine. The film also starred Mack Sennett, known as the "King of Comedy."

▲A founder member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Barthelmess began acting at an early age in theater and eventually became one of Hollywood's highest paid actors.

▲His performance in this film garnered a Best Actor nomination at the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929.

▲Another influential Hollywood name, Barrymore was a respected stage actor before moving into films.

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Barrymore's performance as both Jekyll and Hyde received critical praise. His transformation into Hyde was especially noted, achieved by contorting his face rather than relying on makeup.

The most iconic stars of the silent film era

Enjoying the golden silence

07/08/18 por Paul Bernhardt

MOVIES Silent films

The silent film era represents the earliest days of cinema. In Hollywood, silent movies starred some truly original and innovative talent, famous names that still resonate throughout the world today.

Browse the gallery and meet some of the superstars who appeared on screen without uttering a word of dialogue, when silence was golden.