Olive Thomas

Biography

Olive Thomas, born Oliveretta Elaine Duffy on October 20, 1894, in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, was an American actress and model renowned for her beauty during the silent film era. She had a challenging upbringing in industrial Pittsburgh and married Bernard Krug Thomas at age 16, but the marriage ended in divorce after two years. She moved to New York, where she gained fame after winning a beauty competition, leading to her involvement with Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.'s Follies. Olive transitioned to film, making her debut in Beatrice Fairfax (1916) and quickly becoming a popular figure in Hollywood with notable films such as The Flapper (1920). She married Jack Pickford in 1917, but their relationship was tumultuous. Tragically, Olive died on September 10, 1920, after accidentally ingesting poison while on vacation in France. Her death garnered significant media attention, and she is remembered as one of the great beauties of her time.