Lillian and Dorothy Gish were American stage, screen and television actresses whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987. The Gish sisters were particularly associated with the films of director D.W. Griffith. Each sister had her own signature style: Dorothy was suited more to comedies, while Lillian's intense acting style made her perfect for melodramatic tragedies and historical set pieces, an attribute which led to her position as D.W. Griffith's star player.
The Gish's prominence within the Biograph company continued to rise throughout the 1910s, as did their global reputation as two of silent cinema's greatest actresses.