About Jack Pickford
John Charles Smith (August 18, 1896 – January 3, 1933), known professionally as Jack Pickford, was a Canadian-American actor, film director, and producer. He was the younger brother of actresses Mary and Lottie Pickford. After their father deserted the family, all three Pickford children began working as child actors on the stage. Mary later became a highly popular silent film actress, producer, and early Hollywood pioneer. While Jack appeared in numerous films as the "All American boy next door" and was a fairly popular performer, he was overshadowed by his sister's success. His career declined steadily due to alcohol, drugs, and chronic depression. Mary soon became a well-known star, and by 1919 had signed a contract for $1 million with First National Pictures. By the time he signed with First National, Pickford had played bit parts in 95 shorts and full-length feature films. However, Jack soon became very ill.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.