The famous D.W. Griffith (1875 - 1948) film, The Birth of a Nation, was released in 1915, which is the 50th anniversary of the end of the Civil War. We will not go into the controversy surrounding the film, because this is a blog about Bit Actors.
Mae Marsh (1894 - 1968) started working in films in 1910. She was one of the leads in TBoaN, along with Lillian Gish (1893 - 1993). Marsh went on to appear in about 200 films, up until a few years before her death.
In 1912 her big break came when Griffith cast her in The Sands of Dee, a movie that Mary Pickford (1892 - 1979) was supposed to get. This led to The Birth of a Nation, and then a starring role in Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages in 1916. Those two are arguably the most famous silent films made in America.
After Intolerance, Mae left Griffith and started working for Samuel Goldwyn (1879 - 1974). Her career faltered after that. She made quite a few more silents, but none were the big hits she had with Griffith.
With the advent of talkies, Mae went back to work as a character actress, which made her a very famous Bit Actress. She was approaching 40 years old by then, so starring roles would go to younger actresses.
1932 - Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
1933 - Alice in Wonderland
1939 - Drums Along the Mohawk
1940 - The Grapes of Wrath
1941 - Tobacco Road
1941 - Great Guns (Had to get Laurel and Hardy in there!)
1941 - How Green was my Valley
1943 - The Song of Bernadette
Plus, State Fair, Miracle on 34th Street, Fort Apache, The Fighting Kentuckian, The Gunfighter, The Quiet Man, The Robe, A Star is Born, The Searchers...Holy Cow! what a list.
Her last two films, both uncredited roles, were Donovan's Reef (1963) and Cheyenne Autumn (1964). She worked with John Wayne in eight films, but she only did a few TV westerns around 1960.
Mae Marsh was a star. And I am glad we have her in so many great films, if only in Bit Parts.