Olive Thomas

Olive Thomas (born Olive R. Duffy; October 20, 1894 – September 10, 1920) was an American silent-film actress, art model, and photo model. Her birth certificate appears to list her name as Oliva, but this is widely thought to be an error. In the 1900 census, she is listed as Olive R. Duffy. Thomas began her career as an illustrator's model in 1914, and moved on to the Ziegfeld Follies the following year. During her time as a Ziegfeld girl, she also appeared in the more risqué show The Midnight Frolic. In 1916, she began a successful career in silent films and would appear in more than 20 features over the course of her four-year film career. That year, she married actor Jack Pickford, the younger brother of fellow silent-film star Mary Pickford. On September 10, 1920 at 11:00 AM, Thomas died in Paris five days after ingesting mercury bichloride, which brought on acute nephritis. Although her death was ruled accidental, news of her hospitalization and subsequent death were the subject of speculation in the press. Thomas's death is considered one of the first major Hollywood scandals.