Born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, in 1879, Lois Weber was a concert pianist and stage actress before entering films in 1908. She directed about 135 films, acted in many, and was among the first American women to direct a feature film. In 1917 she formed her own production company. Her films dealt with social and moral questions such as poverty, abortion and birth control, and she is credited with pioneering the split screen in Suspense (1913). Her career declined in the 1920s, and she made only one sound film, White Heat (1934). She died in Hollywood in 1939.
Filmography
- Suspense (1913)
- Hypocrites (1915)
- Where Are My Children? (1916)
- Shoes (1916)
- The Blot (1921)