author
Linda Arvidson
1884–1949
A stage performer who helped define the very first years of American film, she became one of Biograph's early screen stars before actors were routinely named on screen. Her later memoir offers a rare firsthand look at how movies were made when the industry was still finding its shape.
1 Audiobook
When the movies were young
by Linda Arvidson
About the author
Born in San Francisco on July 12, 1884, Linda Arvidson was an American stage and silent film actress who worked during cinema's earliest years. She became closely associated with Biograph in New York, where she appeared at a time when audiences often recognized performers without seeing their names in the credits.
Arvidson played leading roles in many early films connected with director D. W. Griffith, to whom she was married for many years, and she was sometimes billed as Linda Griffith. Beyond acting, she is also remembered for her 1925 autobiography When the Movies Were Young, a valuable recollection of the silent era from someone who lived it from the inside.
She died in New York City on July 26, 1949. For listeners interested in film history, her life opens a window onto the rough-and-ready beginnings of American moviemaking, when the art form was still being invented day by day.