Olive Thomas

Olive Thomas born Oliva R Duffy1 October 20 1894 September 10 1920 was an American silentfilm actress art model and photo model Thomas began her career as an illustrators 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 fouryear film career That year she also married actor Jack Pickford the younger brother of fellow silentfilm star Mary Pickford On September 10 1920 Thomas died in Paris five days after ingesting her husbands syphilis medication mercury dichloride that 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 death has been cited as one of the early scandals in Hollywood that was heavily publicized