White, Pearl

White, Pearl (Fay) (1889–1938) movie actress; born in Green Ridge, Mo. She began as a child actress and with her earnings bought a horse; by age 13 she rode well enough to join a circus as an equestrienne; an accident forced her to quit the circus so she returned to acting. Working as a secretary for a film company, she was signed to replace a lead in a Western, The Life of Buffalo Bill (1910). She appeared in dozens of movies, mostly short features, and then in 1914 commenced the series that she became most famous for, The Perils of Pauline. These and other "cliffhangers" (in which she did many of her own stunts) made her one of Hollywood's most popular actresses. In 1920 she tried more serious roles, but was not very successful; in 1924, having made what proved to be her last movie in France, she retired there for the rest of her life.