White, Pearl (Fay) (1889–1938)

US film actor. In 1914 she commenced acting in the series of films, The Perils of Pauline, for which she became most famous. These and other ‘cliffhangers’ (in which she did many of her own stunts) made her one of Hollywood's most popular actors of the period. In 1920 she tried more serious roles, but was not very successful. She retired to France having shot her last film there in 1924.

White was born in Green Ridge, Missouri. She began her career as a child actor. With her earnings she bought a horse and by the age of 13 she rode well enough to join a circus as an equestrienne. An accident, however, forced her to quit the circus and 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 other films, mostly short features, before achieving success with the Pauline series.