Thomas Meighan (1879-1936)

Thomas Meighan was a leading silent film star that was among the top earning celebrities, along with Chaplin, Pickford and Fairbanks, from 1916 through 1927. With the limited interest and disappearance of Silent era films, he is mostly forgotten today. Meighan was born in Pittsburg, PA in 1879 to an established Irish-American family. Stage work led to making many films. With the power of his popularity and dislike for Hollywood, he worked mostly in East Coast studios or "on location." He made the film Irish Luck (1925) in Ireland. His film Male and Female with Gloria Swanson can be found on video. He died in 1936 and thousands attended his funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.