- Born
- Died
- Birth nameIngeborg Myrtle Elisabeth Ericksen
- Nickname
- The youngest leading lady in movies
- Lucille Ricksen was born Ingeborg Erickson in Chicago, Illinois on August 22, 1910. She worked as a child model and made her film debut at age 5. After her parents separated, her mother took her to Hollywood in 1920, where 10-year-old Lucille was offered a contract with Samuel Goldwyn and starred in a series of short films. She often had to work long hours but she always said she was having fun. In 1922 she starred opposite Marie Prevost in "The Married Flapper." The following year she was given a starring role in the drama "The Rendezvous"; she was only 13, but the studio lied that she was actually 16. The press called her "the youngest leading lady in movies". Lucille developed a close relationship with producer Sydney Chaplin (brother of Charlie Chaplin), who was 25 years her senior. She became one of Hollywood's busiest starlets and was chosen as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars.
In 1924 Ricksen made 10 films, including "Vanity's Price", "The Galloping Fish", and "The Valley Of The Wolf." Unfortunately, the 14-year-old started to suffer from exhaustion and malnutrition. She was diagnosed with tuberculosis and became bedfast. Her mother kept a bedside vigil, but the stress brought on a fatal heart attack. Following her mother's death, Lucille was looked after by family friends including actress Lois Wilson. During one of her conscious moments Lucille said "Mother wouldn't want me--die--Mother said--Wonderful future--Going to do big things--Won't die! I won't!" But on March 13, 1925, still only 14, she passed away from complications of tuberculosis; there were rumors that her death had actually been caused by a botched abortion. She was cremated and her remains were buried with her mother at Forest Lawn in Glendale, California. Her final film, "The Denial", came out 10 days after her death.- IMDb mini biography by: Elizabeth Ann
- One day while filming, Lucille fell ill. She was subsequently diagnosed with tuberculosis. Her mother kept vigil by her ailing daughter's bedside, where she suffered a massive heart attack from the stress and died. Lucille died two weeks later.
- When she was only 13 years old the studio lied about her age to make her seem older and her mother encouraged her to develop relationships with older men like producer Sydney Chaplin and director Marshall Neilan. This questionable behavior led to rumors of an underage marriage and a botched abortion.
- Sister of actor Marshall Ricksen.
- As a professional child model, Lucille came to the attention of Samuel Goldwyn, who invited Lucille and her mother to Hollywood in 1920. Goldwyn instantly starred her in the 12-part comedy serial "The Adventures of Edgar Pomeroy". In 1922, she was signed by director Marshall Neilan, subsequently enjoying a brief spell of near-stardom in films for Universal, First National, and MGM. As a juvenile lead who looked older than her years, she appeared with many of the era's top players, including Conrad Nagel, Colleen Moore, Warner Baxter, Laura La Plante, Anna Q. Nilsson, Blanche Sweet, and Dorothy Mackaill. In 1924 alone, she acted in nine films. Overwork likely hastened her tragic demise from tuberculosis at age 14.
- 1924 WAMPAS Baby Star.
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