Mary McAllister
Mary McAllister, also known as Little Mary McAllister, (born Mary McAlister; May 27, 1908 – May 1, 1991) was an American silent film actress of Hollywood's early years, and a pioneer of child actors.
Mary McAllister

Lewis-Smith · J. Willis Sayre Collection of Theatrical Photographs · Public domain
- Born
- 27 May 1908
- Birthplace
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Birth Name
- Mary McAlister
- Died
- 1 May 1991
- Place of death
- Del Mar, California, U.S.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- actress
- Fields
- silent film
- Languages
- English
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wikidata · Q9029897 · wikipedia · Mary McAllister
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Born — 27 May 1908 • Birthplace — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Birth Name — Mary McAlister • Died — 1 May 1991 • Place of death — Del Mar, California, U.S. • Years Active — 1915-1930
Biography
Biography
McAllister was born in Los Angeles, California, and started her acting career at the early age of 6, starring opposite Edna Mayo and William Burns in the 1915 film Despair. As a child actor she would star in thirty six films by the time she reached the age of 18. Her best known film during that time would be her lead role in Sadie Goes to Heaven, which also starred Russell McDermott and Jenny St. George, which was St. George's first and only film role. In 1927 she was one of thirteen girls selected as "WAMPAS Baby Stars", alongside Sally Phipps, Martha Sleeper and Frances Lee, among others. The following year, in 1928, she would star in four films, the last of which would be Loves of an Actress, starring Rudolph Valentino's former lover Pola Negri. In 1929 her career took a downward turn, and she had no roles that year. With the advent of "talking films", her transition was not successful. She had a minor supporting role in the 1930 film On the Level, starring Victor McLaglen, and that same year she had an uncredited role in Madam Satan, which would be her last. After fifteen years in the business as an actress and a total of 43 films to her credit, her career was over at the age of 21. She eventually settled in Del Mar, California, where she was living at the time of her death on May 1, 1991, aged 82.
Selected filmography
Selected filmography
• Illustration — Pants (1917) • On Trial (1917) • The Little Missionary (1917) • Young Mother Hubbard (1917) • The Kill-Joy (1917) • Sadie Goes to Heaven (1917) • Half a Chance (1920) • Ashes of Vengeance (1923) • The Measure of a Man (1924) • A Roaring Adventure (1925) • The Boomerang (1925) • The Red Rider (1925) • Ace of Spades (1925) • The Sap (1926) • The Waning Sex (1926) • One Minute to Play (1926) • The Man in the Shadow (1926) • The Midnight Watch (1927) • Fire and Steel (1927) • Singed (1927) • Wickedness Preferred (1928) • The Devil's Skipper (1928) • Into No Man's Land (1928) • Loves of an Actress (1928) • On the Level (1930) • Madam Satan (1930)
![Child actress Mary McA[l]ister on the front cover of the 14 July 1917 Exhibitors Herald.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Mary_McAllister_1_-_14_Jul_1917_EH.jpg/640px-Mary_McAllister_1_-_14_Jul_1917_EH.jpg)
Child actress Mary McA[l]ister on the front cover of the 14 July 1917 Exhibitors Herald.
Exhibitors Herald (Jun. - Dec. 1917) at the Internet Archive

Child actress Mary McAllister, from the front cover of the 14 July 1917 Exhibitors Herald.
Exhibitors Herald (Jun. - Dec. 1917) at the Internet Archive
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1909
Mary McAllister born at Los Angeles.
1991
Mary McAllister died at Del Mar.
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Los Angeles.
Birth place
Del Mar.
Death place
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Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Mary McAllister, revision 1363519359 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 21 August 2026.
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