Mary Louise Miller was born on January 15, 1924, in Los Angeles, and her early life was marked by a remarkable career in silent films. Between the ages of eight months and four years, she was a featured player in 16 films, performing alongside renowned stars such as Mary Pickford, Rin Tin Tin, Clara Bow, Theda Bara, Colleen Moore, Delores Costello, Corrine Griffith, Jason Robards, and Gary Cooper.
Baby Mary Louise's parents owned a cleaning shop in Hollywood, near the FBO studios, which later became RKO. When they heard about a casting call for infants, they wheeled Mary Louise down to the studio in her carriage, and she easily landed her first role in the 1925 film "Drucilla with a Million." Her next film role was as the title baby in the 1925 Fred Thomson western, "The Bandit's Baby."
Mary Louise gained national attention when newspapers dubbed her "The Million Dollar Baby" after Mary Pickford and her husband Douglas Fairbanks allegedly offered the Millers a large sum of money to adopt her. Tabloids reported the figure at a million dollars, but Mr. and Mrs. Miller were not interested at any price. The story arose during the filming of the 1926 film "Sparrows," about a millionaire's baby who is kidnapped and held for ransom at a baby farm in the swamps. Pickford portrayed the oldest orphan who acted as "mamma" to the other children. The strong attachment formed at this time between Miss Pickford and Mary Louise lasted throughout the years.
Mary Louise performed in two films with canine star Rin-Tin-Tin, "The Night Cry" in 1926, and "Jaws of Steel" in 1927. In "The Night Cry," there is a thrilling scene where a giant condor swoops down and carries Mary Louise away to its mountaintop. While a dummy was used for the aerial scene, it was she who clung on to the side of the nest while the condor stood guard.
Mary Louise's last feature film was "The Fire Brigade" (1927),starring Charles Ray and May McAvoy. She complained to her parents about the smoke and the bright klieg lights on the set hurting her eyes. Also, talkies were beginning to replace the silents, and the movie business was in transition. Despite her early retirement from films, Mary Louise continued to practice her craft. Throughout the 1930s, she studied voice, piano, drama, and dance. She did professional modeling, both as a child and a young adult. After graduating from Hollywood High School, she attended Los Angeles City College and studied drama, and performed on radio and stage.
During World War II, Mary Louise sang in Hollywood night clubs and entertained the troops on USO tours at local military bases. She continued modeling and her pin-up pictures graced many a GI's locker. Her last time in front of a motion picture camera was as an uncredited extra in the Errol Flynn film "Escape Me Never" (1947) for Warner Bros.
In 1950, she married Stephen Paziak and moved to Burbank. She had a daughter, Louise, and a son, Patrick. She continued performing locally in church and community theaters. In the 1980s, she joined a group of senior citizens from the Joslyn Center in Burbank, calling themselves the Joslyn Players, the group of retired thespians performed for senior citizen groups and at convalescent hospitals in the area.
Mary Louise Paziak developed Alzheimer's disease in the mid-eighties. She resided in a Studio City, Calif., nursing home until her death on September 7, 2003.
