Olive Thomas was a Ziegfeld Follies showgirl who became a movie star before her

mysterious death at age twenty-five

Flo even asked Alberta Vargas to paint a nude portrait of Olive for his private collection. When he refused to leave his wife and marry her she ended the affair. She made her film debut in the 1916 serial Beatrice Fairfax. That same year she married actor Jack Pickford, the brother of superstar Mary Pickford. They had a very tumultuous marriage due to Jack’s drinking and womanizing. In 1918 she signed a contract with Selznick Pictures for $2500 a week. Her first film at the studio was the silent comedy Upstairs Downstairs. It was a hit and she established her as a “Baby Vamp”. Olive appeared in many successful films including Love’s Prisoner, Out Yonder, and The Flapper. She began an affair with producer Myron Selznick but she ended because she wanted to make her marriage work. Jack took her on second honeymoon trip to Europe in August of 1920. The couple spent the evening of September 5 partying in Paris. It was rumored that they went to a cocaine fueled orgy. When they finally returned to their hotel room at 3AM they were both drunk and exhausted.