Lois Weber (June 13, 1879 – November 13, 1939) was an American
silent film actress, screenwriter, producer, and director, who is considered "the most important female director the American film industry has known", and "one of the most important and prolific film directors in the era of silent films". Film historian
Anthony Slide asserts that: "Along with
D.W. Griffith, Lois Weber was the American cinema's first genuine
auteur, a filmmaker involved in all aspects of production and one who utilized the motion picture to put across her own ideas and philosophies."