from Facebook: in the silent era, half of all Hollywood films were written by women

One of my favorite people to read about is Mabel Normand, who was a huuuuge comedienne in the 1910s and ’20s (she died of TB in 1930). She was an actress, writer, director, producer, and, not incidentally, was the person who persuaded Mack Sennett to keep Charlie Chaplin on after his first few shorts bombed.