, New York After her film short for Edison in 1896, Fitzgerald did not return to motion pictures until 1914, at the very end of the often raunchy
nickelodeon years of film. Fitzgerald appeared in about twenty films between 1914 and 1916. In most of these films she portrayed a comedic character, but occasionally displayed a different facet of her talents, for example, her performance in
The Esterbrook Case, a melodrama with a subtle hint of mystery. Fitzgerald took a hiatus from acting to marry Oliver Mark Tucker in Great Britain and then travel the world in celebration. Cissy and her new husband visited India, Africa, Australia, and China before the start of
World War I. Fitzgerald returned to the United States to relaunch her film career. Her break from films lasted from 1916 until the beginning of 1921. Later in 1921, Cissy featured in five comedies produced by her own small company "Cissy Fitzgerald Productions", on the west coast of America. Fitzgerald is credited as the first female producer of films. The films she starred in under "Cissy Fitzgerald Productions" were marketed as "refined comedies", and included ''Cissy's Saucy Stockings, Seeing America Thirst, Cissy Invades Bohemia, Cissy's Economy
, and Comes Back Cissy. Cissy.'' Fitzgerald reinvented herself yet again as a feature film actress in the 1920s and the 1930s. She appeared in many silent and sound films in a plethora of genres, many of which still exist. The best known of her feature film parts is Giancinta in
Laugh, Clown, Laugh from 1928, a
Lon Chaney film about a circus clown who cannot seem to cheer up, that befriends an Italian count who experienced bouts of uncontrollable laughter. Because Fitzgerald as Giancinta is a minor character, it is speculated that the history of Fitzgerald's uncontrollable winking limited the importance of her role in
Laugh, Clown, Laugh. Cissy Fitzgerald was signed with several film companies during her career as an actress, including Kleine Studios,
Vitagraph, Casino Studios, and Broadway Star Studios. ==Selected filmography==