Actress, Comedienne, Motion Picture Director, Producer, Screenwriter. Born in New Brighton, New York as the youngest of three children. She received her formal education at St. Mary's Convent in Westport in the southernmost part of the state. When she entered her teen years, she moved with her family to New York where she caught the acting bug. She already had a small taste of acting as her parents had been in vaudeville. She entered motion pictures in 1911 just before she turned 17 years old. Her first film was titled "Saved From Herself." Her first employers were Biograph and Vitagraph studios which were located in New York City. From the beginning she was cast in comedy roles because of her sense of humor and her comedic timing. She made 24 more films that year, mostly one-reelers. It was while she was working for Biograph that she met Mack Sennett, whose direction would give her fame. At the time, Sennett was a struggling actor in the movie industry. D. W. Griffith bought Biograph studios, moved it to Los Angeles, and signed Mabel. By 1912, Sennett had left Biograph taking Mabel with him, and he formed Keystone Studios. She appeared in 50 films that year, as movie goers flocked to see her films. By 1915, she had cut her work schedule, only appearing in about 20 films. She also started making films with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and each of the films was a success. In 1918, she filmed a movie titled "Mickey," which solidified her career as a comedienne and also lifted Sennett's studio from financial ruin. After this, she signed with Samuel Goldwyn at the rate of $3,500 a week. But unfortunately for her, this was the beginning of the end of her career. She was known for her wild parties and her addiction to cocaine. She was also very generous with her money and gave it to anyone who asked. By the 1920s she was still on the silver screen, but not as frequently. When the audiences learned of her connection to the William Desmond Taylor murder case, she fell out of public favor. By the end of the 1920s, she had contracted tuberculosis which physically weakened her. She made no films after 1927.