Diana Serra Cary, an author, film historian and probably the last surviving child superstar of the silent film era nearly a century ago, who spent decades coming to terms with a bizarre childhood of triumphs, heartbreaks and parents who squandered her fortune, died Feb. 24 in Gustine, Calif. She was 101.
Her death was confirmed by the Niles Film Museum, which did not identify a cause.
Her name was Peggy-Jean Montgomery and she was born on Oct. 29, 1918, in San Diego. Her family moved frequently until her father found work in Hollywood as a stuntman. She was just a toddler when her mother, who had never seen a movie set, took her along on a visit to Century Studio. A director, Fred Fishbach, spotted her on a stool, and a star was born.