Margaret Edwards
Nude

Not much is known about silent siren Margaret Edwards. She scandalized a nation in her most famous role, but for years no one knew who she was. Born in 1877, Margaret had three roles in the then-new medium of motion pictures, skincluding the silent shorts A Physical Culture Romance and Sunshine Molly. But she really let the sun shine in when she appeared in the then-unthinkable role of “the naked truth” in 1915’s Hypocrites. A scene where Margaret frolics across the screen totally nude led Hypocrites to be banned in Ohio and protested by religious groups across the country. Margaret was uncredited in the role, and it wasn’t until years later that she was identified by film scholars. She died in 1929, but we’re still (one-handedly) saluting this unsung skinema pioneer!