Silent era screenwriter Frederica Sagor Maas dies at age 111

Frederica Sagor Maas, a pioneering female screenwriter of the silent era who penned films for likes of Clara Bow, Norma Shearer and Louise Brooks, died January 5th. She was 111 years old.

The La Mesa, California resident was one of the last surviving personalities from the silent film era. A "supercentarian," Maas was considered the third oldest person in California. In 1999, at the age of 99, she was a special guest at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.

That same year, at the urging of film historian Kevin Brownlow, Maas had published her autobiography, The Shocking Miss Pilgrim: A Writer in Early Hollywood (University Press of Kentucky). In the book, which features a forward by Brownlow, she recalled her life both in and out of Hollywood.

In 1999, Maas visited San Francisco to promote her memoir. She made a brief appearance at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, where she addressed a crowd of more than 1000, drew a thunderous round of applause, and signed copies of her book for her many new fans.

Following the death of Frederica Sagor Maas, a number of obituaries and articles have appeared on-line including those in the Los Angeles Times and Hollywood Reporter and on Alt Film Guide and examiner.com and Patch.com