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Alla Nazimova

Alla Nazimova

From Wikipedia Alla Nazimova (Russian and Ukrainian: Алла Назимова; 3 June [O.S. 22 May] 1879 – 13 July 1945) was an American film and theatre actress, a screenwriter, and film producer. She is perhaps best known as simply Nazimova, but also went under the name Alia Nasimoff. She emigrated to the United States from the Russian Empire. In 1927, Nazimova became a naturalized citizen of the United States. She was signed up by the American producer Henry Miller and made her Broadway debut in New York City, in 1906 to critical and popular success. She quickly became extremely popular (a theatre was named after her) and remained a major Broadway star for years, often acting in the plays of Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekhov. Dorothy Parker described her as the finest Hedda Gabler she had ever seen. Due to her notoriety in a 35-minute 1915 play entitled War Brides, Nazimova made her silent film debut in 1916 in the filmed version of the play, which was produced by Lewis J. Selznick. A young actor with a bit part in the movie was Richard Barthelmess whose mother taught Nazimova English. In 1917, she negotiated a contract with Metro Pictures, a precursor to MGM, that included a weekly salary of $13,000. She moved from New York to Hollywood, where she made a number of highly successful films for Metro that earned her considerable money. She was influential in the film industry in the silent era and continued to play character roles until the end of her life. Between the years of 1917 and 1922 Nazimova wielded considerable influence and power in Hollywood. By all accounts she was extremely generous to young actresses in whom she saw talent and became involved with at least some of them romantically. By 1925 Nazimova could no longer afford to invest in more films; and financial backers withdrew their support. Left with few options, she gave up on the film industry, returning to perform on Broadway, notably starring as Natalya Petrovna in Rouben Mamoulian's 1930 New York production of Turgenev's A Month in the Country and an acclaimed performance as Mrs. Alving in Ibsen's Ghosts. In the early 1940s, she appeared in a few more films, playing Robert Taylor's mother in Escape (1940) and Tyrone Power's mother in Blood and Sand (1941). This late return to motion pictures fortunately preserves Nazimova and her art on sound film. She died of a coronary thrombosis, age 66, in the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles. Her ashes were interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. Her contributions to the film industry have been recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Personal information

Birthday

1879-06-03

Birth Place

Yalta, Taurida Governorate, Russian Empire [now Crimea, Ukraine]

Movies and TV shows :

A Doll's House

A Doll's House

1922

0.0

Movie
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound

A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound

1940

6.7

Movie
A Woman of France

A Woman of France

1918

0.0

Movie
Behind Natacha Rambova's Shadow

Behind Natacha Rambova's Shadow

2019

5.0

Movie
Billions

Billions

1920

5.0

Movie
Blood and Sand

Blood and Sand

1941

6.4

Movie
Camille

Camille

1921

5.7

Movie
Escape

Escape

1940

7.4

Movie
Eye for Eye

Eye for Eye

1918

0.0

Movie
In Our Time

In Our Time

1944

6.4

Movie
Madame Peacock

Madame Peacock

1920

0.0

Movie
Madonna of the Streets

Madonna of the Streets

1924

0.0

Movie
My Son

My Son

1925

0.0

Movie
Out of the Fog

Out of the Fog

1919

0.0

Movie
Revelation

Revelation

1918

0.0

Movie
Salomé

Salomé

1922

6.0

Movie
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

1942

0.0

Movie
Since You Went Away

Since You Went Away

1944

6.5

Movie
Stronger Than Death

Stronger Than Death

1920

0.0

Movie
The Brat

The Brat

1919

0.0

Movie
The Bridge of San Luis Rey

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

1944

6.0

Movie
The Heart of a Child

The Heart of a Child

1920

0.0

Movie
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

1961

0.0

Movie
The Red Lantern

The Red Lantern

1919

6.0

Movie
The Redeeming Sin

The Redeeming Sin

1925

0.0

Movie
Toys of Fate

Toys of Fate

1918

0.0

Movie
War Brides

War Brides

1916

6.0

Movie