Alla Nazimova
Alla Nazimova, as captured by photographer Maurice Goldberg in 1922
Birth name	Mariam Edez Adelaida Leventon
Born	May 22, 1879 Yalta, Crimea
Died	July 13, 1945 Los Angeles, California
Other name(s)	Nazimova Alia Nasimoff
Spouse(s)	Sergei Golovin (1899-1945)

Alla Nazimova, born Mariam Edez Adelaida Leventon (May 22, 1879 – July 14, 1945) was an American theater and film actress, scriptwriter, and producer. She is often known as just Nazimova, and was also known as Alia Nasimoff.^[1] Image File history File links GoldbergAlla. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Yalta (Ukrainian: , Russian: , Crimean Tatar: ) is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea. ... Motto: Процветание в единстве - Prosperity in unity Anthem: Нивы и горы твои волшебны, Родина - Your fields and mounts are wonderful, Motherland Capital Simferopol Largest cities Simferopol, Eupatoria, Kerch, Theodosia, Yalta Official language Ukrainian. ... July 13 is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City 1290. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... This list is poorly defined, permanently incomplete, or has become unverifiable or an indiscriminate list or repository of loosely associated topics. ... A film producer creates the conditions for making movies. ...

Early life

Nazimova was one of three children of Yakov Leventon and Sonya Horowitz. The family was Jewish and lived in Yalta, Crimea, then part of the Russian Empire, now part of Ukraine. She grew up in a dysfunctional family and, after her parents' separation, was shuffled between boarding schools, foster homes, and relatives. Her emotional distress caused her to rebel against authority as a way of gaining attention. A precocious child, she was playing the violin by age seven. As a teenager she began to pursue an interest in the theatre and took acting lessons at the Moscow-based Academy of Acting before joining Stanislavsky's Moscow Art Theater as "Alla Nazimova," and later just "Nazimova." Her stage name was taken from her middle name Adelaida, combined with the surname of Nadezhda Nazimova (the heroine of the Russian novel Children of the Streets), whom she admired.^[2] She married Sergei Golovin, a fellow actor, in 1899; the marriage was "in name only," and the two never legally divorced.^[2] Yalta (Ukrainian: , Russian: , Crimean Tatar: ) is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea. ... Motto: Процветание в единстве - Prosperity in unity Anthem: Нивы и горы твои волшебны, Родина - Your fields and mounts are wonderful, Motherland Capital Simferopol Largest cities Simferopol, Eupatoria, Kerch, Theodosia, Yalta Official language Ukrainian. ... Anthem: God Save the Tsar! Russian Empire in 1914 Capital Saint Petersburg Language(s) Russian Government Monarchy Emperor  - 1721-1725 Peter the Great  - 1894-1917 Nicholas II History  - Established 22 October, 1721  - February Revolution 2 March, 1917 Area  - 1897 22,400,000 km2 8,648,688 sq mi Population  - 1897... A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehaviour and even abuse on the part of individual members of the family occur continually, leading other members to accommodate such actions. ... A boarding school is a self-contained educational total institution where students not only study but where some or all students may live. ... Foster care is a system by which adults care for orphans or other children who are not living with their biological parents, for example due to child abuse. ... The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2007)    - Density 10,469,000   8537. ... Konstantin (Constantin) Stanislavski (Константи́н Серге́евич Станисла́вский / Алексе́ев) (January 5, 1863... The Moscow Art Theatre is a theatre company in Moscow, Russia, founded in 1897 by Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. ...

Career

Nazimova in the 1911 Broadway play The Marionettes

Nazimova's theater career blossomed early and by 1903 she was a major star in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. She toured Europe, including London and Berlin, with her boyfriend Pavel Orlenev,^[2] a flamboyant actor and producer. In 1905, they moved to New York City and founded a Russian language theater on the Lower East Side. The venture was unsuccessful and Orlenev returned to Russia while Nazimova stayed in New York. Image File history File links Nazimova_Marionettes. ... Image File history File links Nazimova_Marionettes. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... World map exhibiting the location of Europe. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... Categories: Manhattan neighborhoods | Stub ...

She was signed up by the American producer Henry Miller and made her Broadway debut in 1906 to critical and popular success. She quickly became extremely popular (a theater was named after her) and remained a major Broadway star for years, often acting in the plays of Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekhov. Henry Miller (c. ... Broadway theatre[1] is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... Photo of Henrik Ibsen in his older days Henrik Johan Ibsen (March 20, 1828 – May 23, 1906) was a major Norwegian playwright who was largely responsible for the rise of the modern realistic drama. ... Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Russian: , Anton Pavlovič Čehov) (29 January 1860 [O.S. 17 January] – 15 July 1904 [O.S. 2 July]) was a physician, major Russian short story writer and playwright. ...

Nazimova made her silent film debut in 1916, due to her notoriety in a 35-minute 1915 play entitled War Brides. This brought her to the attention of Lewis J. Selznick. Over the next few years, she made a number of highly successful films that earned her a considerable amount of money. By 1917, she was earning as much as $30,000 per film, with a $1,000 per day bonus for every day of filming. She was also given a $13,000 per week contract. At the time, actress Mary Pickford was on a $3,000 per week contract.^[2] A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Lewis J. Selznick (May 2, 1870 - January 25, 1933) was a film producer. ... Year 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... Mary Pickford (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979) was an Oscar-winning Canadian motion picture star and co-founder of United Artists. ...

In 1918, at age 39, Nazimova felt confident enough in her abilities that she began producing and writing films in which she also starred. In her film adaptations of works by such notable writers as Oscar Wilde and Ibsen, she developed her own filmmaking techniques, which were considered daring at the time. Her projects, including A Doll's House (1922) based on Ibsen, and Salomé (1923) based on Wilde, met with little popular success and lost a great deal of money. Oscar Fingal OFlahertie Wills Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, short story writer and Freemason. ... A Dolls House is the name of several movies based on the 1879 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. ... Salomé is a 1923 film which tells the story from the Bible of how Salomé seduces her stepfather/uncle, King Herod Antipas, with a dance, in order to gain the head of John the Baptist. ...

By 1925, she 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 until the early 1940s when she appeared in a few more films, presumably in need of money. One of her best known roles today is that of Tyrone Power's mother in the film Blood and Sand (1941).^{[citation needed]} Tyrone Power in Charles Laughtons production of John Browns Body, photo by Carl Van Vechten, March 3, 1953 Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. ... Blood and Sand was a 1922 silent movie directed by Fred Niblo and starring Rudolph Valentino, Lila Lee and Nita Naldi. ... See also: 1940 in film 1941 1942 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films Sergeant York Buck Privates, starring Abbott and Costello Tobacco Road Academy Awards Best Picture: How Green Was My Valley - 20th Century-Fox Best Actor: Gary Cooper - Sergeant York Best Actress...

Private life

Her private lifestyle gave rise to widespread rumors of outlandish and allegedly debauched parties at her mansion on Sunset Boulevard known as The Garden of Alla, built in 1919, which in 1927 became the Garden of Allah apartment-hotel complex. In later years, she continued to live in one of the villas there.[1] She lived in a lavender marriage with Charles Bryant (1879-1948), an actor who was openly gay, from 1912 to 1925.^[2][3] Sunset Boulevard (officially known as West Sunset Boulevard, except in Beverly Hills) is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades. ... The Garden of Allah was a famous apartment complex in West Hollywood, California, on Sunset Boulevard between Crescent Heights and Havenhurst, at the east end of the Sunset Strip. ... This article or section is missing needed references or citation of sources. ... Since its coinage, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ...

Nazimova in the 1922 film A Doll's House

Between the years of 1917 and 1922, Nazimova wielded considerable influence and power in Hollywood.^[2] 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. She helped start the careers of both of Rudolph Valentino's wives, Jean Acker and Natacha Rambova. Nazimova was involved in a romantic relationship with Acker.^{[verification needed]} She was very impressed by Rambova's skills as an art director, and Rambova designed the innovative sets for Nazimova's productions of Camille and Salomé. After meeting a young Patsy Ruth Miller at a Hollywood party, Nazimova assisted in getting Miller's career launched. Nazimova lived with Glesca Marshall from 1929 until her death in 1945.[2]According to Gavin Lambert, who wrote a biography of Nazimova in 1997, she had an affair with Mercedes de Acosta, who had affairs with Isadora Duncan, Marlene Dietrich, and Greta Garbo. [3]DeAcosta wrote about the affair with Nazimova in de Acosta's autobiography Here Lies the Heart (1960). Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (600x1038, 553 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Alla Nazimova ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (600x1038, 553 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Alla Nazimova ... A Dolls House is the name of several movies based on the 1879 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. ... Rudolph Valentino (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926) was an Italian actor. ... Jean Acker (October 23, 1893–August 16, 1978) was an American film actress with a career dating from the silent film era through the 1950s, though she was perhaps most notorious as the estranged wife of silent film star Rudolph Valentino. ... Natacha Rambova (January 19, 1897 – May 6, 1966) was a costume and set designer, art director, playwright, silent film actress, fashion designer, Egyptologist, collector of antiquities, and the second wife of the silent film star Rudolph Valentino. ... The term art director, is an overall title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games. ... This is an article about the 1921 film version of Camille. ... Salomé is a 1923 film which tells the story from the Bible of how Salomé seduces her stepfather/uncle, King Herod Antipas, with a dance, in order to gain the head of John the Baptist. ... Patsy Ruth Miller (January 17, 1904 - July 16, 1995) was an American movie actress. ... Gavin Lambert Gavin Lambert (born July 23, 1924 - died July 17, 2005) was a British-born screenwriter, novelist and biographer who lived for part of his life in Hollywood. ... Mercedes de Acosta (March 1, 1893 - May 9, 1968) was an American poet, playwright, costume designer, and socialite best known for her lesbian affairs with Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Alla Nazimova, Eva Le Gallienne ([1]), Isadora Duncan, Katharine Cornell, Maude Adams, Ona Munson (Belle Watling in the movie Gone With... This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ... Marlene Dietrich in the 1930s Marlene Dietrich (December 27, 1901 – May 6, 1992) was a German-born actress, entertainer and singer. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

A friend of actress Edith Luckett and her husband, Dr. Loyal Davis, Nazimova was made godmother to future first lady Nancy Davis Reagan, Luckett's daughter from a previous marriage, in 1921.^[4] She was the aunt of American film producer Val Lewton.^[3] A godparent, in Christianity, is someone who sponsors a childs baptism. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... White House portrait Nancy Davis Reagan (born July 6, 1921 (or, according to herself, 1923)) is the widow of President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. ... Val Lewton Vladimir Ivan Leventon was born on May 7, 1904, in what is now Yalta, Ukraine. ...

A breast cancer survivor,^{[citation needed]} Nazimova died of a coronary thrombosis at the age of 66 on July 13, 1945,^[5] in the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, California,^[3] and was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.^[6] Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. ... Thrombosis is the formation of a clot or thrombus inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. ... July 13 is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City 1290. ... Gates of Forest Lawn Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a cemetery in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California. ... Nickname: The Jewel City Location of Glendale within Los Angeles County and the State of California. ...

Her contributions to the film industry have been recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A band plays on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. ...

Legacy

Nazimova has been portrayed in film three times. The first two were biographical films about Rudolph Valentino, 1975's The Legend of Valentino, in which she was portrayed by Alicia Bond, and 1977's Valentino, in which she was portrayed by Leslie Caron. The most recent was 2004's Return to Babylon, a film about Hollywood's silent movie era, in which she was portrayed by Laura Harring. Rudolph Valentino (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926) was an Italian actor. ... // January 28 - George Lucas creates the second draft of what would eventually become Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. ... // Events In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network. ... Valentino is an american biographical drama film about the life of Rudolph Valentino, directed by Ken Russell. ... Leslie Caron (born July 1, 1931) is an Academy Award-nominated French film actress and dancer. ... // Please note that these are the top grossing films that were first released in 2004; because they may have made most of their income in a later year, they may not be the top-grossing films for calendar year 2004. ... Laura Harring Laura Elena Martinez Herring (of German, Austrian and Mexican descent) is a Mexican-American actress and former Miss USA (1985) who was born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, México, on March 3, 1964). ...

Nazimova was also featured in make-up artist Kevyn Aucoin's 2004 book Face Forward, in which he made up Isabella Rossellini to resemble her, particularly as posed in a certain photograph.[4] A makeup artist is an artist who does makeup and prosthetics for theatrical and other similar productions. ... Kevyn Aucoin (February 14, 1962 in Shreveport, Louisiana; died May 7, 2002) was a make-up artist and photographer who was well known for catering to the laywomans need to feel beautiful. ... Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (born June 18, 1952 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and former supermodel. ...

Filmography

// Events June 18 : The Motion Picture Directors Association (MPDA) was formed by twenty-six film directors in Los Angeles, California. ... See also: 1917 in film 1918 1919 in film years in film film Events Following litigation for anti-trust activities, the US Supreme Court orders the Motion Picture Patents Company to disband. ... See also: 1918 in film 1919 1920 in film years in film film // Events February 5 - Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith launch United Artists Oscar Micheaux releases The Homesteader, becoming the first African-American to produce and direct a motion picture. ... See also: 1919 in film 1920 1921 in film 1920s in film years in film film Events November 28 - The Mask of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. ... See also: 1920 in film 1921 1922 in film 1920s in film years in film film Events February 20 - The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, starring Rudolph Valentino, premieres. ... This is an article about the 1921 film version of Camille. ... See also: 1921 in film 1922 1923 in film 1920s in film years in film film Events November 26 - Toll of the Sea debuts as the first general release film to use two-tone Technicolor (The Gulf Between was the first film to do so but it was not widely... A Dolls House is the name of several movies based on the 1879 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. ... See also: 1922 in film 1923 1924 in film 1920s in film years in film film // Events April 15 - Lee De Forest demonstrates the Phonofilm sound-on-film system at the Rivoli Theater in New York with a series of short musical films featuring vaudeville performers. ... Salomé is a 1923 film which tells the story from the Bible of how Salomé seduces her stepfather/uncle, King Herod Antipas, with a dance, in order to gain the head of John the Baptist. ... See also: 1923 in film 1924 1925 in film 1920s in film years in film film // Events Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) considers making a silent film of The Wizard of Oz. ... The Madonna of the Streets by Roberto Ferruzzi The Madonnina, commonly known as the Madonna of the Streets, was a painting created by Roberto Ferruzzi and first publicly exhibited in 1897 at an art exhibition in Venice. ... See also: 1924 in film 1925 1926 in film 1920s in film years in film film Events Top grossing films Ben-Hur His People The Unholy Three The Freshman Movies released Movies released in 1925 include: Ben-Hur, starring Ramon Novarro. ... See also: 1939 in film 1940 1941 in film 1940s in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events February 7 - Walt Disneys animated film Pinocchio is released. ... See also: 1940 in film 1941 1942 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films Sergeant York Buck Privates, starring Abbott and Costello Tobacco Road Academy Awards Best Picture: How Green Was My Valley - 20th Century-Fox Best Actor: Gary Cooper - Sergeant York Best Actress... Blood and Sand was a 1922 silent movie directed by Fred Niblo and starring Rudolph Valentino, Lila Lee and Nita Naldi. ... // July 20 - Since You Went Away is released. ... The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a 1944 drama film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Lynn Bari, Francis Lederer, and Alla Nazimova. ... Since You Went Away is a 1944 film which tells the story of how a woman copes at home while her husband has gone off to fight World War II. It stars Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Shirley Temple, Joseph Cotten, Monty Woolley, Robert Walker, Lionel Barrymore, Hattie McDaniel, Agnes Moorehead...

Notes

1. ^ "Alla Nazimova" (German). Retrieved on 2006-09-27. “auch: Alia Nasimoff (also: Alia Nasimoff)”
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Mavromatis, Kally; Glen Pringle (1999). "Alla Nazimova - Silent Star of February 1999" (English). Retrieved on 2006-09-27.
3. ^ ^{a b c} ""Alla Nazimova Dies at 66"" (JPG), 1945. Retrieved on 2006-09-27. (in English)
4. ^ "First Lady Biography: Nancy Reagan" (English). The National First Ladies Library (2005). Retrieved on 2006-09-27. “Her godmother was the famous actress Alla Nazimova”
5. ^ "Alla Nazimova" (English). Retrieved on 2006-09-27. “Her death on July 13, 1945 was attributed to coronary thrombosis.”
6. ^ "Alla Nazimova" (English) (2001). Retrieved on 2006-09-27.

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Lucy Olga Lewton. Alla Nazimova, My Aunt, Tragedienne: A Personal Memoir, Minuteman Press, 1988.
• Gavin Lambert. Nazimova: A Biography, Knopf, 1997, 420pp, ISBN 0-679-40721-9
• Eve Golden. Golden Images: 41 Essays on Silent Film Stars, Jefferson, North Carolina, McFarland & Company, 2001, ISBN 0-7864-0834-0

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Alla Nazimova

• Alla Nazimova at the Internet Movie Database
• Alla Nazimova at the Internet Broadway Database
• History of the Garden of Allah with photos
• The Vanished Garden of Carnal Abandon