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Alla Nazimova (1879 - 1945)
Soon after her father's death, Mariam abandoned the violin for the stage, eventually enrolling in the Academy of Acting in Moscow and studying under the great dramatic teacher Stanislavsky. During this time she changed her name to Alla Nazimova, a name variously cited as either coming from a Russian novel or as a variation of an old family name, "Nasimoff." By age 24 she was married to her first husband, Paul Orleneff, and had become an acclaimed star of the stage, touring throughout Russia and then Europe. In 1905, Alla and her husband arrived in New York and opened a Russian language theater. While her husband returned to Russia the following year, she remained in New York, learned English, and starred in a production of "Hedda Gabler" which launched a long career as one of the toasts of the Broadway stage. Although never divorced from Orleneff, Alla agreed in 1912 to enter a marriage of convenience with Charles Bryant, a gay actor who used the marriage to cover his homosexuality. He also used Alla as a means to get acting roles - they often performed together - and also as a source of money, having conned her into assuming liability for his taxes and other debts. Alla Nazimova's film career began with a role in the 1916 film War Brides, which was well-received. Among her other films were Revelation (1918), Toys of Fate (1918), Out of the Fog (1919), The Red Lantern (1919), Stronger Than Death (1920), Madame Peacock (1920), and Billions (1920). Most of her films were also produced by her, under the name "Peter M. Winter." Screen actors producing their own films was a rare occurrence at the time, especially among women performers. Frequently, her ideas often clashed with those of studio heads. In 1921 she produced and starred in the first film adaptation of Camille, co-starring Rudolph Valentino. In 1922 she produced The Doll's House, based on the Ibsen play, fighting studio heads all the way. This was followed by a lavish film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's Salome, which was neither a critical nor financial success. Though a professed Christian convert and deeply religious person, Alla Nazimova was known for having very liberal attitudes towards sex. In addition to being lovers with Rudolph Valentino, she had relations with both of his wives, and numerous other actors and actresses, though she herself never identified as either bisexual or lesbian. When she agreed in 1925 to dissolve her marriage to Charles Bryant so that he could marry a rich socialite, the bigamous nature of Alla's marriage came to light among the press and the studios. This scandal, coupled with the stories of her sexual escapades and the failure of her last two movies, gave her bosses all the excuse they needed to dissolve her contract. She would never produce another film. In 1927, Alla Nazimova was approached by two real estate developers who convinced her that her money woes could be solved by converting her Hollywood mansion into a hotel. The Garden of Allah, as it was called, became infamous as a playground for Hollywood's elite. Married film stars used it for adulterous trysts. Others used it as a safe place to go on a drunk without fear of the police or press. Sex and booze could be found everywhere from the pool to the linen closets. Alla, however, had no control over the activities there. When her partners skipped town soon after the hotel's opening, she was forced to sell her home to cover her debts. Fortunately, the new owners of the Garden of Allah allowed her to stay in one of the hotel's rooms. During the 1940s, Alla Nazimova made a return to movies, beginning with Escape in 1940. These were followed by Blood and Sand (1941), with Tyrone Power, TheBridge of San Luis Rey (1944), In Our Time (1944), and Since You Went Away (1944), with Claudette Colbert and Shirley Temple. Soon after completing this last film, she died of a heart attack. Fifteen years later, the Garden of Allah was demolished to make way for a strip mall. Though her film career was sporadic, Alla Nazimova was for a time one of the most powerful women in Hollywood, and helped inspire some of its greatest legends. In addition to her relationship with Rudolph Valentino and her association with the notorious Garden of Allah, the flamboyant, eccentric, and finally tragic actress provided part of the inspiration for the character of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. But perhaps the most interesting tidbit about her life is her status as the only Hollywood actress to date to be named godmother of a future United States First Lady, Nancy Reagan. Internet Movie Database - Alla Nazimova The Silents Majority - Alla Nazimova Alla Nazimova - Silent Star of February 1999 The Definitive Film Resource: Actors: N: Alla Nazimova E! Online - Credits - Alla Nazimova 100 Years, 100 Stars: Star Page
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