![Alla Nazimova](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/vD0vhqW4ScjTV20jQKmw6L9HJIu.jpg)
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.
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 4.302 |
Birthday | 1879-06-03 |
Place of Birth | Yalta, Taurida Governorate, Russian Empire [now Crimea, Ukraine] |
Also Known As | Alla Nazimoff, Nazimova, Marem-Ides (Adelaida Yakovlevna) Leventon, Марем-Идес Левентон, Marem-Ides Leventon, |
![Since You Went Away](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/vRwn4Yrf4O8LbP7gy9Bzh0hKbjW.jpg)
1944
![Since You Went Away](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/vRwn4Yrf4O8LbP7gy9Bzh0hKbjW.jpg)
Since You Went Away
6.378/45
While husband Tim is away during World War II, Anne Hilton copes with problems on the homefront. Taking in a lodger, Colonel Smollett, to help make en...
Watch Now
Since You Went Away
![Blood and Sand](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/1cp4d9Mwz1IxZWcfKq0D53oVD0x.jpg)
1941
![Blood and Sand](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/1cp4d9Mwz1IxZWcfKq0D53oVD0x.jpg)
Blood and Sand
6.4/56
Bullfighter Juan Gallardo falls for socialite Dona Sol, turning from the faithful Carmen who nevertheless stands by her man as he continues to face re...
Watch Now
Blood and Sand
![Salomé](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/iF3A7Ob9VSKNSCNt3fC72qGWeQv.jpg)
1922
![Salomé](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/iF3A7Ob9VSKNSCNt3fC72qGWeQv.jpg)
Salomé
6.1/27
Based on Oscar Wilde's play, the films tells the story of how Salomé agrees to dance for King Herod in return for the head of John the Baptist.
Watch Now
Salomé
![Escape](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/kUmeDhPPPHm8hqsa9MlubxeDSaV.jpg)
1940
![Escape](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/kUmeDhPPPHm8hqsa9MlubxeDSaV.jpg)
Escape
7.393/14
An American goes to pre-war Germany to find his mother and discovers her in a concentration camp. With the help of an American-born widowed countess h...
Watch Now
Escape
![The Bridge of San Luis Rey](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5z3oEBAx5Atnx3W235nBJdUtVZD.jpg)
1944
![The Bridge of San Luis Rey](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5z3oEBAx5Atnx3W235nBJdUtVZD.jpg)
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
6/2
A rope bridge over a gorge in the Peruvian Andes snaps, sending five people plunging to their deaths. A priest sets out to find out more about the lif...
Watch Now
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
![Camille](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/17rCD5J12IBhhymAc7AvskUNA20.jpg)
1921
![Camille](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/17rCD5J12IBhhymAc7AvskUNA20.jpg)
Camille
5.711/19
Camille is a courtesan in Paris. She falls deeply in love with a young man of promise, Armand Duval. When Armand's father begs her not to ruin his hop...
Watch Now
Camille
![The Red Lantern](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/s02LLntaR2PvnGI85ogBDNV5non.jpg)
1919
![The Red Lantern](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/s02LLntaR2PvnGI85ogBDNV5non.jpg)
The Red Lantern
6/4
Mahlee and Blanche Sackville are half-sisters, Blanche the daughter of an Englishman and his wife, Mahlee of the Englishman and his Chinese mistress....
Watch Now
The Red Lantern
![Out of the Fog](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/uodL4b4ZJcbZhEV2NyHaToA29yf.jpg)
1919
![Out of the Fog](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/uodL4b4ZJcbZhEV2NyHaToA29yf.jpg)
Out of the Fog
0/0
Faith’s life is shattered when her lover dies. Her brother Job locks her away in a lighthouse, but she jumps from the tower rather than be imprisoned....
Watch Now
Out of the Fog
![War Brides](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/cz5J5UErNrw1rlodbFCl1vuFpFA.jpg)
1916
![War Brides](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/cz5J5UErNrw1rlodbFCl1vuFpFA.jpg)
War Brides
6/1
Joan is loved by a young man of the village and they are married. In a few weeks the husband, a soldier, is sent to the war-front along with his three...
Watch Now
War Brides
![A Doll's House](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/lVA6fGSJBVQMywllpZQd4hfyATa.jpg)
1922
![A Doll's House](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/lVA6fGSJBVQMywllpZQd4hfyATa.jpg)
A Doll's House
0/0
Nora Helmer has years earlier committed a forgery in order to save the life of her authoritarian husband Torvald. Now she is being blackmailed.
Watch Now
A Doll's House
![Eye for Eye](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/j20GaUjQQE5IEqTPRYUa8vpIiuo.jpg)
1918
![Eye for Eye](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/j20GaUjQQE5IEqTPRYUa8vpIiuo.jpg)
Eye for Eye
0/0
The daughter of an Arab sheik falls in love with a French naval officer, thus breaking the strict rule of social law of her people, as well as her rel...
Watch Now
Eye for Eye
![A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/hCIaQA6NQE5vymAE4fufGBik8Rq.jpg)
1940
![A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/hCIaQA6NQE5vymAE4fufGBik8Rq.jpg)
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
6.7/6
This short documentary, presented and directed by MGM sound engineer Douglas Shearer, goes behind the scenes to look at how the sound portion of a tal...
Watch Now
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
![Billions](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/voirwmIf6ERRYFOuUTvJUDjd5oa.jpg)
1920
![Billions](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/voirwmIf6ERRYFOuUTvJUDjd5oa.jpg)
Billions
5/1
Princess Triloff, an emigrée from Czarist Russia, escapes to America where she becomes a patron of the arts. She falls in love with the verses of impo...
Watch Now
Billions
![Madame Peacock](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/1kwZRkxGDoXf4FXvfdhkfWeQSFN.jpg)
1920
![Madame Peacock](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/1kwZRkxGDoXf4FXvfdhkfWeQSFN.jpg)
Madame Peacock
0/0
Jane Goring, a ruthlessly ambitious actress, forsakes her life as a wife and mother for the stage. Returning home from a performance one night, Jane i...
Watch Now
Madame Peacock
![Behind Natacha Rambova's Shadow](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/45AETc2BItaDLb1YCh0oQ8BsfKS.jpg)
2019
![Behind Natacha Rambova's Shadow](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/45AETc2BItaDLb1YCh0oQ8BsfKS.jpg)
Behind Natacha Rambova's Shadow
5/1
The adventurous life of Natacha Rambova (1897-1966), an American artist, born Winifred Kimball Shaughnessy, who reincarnated herself countless times:...
Watch Now
Behind Natacha Rambova's Shadow
![Revelation](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nogmSutHFukBa7QP8ghmxUCnkos.jpg)
1918
![Revelation](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nogmSutHFukBa7QP8ghmxUCnkos.jpg)
Revelation
0/0
Joline, a cabaret singer in Paris, models for her lover, painter Paul Granville. Paul becomes famous for his paintings of Joline in the guise of famou...
Watch Now
Revelation
![Stronger Than Death](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/tFv105MGaZCpgUED3rIPSnOQGp6.jpg)
1920
![Stronger Than Death](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/tFv105MGaZCpgUED3rIPSnOQGp6.jpg)
Stronger Than Death
0/0
Sigrid, A French dancer, diagnosed with a weak heart, is ordered by her doctor never to dance again. But when her dancing skills are needed by her lov...
Watch Now
Stronger Than Death
![My Son](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8ogmcSo29eMu1yfEJHy422LXG7c.jpg)
1925
![My Son](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8ogmcSo29eMu1yfEJHy422LXG7c.jpg)
My Son
0/0
A mother and her son's lives are upended by the arrival of a wealthy flapper to their small New England fishing village.
Watch Now
My Son
![Madonna of the Streets](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5zeABk9cqo7jsHBBPsrDnDxvs61.jpg)
1924
![Madonna of the Streets](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5zeABk9cqo7jsHBBPsrDnDxvs61.jpg)
Madonna of the Streets
0/0
Rev. John Morton, who is determined to follow as closely as possible the teachings of Jesus, inherits a considerable fortune when his uncle dies. Shor...
Watch Now
Madonna of the Streets
![In Our Time](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5wae06KRspRGVvmC1TgpsxlsAi.jpg)
1944
![In Our Time](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5wae06KRspRGVvmC1TgpsxlsAi.jpg)
In Our Time
6.4/5
It is early 1939 in Poland when Mrs. Bromley and Jennifer come to buy antiques for her business in London. Jennifer meets Count Stephen and they wine,...
Watch Now
In Our Time
![The Heart of a Child](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5O3gMfPCDjLnJPcQVDSEg65VZ2E.jpg)
1920
![The Heart of a Child](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5O3gMfPCDjLnJPcQVDSEg65VZ2E.jpg)
The Heart of a Child
0/0
A poverty-stricken Cockney girl rises through incredible adventures to become the wife of a nobleman.
Watch Now
The Heart of a Child
![The Legend of Rudolph Valentino](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ckcYIuJOt0Kb0Lt39VcFPGj5yqU.jpg)
1961
![The Legend of Rudolph Valentino](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ckcYIuJOt0Kb0Lt39VcFPGj5yqU.jpg)
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
0/0
A documentary of Hollywood's first great Latin Lover, the contradictions in his personal life, and his premature death.
Watch Now
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
![The Brat](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/fdgWCiQLCkQx2hkkfoD1EBWJtdE.jpg)
1919
![The Brat](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/fdgWCiQLCkQx2hkkfoD1EBWJtdE.jpg)
The Brat
0/0
An unkempt chorus girl is arrested on a minor charge. In court, she is spotted by a novelist who is looking for someone of her type on whom to model a...
Watch Now
The Brat
![Toys of Fate](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/taKUlIoUSITjEA33nAKx5RlK0Yx.jpg)
1918
![Toys of Fate](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/taKUlIoUSITjEA33nAKx5RlK0Yx.jpg)
Toys of Fate
0/0
A gypsy girl whose mother committed suicide after being seduced and abandoned by a rich man finds herself twenty years later being wooed by the same m...
Watch Now
Toys of Fate
![A Woman of France](https://nicosiaefe.gov.cy/video/assets/no-poster.png)
1918
![A Woman of France](https://nicosiaefe.gov.cy/video/assets/no-poster.png)
A Woman of France
0/0
Somewhere in France, German troops occupy the chateau of Marquis X. The commanding officer see the aged Marquis attempt to signal his daughter Louise,...
Watch Now
A Woman of France
![The Redeeming Sin](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/uzZNXBZCBh1wCPF9xhaLn0WtvCf.jpg)
1925
![The Redeeming Sin](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/uzZNXBZCBh1wCPF9xhaLn0WtvCf.jpg)
The Redeeming Sin
0/0
Lupin is the lover of Joan of the Apaches. She is attracted by Paul de Gafilet, nobleman and sculptor. She visits him in his studio and resolves to ab...
Watch Now
The Redeeming Sin
![Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/6WYASDvc1SFl3sFyW2FHemXOMe4.jpg)
1942
![Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/6WYASDvc1SFl3sFyW2FHemXOMe4.jpg)
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
0/0
The edition of Screen Snapshots celebrates 25 years of production. It looks at the content of edition #1, then a tribute to movie people who have died...
Watch Now