Alia Nazimova
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Alia Nazimova
OR:
Alia Nazimova on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Alla Aleksandrovna Nazimova (, born Marem-Ides Leventon; June 3 O.S. May 22">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>
O.S. May 22 1879 – July 13, 1945) was a Russian-American actress, director, producer and screenwriter. On Broadway theatre">Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
, she was noted for her work in the classic plays of
Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
,
Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...
and
Turgenev Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev ( ; rus, links=no, Иван Сергеевич ТургеневIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; – ) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, poe ...
. She later moved to film, where she served many production roles, both writing and directing films under pseudonyms. Her film ''Salomé (1923 film)">Salome Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...
'' (1922) is regarded as a cultural landmark. Nazimova was bisexual and openly conducted relationships with women while being married to a man. She created the Garden of Allah Hotel, Garden of Alla Hotel which became a retreat for many celebrities of the time. She is credited with having originated the phrase "
sewing circle A sewing circle is a group of people who meet regularly for the purpose of sewing, often for charitable causes. Application to sewing Sewing circle participants, usually women, typically meet regularly for the purpose of sewing. They often als ...
" as a discreet code for lesbian or bisexual actresses.


Early life

Nazimova was born Marem-Ides Leventon (Russian name: ''Adelaida Yakovlevna Leventon'') in
Yalta Yalta (: ) is a resort town, resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crime ...
,
Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
,
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
. Her accepted birth year is 1879, but different sources have cited 1878 or even 1876. Her stage name Alla Nazimova was a combination of Alla (a diminutive of Adelaida) and the surname of Nadezhda Nazimova, the heroine of the Russian novel ''Children of the Streets''. She was widely known as just Nazimova. Her name was sometimes transcribed as Alia Nasimoff. The youngest of three children born to Jewish parents Yakov Abramovich Leventon, a pharmacist, and Sarah Leivievna Gorowitz (later known as Sofia or Sophie Lvovna Gorovitz/Horovitz/Herowitz), who moved to Yalta in 1870 from Kishinev, Nazimova grew up in a dysfunctional family. After her parents divorced when she was eight, she was shuffled among boarding schools, foster homes and relatives. As a teenager, she began to pursue an interest in the theatre and took acting lessons at the Academy of Acting in Moscow. She joined
Constantin Stanislavski Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski ( rus, Константин Сергеевич Станиславский, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin sʲɪrˈɡʲejɪvʲɪtɕ stənʲɪˈslafskʲɪj, links=yes; ; 7 August 1938) was a seminal Russian and Sovie ...
's
Moscow Art Theatre The Moscow Art Theatre (or MAT; , ''Moskovskiy Hudojestvenny Akademicheskiy Teatr'' (МHАТ) was a theatre company in Moscow. It was founded in by the seminal Russian theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski, together with the playwright ...
using the name of Alla Nazimova for the first time.


Career

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, 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 Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...
. The venture was unsuccessful, and Orlenev returned to Russia while Nazimova stayed in New York. She was signed by the American producer
Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, so ...
and made her Broadway debut in New York City in 1906 to critical and popular success. Her English-language premiere in November 1906 was in the title role of ''
Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage.Meyer, Michael Lever ...
''. She reportedly learned English in five months. She quickly became extremely popular (
Nazimova's 39th Street Theatre The 39th Street Theatre was a playhouse in New York City located at the corner of List of numbered streets in Manhattan#36th to 39th Street, 39th Street and Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway. Originally called Nazimova's 39th Street Theatre after th ...
was named after her) and remained a major Broadway star, often starring in works by
Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
and
Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...
.
Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet and writer of fiction, plays and screenplays based in New York; she was known for her caustic wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. Parker ros ...
described her as the finest Hedda Gabler she had ever seen. Nazimova's film career began when she was 37 years old. Due to her notoriety in a 35-minute 1915 play entitled ''War Brides'', Nazimova made her
silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
debut in 1916 in the filmed version of the play, which was produced by
Lewis J. Selznick Lewis J. Selznick (born Lewis Zeleznick; May 2, 1870 or 1869 – January 25, 1933) was an American producer in the early years of the film industry. After initial involvement with World Film at Fort Lee, New Jersey, he established Selznick Pic ...
. She was paid $1,000 per day, and the film was a success. A young actor with a bit part in the movie was
Richard Barthelmess Richard Semler Barthelmess (May 9, 1895 – August 17, 1963) was an American film actor, principally of the Hollywood silent era. He starred opposite Lillian Gish in D. W. Griffith's '' Broken Blossoms'' (1919) and ''Way Down East'' (1920) and ...
, whose mother, Caroline W. Harris, had taught Nazimova English. Nazimova had encouraged him to try out for movies and he later became a star. In 1917, she negotiated a contract with
Metro Pictures Metro Pictures Corporation was a Film, motion picture production company founded in early 1915 in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a forerunner of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The company produced its films in New York, Los Angeles, and sometimes at le ...
, a precursor to
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
, 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 created and worked under Nazimova Productions from 1917 to 1921. She filled many roles in film production, outside of acting. She served as a director, producer, editor, lighting designer, and received credit for costume design for the film ''
Revelation Revelation, or divine revelation, is the disclosing of some form of Religious views on truth, truth or Knowledge#Religion, knowledge through communication with a deity (god) or other supernatural entity or entities in the view of religion and t ...
''. She wrote screenplays under the pseudonym Peter M. Winters. She directed films credited to the name of her partner Charles Bryant. In her film adaptations of works by such notable writers as
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
and
Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
, she developed filmmaking techniques that were considered daring at the time. Her film projects, including ''
A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' (Danish language, Danish and ; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act Play (theatre), play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 De ...
'' (1922), based on Ibsen, and '' Salomé'' (1923), based on Wilde's play, were critical and commercial failures. ''Salomé'', however, has become a
cult classic A cult following is a group of Fan (person), fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some List of art media, medium. The latter is often cal ...
, regarded as a
feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
milestone in film. In 2000, the film was added to the
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...
. By 1925, she could no longer afford to invest in more films, and financial backers withdrew their support. In 1927, she became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Left with few options in Hollywood, she returned to New York to perform on Broadway, notably starring as Natalya Petrovna in
Rouben Mamoulian Rouben Zachary Mamoulian (October 8, 1897 – December 4, 1987) was an Armenian-American film and theater director. Mamoulian's oeuvre includes sixteen films (four of which are Musical film, musicals) and seventeen Broadway theatre, Broadw ...
's 1930 New York production of Turgenev's '' A Month in the Country'' and having an acclaimed performance as Mrs. Alving in Ibsen's ''
Ghosts In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
''. Critic
Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael often defied the conse ...
described this as the greatest performance she had ever seen on the American stage. In the early 1940s, Nazimova returned to films, playing Robert Taylor's mother in ''
Escape Escape or Escaping may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Escape'' (1928 film), a German silent drama film * ''Escape!'' (film), a 1930 British crime film starring Austin Trevor and Edna Best * ''Escape'' (1940 film), starring Robert Taylor and ...
'' (1940) and
Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James (193 ...
's mother in '' Blood and Sand'' (1941). This late return to motion pictures fortunately preserves Nazimova and her art on sound film.


Personal life


Marriages

In 1899, she married Sergei Golovin, a fellow actor. From 1912 to 1925, Nazimova maintained a "
lavender marriage A lavender marriage is a male–female mixed-orientation marriage, undertaken as a marriage of convenience to conceal the socially stigmatized sexual orientation of one or both partners. The term dates from the early 20th century and is used almo ...
" with Charles Bryant (1879–1948), a British-born actor. To bolster this arrangement with Bryant, Nazimova kept her marriage to Golovin secret from the press, her fans, and even her friends. In 1923, she arranged to divorce Golovin without traveling to the Soviet Union. Her divorce papers, which arrived in the United States that summer, stated that on May 11, 1923, the marriage of "citizeness Leventon Alla Alexandrovna" and Sergius Arkadyevitch Golovin, "consummated between them in the City Church of Boruysk June 20, 1899", had been officially dissolved. A little over two years later, on November 16, 1925, Charles Bryant, then 43, surprised the press, Nazimova's fans, and Nazimova herself by marrying Marjorie Gilhooley, 23, in
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
. When the press uncovered the fact that Charles had listed his current marital status as "single" on his marriage license, the revelation that the marriage between Alla and Charles had been a sham from the beginning embroiled Nazimova in a scandal that damaged her career.


Relationships with women

From 1917 to 1922, Nazimova wielded considerable influence and power in Hollywood. She helped start the careers of both of
Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor who starred in several well-known sile ...
's wives,
Jean Acker Jean Acker (born Harriet Ackers; October 23, 1892 – August 16, 1978) was an American actress with a career dating from the silent film era through the 1950s. She was perhaps best known as the estranged wife of silent film star Rudolph Valenti ...
and
Natacha Rambova Natacha Rambova (born Winifred Kimball Shaughnessy; January 19, 1897 – June 5, 1966) was an American film costume designer, set designer, and occasional actress who was active in Hollywood in the 1920s. In her later life, she abandoned design ...
. Although she was involved in an affair with Acker, it is debatable as to whether her connection with Rambova ever developed into a sexual affair. Nevertheless, there were rumors that Nazimova and Rambova were involved in a lesbian affair (they are discussed at length in ''Dark Lover'', Emily Leider's biography of Rudolph Valentino) but those rumors never have been confirmed. She was very impressed by Rambova's skills as an
art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...
, and Rambova designed the innovative sets for Nazimova's film productions of '' Camille'' and '' Salomé''. The list of those Nazimova is confirmed to have been involved with romantically includes actress
Eva Le Gallienne Eva Le Gallienne (January 11, 1899 – June 3, 1991) was a British-born American stage actress, producer, director, translator, and author. A Broadway theatre, Broadway star by age 21, in 1926 she left Broadway behind to found the Fourteenth St ...
, film director
Dorothy Arzner Dorothy Emma Arzner (January 3, 1897 – October 1, 1979) was an American film director whose career in Hollywood spanned from the silent era of the 1920s into the early 1940s. With the exception of long-time silent film director Lois Weber, fro ...
, writer
Mercedes de Acosta Mercedes de Acosta (March 1, 1892 – May 9, 1968) was an American poet, playwright, and novelist. Although she failed to achieve artistic and professional distinction, de Acosta is known for her many lesbian affairs with celebrated Broadway and ...
, and
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
's niece Dolly Wilde.
Bridget Bate Tichenor Bridget Bate Tichenor (born Bridget Pamela Arkwright Bate) (November 22, 1917 – October 12, 1990) was a British surrealism, surrealist painter of fantastic art in the school of magic realism and a fashion editor. Born in Paris, she later e ...
, a
Magic Realist Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. ''Magical rea ...
artist and
Surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...
painter, was rumored to be one of Nazimova's favored lovers in Hollywood during 1940–1942. The two had been introduced by the poet and art collector
Edward James Edward Frank Willis James (16 August 1907 – 2 December 1984) was a British poet known for his patronage of the surrealist art movement. Early life and marriage James was born on 16 August 1907, the only son of William James (who had inheri ...
, and according to Tichenor, their intimate relationship angered Nazimova's longtime companion Glesca Marshall.It is believed that Nazimova coined the phrase "
sewing circle A sewing circle is a group of people who meet regularly for the purpose of sewing, often for charitable causes. Application to sewing Sewing circle participants, usually women, typically meet regularly for the purpose of sewing. They often als ...
" as code to refer to lesbian or bisexual actresses of her day who concealed their true sexuality. Nazimova lived together with Glesca Marshall from 1929 until Nazimova's death in 1945.


Friends and relations

Edith Luckett, a stage actress and the mother of future
U.S. First Lady First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been codified or officially defined ...
Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress who was the first lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989, as the second wife of President Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born in ...
, was a friend of Nazimova, having acted with her onstage. Edith married Kenneth Seymour Robbins, and following the birth of their daughter Nancy in 1921, Nazimova became her godmother. Nazimova continued to be friends with Edith and her second husband, neurosurgeon Loyal Davis, until her death. She was also the aunt of American film producer
Val Lewton Val Lewton (May 7, 1904 – March 14, 1951) was a Russian-American novelist, film producer, and screenwriter best known for a string of low-budget horror films he produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940s. His son, also named Val Lewton, was a pai ...
.


Garden of Alla

Nazimova's private lifestyle gave rise to widespread rumors of outlandish and allegedly debauched parties at her mansion on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California, known as The Garden of Alla, which she leased in 1918 and bought outright the next year. Facing near-bankruptcy in 1926, she converted the 2.5-acre estate into a hotel by building 25 villas on the property. The Garden of Alla Hotel opened in January 1927. But Nazimova was ill-equipped to run a hotel and eventually sold it and returned to Broadway and theatrical tours. By 1930, the hotel had been purchased by Central Holding Corporation, which changed the name to the
Garden of Allah Hotel The Garden of Allah was a famous hotel in West Hollywood, California, United States (then an unincorporated area of Los Angeles which was usually considered a part of Hollywood), at 8152 Sunset Boulevard between Crescent Heights and Havenhurst, ...
. When Nazimova moved back to Hollywood in 1938, she rented Villa 24 at the hotel and lived there until her death.


Death and memorials

On July 13, 1945, Nazimova died of a
coronary thrombosis Coronary thrombosis is defined as the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel of the heart. This blood clot may then restrict blood flow within the heart, leading to heart tissue damage, or a myocardial infarction, also known as a heart ...
, at age 66, in the Good Samaritan Hospital in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. Her ashes were interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in
Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...
. Her contributions to the film industry have been recognized with a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
.


Legacy

Nazimova has been depicted a number of times in film and onstage. The first two were biographical films about
Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor who starred in several well-known sile ...
: ''
The Legend of Valentino ''The Legend of Valentino'' is a 1975 American made-for-television biographical film written and directed by Melville Shavelson. It deals with real life events about the actor and sex symbol of the 1920s Rudolph Valentino. It was broadcast by AB ...
'' (1975), in which she was portrayed by Alicia Bond; and ''
Valentino Valentino may refer to People * Valentino (surname), including a list of people with the name * Valentino (given name), including a list of people with the name Mononymous persons * Valentino (fashion designer) (born Valentino Clemente Ludovic ...
'' (1977), in which she was portrayed by
Leslie Caron Leslie Claire Margaret Caron (; born 1 July 1931) is a French and American actress and dancer. She is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award, two BAFTA Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards. Caron b ...
. She was featured in two 2013 silent films about Hollywood's silent movie era: ''
Return to Babylon ''Return to Babylon'' is a 2013 black-and-white silent film about the silent film era. It was directed by Alex Monty Canawati. It stars an ensemble cast of Jennifer Tilly, María Conchita Alonso, Ione Skye, Debi Mazar, Laura Harring, and Tipp ...
,'' in which she was played by
Laura Harring Laura Elena Harring (' Herring Martínez, formerly Gräfin von Bismarck-Schönhausen; born March 3, 1964) is an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1985 and later began acting in television and film. She is best kno ...
, and ''Silent Life'', based on the life of
Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor who starred in several well-known sile ...
, where she was played by
Sherilyn Fenn Sherilyn Fenn (born Sheryl Ann Fenn; February 1, 1965) is an American actress. She played Audrey Horne on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. She als ...
. The character of Nazimova also appears in
Dominick Argento Dominick Argento (October 27, 1927 – February 20, 2019) was an American composer known for his lyric operatic and choral music. Among his best known pieces are the operas '' Postcard from Morocco'', '' Miss Havisham's Fire'', ''The Masque of An ...
's opera ''Dream of Valentino'', in which she also played the violin. Nazimova was also featured in make-up artist
Kevyn Aucoin Kevyn James Aucoin (; February 14, 1962 – May 7, 2002) was an American make-up artist, photographer and author. He authored several books with makeup techniques including facial contouring, which was relatively unknown in popular culture at t ...
's 2004 book '' Face Forward'', in which he made up
Isabella Rossellini Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (; born 18 June 1952) is an Italian actress and model. The daughter of Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is noted for her successful tenure as a Lancôme ...
to resemble her, particularly as posed in a certain photograph. Actress Romy Nordlinger first portrayed Alla Nazimova in The Society for the Preservation of Theatrical History production of ''Stage Struck: From Kemble to Kate'' staged at the Snapple Theater Center in New York City in December 2013. In Fall 2016, PLACES, a multimedia solo show about Alla Nazimova, supported by the League of Professional Theatre Women's Heritage Program, written and performed by Romy Nordlinger debuted at Playhouse Theatre for a limited run. The Garden of Allah cabaret was an influential LGBTQ+
cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
venue in the mid-20th century that took its name and inspiration from Nazimova's original Garden of Alla. Nazimova also appears in ''Medusa's Web'', a novel by fantasy-fiction writer
Tim Powers Timothy Thomas Powers (born February 29, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy fiction, fantasy author. His first major novel was ''The Drawing of the Dark'' (1979), but the novel that earned him wide praise was ''The Anubis Gates'' ...
.


Filmography


See also

*
List of American film actresses The following American film actresses are listed alphabetically. It contains both actresses born American and those who acquired American nationality later. Some actors who are well known for both film and TV work are also included in the lis ...
*
List of film producers Following is a list of notable film producers, some of whom have also worked in other media. ''(list is sorted alphabetically by surname)'' A–M *J. J. Abrams''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'', ''Cloverfield'', ''Alias (TV series), Alias'' ...
*
List of Jewish actors This is a list of notable Jewish actors. Some of these may have had some Jewish ancestry, and are ethnically considered Jewish, but did not practice Judaism (e.g. Douglas Fairbanks). Born in the 1990s–2000s Born in the 1980s Born in ...
*
List of people from California This is a list of notable people from the U.S. state of California. It includes people who were born/raised in, lived in, or spent portions of their lives in California, or for whom California is a significant part of their identity. 0–9 * ...
*
List of people from New York City Many notable people were either born in New York City or adopted it as their home. People from New York City 0–9 * 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson, born 1975) – businessman and rapper * 6ix9ine (Daniel Hernandez, born 1996) – rapper * 22G ...
*
List of people from Ukraine This is a list of individuals who were born and lived in territories located in present-day Ukraine, including ethnic Ukrainians and those of other ethnicities. Academics Mathematicians * Selig Brodetsky (1888–1954), British mathematician, P ...
*
List of Russian people This is a list of people associated with the modern Russia, Russian Federation, the Soviet Union, Imperial Russia, Russian Tsardom, the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Kievan Rus', and other predecessor states of Russia. Regardless of ethnicity or em ...
*
List of women writers The list of women writers has been split into two lists: * List of women writers (A–L) * List of women writers (M–Z) See also *Chawton_House#Chawton House Library: Women's Novels, Chawton House Library: Women's Novels *Collective 18th-century ...


References


Further reading

* Golden, Eve (2001). ''Golden Images: 41 Essays on Silent Film Stars''. Jefferson, North Carolina:
McFarland & Company McFarland & Company, Inc., is an American independent book publisher based in Jefferson, North Carolina, that specializes in academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tert ...
. . * Lewton, Lucy Olga (1988). ''Alla Nazimova, My Aunt, Tragedienne: A Personal Memoir''. Minuteman Press. * Smith, Frederick James (September 1918). "Those Nazimova Eyes!" in ''Picture Play''.


External links


Alla Nazimova Society
* * *
Alla Nazimova
at the Women Film Pioneers Project
History of the Garden of Allah with photos



Nazimova
photo gallery NYP Library
Photographs and literature on Alla Nazimova
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nazimova, Alla 1879 births 1945 deaths Crimean Jews 19th-century actresses from the Russian Empire Russian stage actresses 20th-century Russian actresses 19th-century women writers from the Russian Empire 19th-century writers from the Russian Empire 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American women writers Actresses from New York City American film producers American people of Russian-Jewish descent American silent film actresses American stage actresses Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Actresses from the Russian Empire Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States Deaths from coronary thrombosis Women film pioneers Age controversies American women film producers Jewish Ukrainian actors 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century Russian women American bisexual actresses American bisexual writers American LGBTQ screenwriters American LGBTQ actresses American women screenwriters Bisexual Jews Jewish American actresses LGBTQ people from California Ukrainian bisexual people Russian LGBTQ actresses Russian LGBTQ screenwriters People from Yalta Naturalized citizens of the United States Screenwriters from New York City Jewish LGBTQ women 19th-century American LGBTQ people 20th-century American LGBTQ people 20th-century Russian LGBTQ people American bisexual women