Zina Rachevsky, also Zenaïde Rachewski or Zina Rachewsky (; 1 September 1930 – 20 August 1973) was a Russian-born French-American socialite, film actress, and

Gelug file:DalaiLama0054 tiny.jpg, 240px, 14th Dalai Lama, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Kalachakra ceremony, Bodh Gaya, Bodhgaya (India) The Gelug (, also Geluk; 'virtuous' ...

Tibetan Buddhist Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Darjeeling, Sikkim, and Arunachal Prades ...

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

. Her Buddhist name is Thubten Changchub Palmo.

Biography

Zina Rachevsky was born on 1 September 1930 to an American mother of German-Jewish descent and a Russian emigrant Vladimir Rachevski, the son of Sergei Rachevski, a Russian colonel killed at Port Arthur in 1904. She was born in New York City at the Ambassador Hotel, owned by SW Straus & Co. Zina's mother, Harriet Straus Rachevsky, was the daughter of American millionaire Simon W. Straus, for whom the company was named. Vladimir Rachevski was the brother of Zinaida Rachevskaya, who had married the exiled Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich of Russia. Zina would spend her childhood in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, living through the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and married on 4 November 1948 French aristocrat Count Bernard d'Harcourt (1925-1958) whom she divorced in 1950, then moving to the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

. While in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

, Rachevsky took a course in drama and theater.

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rachevsky, Zina 1930 births 1973 deaths Tibetan Buddhist nuns Gelug Lamas Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition 20th-century Buddhist nuns