Alla Nazimova Biography
(Actress, Director, Producer Best Known for Her Film ‘Salome’)
Birthday: June 3, 1879 (Gemini)
Born In: Yalta, Crimea, Russian Empire
Alla Nazimova was a Russian-American actress, who became famous on Broadway for her work in the classic plays of Ibsen, Chekhov and Turgenev. Born in Crimea, then under Russian Empire, she had a very troubled childhood, spending large part of it in boarding schools and foster homes. At the age of seventeen, she moved to Moscow, where she began acting, maintaining herself by giving company to rich men, much older to her. Eventually, she changed her name from Marem-Ides Adelaida Leventon to Alla Nazimova and by the age of 24, she had established herself as a celebrated actress. At the age of 26, she moved to the USA, where she learned English, successfully debuting at the Broadway and was acclaimed for her portrayals of the leading characters in plays by Ibsen, Chekhov and Turgenev. Around the age of 36, she debuted on screen, appearing in 17 silent films between 1915 and 1925 before returning to the stage. She died at the age of 66.