Alla Nazimova on AllMovie

Alla Nazimova was a legend of the Russian and American stages in the early part of the century who went on to star in numerous Hollywood films. As a child, Nazimova studied music at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and at Odessa where she became an excellent violinist. Later she studied acting with Stanislavsky before emigrating to the U.S. in 1905 to work on Broadway where she became one of the best interpreter's of Ibsen's work. In 1916, Nazimova made her screen debut. Frequently she would produce and her husband would direct her films. Such collaborative efforts created bold and provocative films that bordered on surrealism. In 1925, Nazimova left films to resume her theatrical career; during the 1940s, she returned to film in character roles.