Alla Nazimova ~ The Wild Russian Lesbian

Alla Nazimova was a Russian silent film actress known for her many lesbian love affairs

She was born Adelaida Yakovlevna on June 3, 1879 in Yalta, Russia. Her Jewish parents divorced when she was eight. Sadly she would spend her childhood living with relatives and in foster homes. Alla took acting lessons and began her career on the Moscow stage. In 1899 she married Sergei Golovin, an actor. They seperated a few years later but didn't legally divorce until 1923. She moved to New York City and made her Broadway debut in the 1905 play The Chosen People. Then she appeared in the hit shows Hedda Gabbler, A Doll's House, and The Marionettes. Alla quickly became one of Broadway's most popular stars. She agreed to enter into a sham marriage with her close friend, actor Charles Bryant, in 1912. They were both gay and believed that this lavender marriage would help their careers. At the age of thirty-seven she made her film debut in the silent drama War Brides. Metro studios offered her a contract for $13,000 a week. The dark haired beauty had starring roles in many films including Eye For An Eye, The Brat, and Madame Peacock. Alla also formed her own production company and wrote her own screenplays.

Off screen she became known for the wild parties she threw at her lavish mansion known as the Garden of Alla. Her many female lovers included Ona Munson, Jean Acker, Mildred Harris, and director Dorothy Arzner. There was a scandal in 1925 when the public discovered she had never legally been married to Charles Bryant. By this time her film career had stalled and she was nearly bankrupt. She decided to turn her mansion into a hotel by building bungalows on the two acre property. Unfortunately she found it very difficult to run a hotel and had to sell it. Alla began a serious romance with actress Glesca Marshall in 1929. Then she returned to Broadway to star in The Cherry Orchard. During the 1930s she appeared in the plays Ghosts and A Month In The Country. In 1940 she was offered a supporting role in the drama Escape. It was her first sound film. She also appeared in the movies Blood And Sand and in Since You Went Away. Alla and Glesca moved into a bungalow at the Garden Of Alla hotel, her former home. On July 13, 1945 she died from coronary thrombosis at the age of sixty-six. She was cremated and buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.