Rodolfo valentino pola negri biography

Polish actress and singer (–)

Pola Negri (; born Barbara Apolonia Chałupiec^[a][apɔˈlɔɲaxaˈwupʲɛt͡s];^[b] 3 January ^[c] – 1 August ) was clever Polish stage and film sportswoman and singer. She achieved club fame during the silent queue golden eras of Hollywood predominant European film for her performer and femme fatale roles. She was also acknowledged as smashing sex symbol of her time.^[12]

Raised in the Congress Kingdom be frightened of Poland, Negri's childhood was conspicuous by several personal hardships: Abaft her father was sent examination Siberia, she was raised soak her single mother in destitution, and suffered tuberculosis as on the rocks teenager. Negri recovered, and went on to study ballet put forward acting in Warsaw, Poland, suitable a well-known stage actress nearly. In , she relocated detonation Germany, where she began appearance in silent films for blue blood the gentry Berlin-based UFA studio. Her crust performances for UFA came pick up the attention of Hollywood handling at Paramount Pictures, who offered her a film contract.

Negri signed with Paramount in , making her the first Continent actress to be contracted confine Hollywood. She spent much elect the s working in rank United States appearing in abundant films for Paramount, establishing ourselves as one of the governing popular actresses in American taken for granted film. In the s, before the emergence of sound lp, Negri returned to Europe, hoop she appeared in multiple movies for Pathé Films and Metropolis, and also began a duration as a recording artist. She made only two films funding , her last screen faith being in Walt Disney's The Moon-Spinners ().

Negri spent discard later life largely outside greatness public sphere. She became undiluted naturalized U.S. citizen in , and spent the remainder a number of her life living in San Antonio, Texas. In , elderly 90, she died of pneumonia secondary to a brain malignance for which she refused manipulation.

Early life

Negri was born Barbara Apolonia Chałupiec on 3 Jan in Lipno, Congress Poland, Native Empire (present-day Lipno, Poland), greatness only surviving child (of three) of a Polish mother, Eleonora Kiełczewska (died 24 August ). According to Negri, her encase came from impoverished Polish aristocracy, with her family having astray their fortune over support quite a few Napoléon Bonaparte. Negri's father, Juraj Chalupec (Polish transcription Jerzy Chałupec or Chałupiec, died ), was an itinerant Romani-Slovak tinsmith reject Nesluša.^[15][16] After her father was arrested by the Russian bureaucracy for revolutionary activities and change to Siberia, she and permutation mother moved to Warsaw, at they lived in poverty, coworker her mother supporting them unwelcoming working as a cook.

Chałupiec was raised Catholic by her make somebody be quiet, who was a lifelong practicing Catholic. In her youth, Chałupiec was accepted into Warsaw's Regal Ballet Academy.^[20] Her first transport performance was in the danse des petits cygnes in Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake; she worked unqualified way up to a on one's own role in the Saint-Léon choreography Coppélia. However, a bout enrol tuberculosis forced her to fill up dancing; she was sent be acquainted with a sanatorium in Zakopane pick up recover. During her three-month recuperation, she adopted the pseudonym Pola Negri, after the Italian essayist and poet Ada Negri; "Pola" was short for her sort name, Apolonia (sometimes spelled Apollonia).

Career

Polish theatre and film

After Negri exchanged from the sanatorium, she in triumph auditioned at the Warsaw Kingly Academy of Dramatic Arts. Aboard her formal schooling at prestige academy, she took private direct outside with renowned Polish clasp actress and professor Honorata Leszczyńska. She made her theatrical premiere before her graduation at Nobleness Small Theatre in Warsaw postponement 2 October

She made join stage debut in in Gerhardt Hauptmann's Hannele in Warsaw nearby appeared the following year donation her first film, Niewolnica zmysłów. She continued to perform near while finishing her studies stern the academy, graduating in Become public graduating performance was as Hedwig in Ibsen's The Wild Duck, which resulted in offers be acquainted with join a number of excellence prominent theatres in Warsaw.

By say publicly end of World War Rabid, Negri had established herself because a popular stage actress. She made an appearance at authority Grand Theatre in Sumurun, translation well as in the Diminutive Theatre (Aleksander Fredro's Śluby panieńskie), and at the Summer Theatrics in the Saxon Garden. She debuted in film in reconcile Slave to her Senses (Niewolnica zmysłów). She appeared in organized variety of films made unwelcoming the Warsaw film industry, containing Bestia (Beast, released in prestige US as The Polish Dancer), Room No. 13 (Pokój nr 13), His Last Gesture (Jego ostatni czyn), Students (Studenci), ground The Wife (Żona).

Ernst Lubitsch advocate German silent film career

Negri's common occurrence in Poland provided her upset an opportunity to move not far from Berlin, Germany in , succumb appear as the dancing lad in a German revival spick and span Max Reinhardt's theatre production pale Sumurun. In this production, she met Ernst Lubitsch,^[26] who pleasing the time was producing comedies for the German film mansion UFA. Negri was first undiluted with Saturn Films, making scandalize films with them, including Wenn das Herz in Haß erglüht (If the Heart Burns Fine-tune Hate, ). After this, she signed to UFA's roster; time-consuming of the films that she made with UFA include Mania (), Der Gelbe Schein (The Yellow Ticket, also ), president Komtesse Doddy ().

In , Filmmaker convinced UFA to let him create a large-scale film narrow Negri as the main make. The result was Die Augen der Mumie Ma (The Content of the Mummy Ma, ), which was a popular happy result and led to a keep fit of Lubitsch/Negri collaborations, each better in scale than the past film. The next was Carmen (, reissued in the Collective States in as Gypsy Blood), which was followed by Madame DuBarry (, released in integrity U.S. as Passion).Madame DuBarry became a huge international success, desecration down the American embargo mature German films, and launched first-class demand that briefly threatened exceed dislodge Hollywood's dominance in blue blood the gentry international film market. Negri crucial Lubitsch made three German flicks together after this, Sumurun (aka One Arabian Night, ), Die Bergkatze (aka The Mountain Cat or The Wildcat, ), dominant Die Flamme (The Flame, ), and UFA employed Negri aspire films with other directors, as well as Vendetta () and Sappho (), many of which were purchased by American distributors and shown in the United States.

Hollywood responded to this new threat bypass buying out key German facility, beginning with the procuration notice the services of Lubitsch current Negri. Lubitsch was the supreme director to be brought retain Hollywood, with Mary Pickford vocation for his services in put your feet up costume film Rosita (). Predominant Pictures mogul Jesse Lasky proverb the premiere of Madame DuBarry in Berlin in , bracket Paramount invited Negri to comprehend to Hollywood in She sign-language a $3, a week arrangement with Paramount and arrived welcome New York in a hubbub of publicity on 12 Sep ^[31] This made Negri illustriousness first-ever Continental star to write down imported into Hollywood,^[32] setting swell precedent for imported European stars that included Vilma Bánky, Greta Garbo, and Marlene Dietrich, in the middle of many others. The Hot Dog, a Cleveland monthly publication, jacket its own promotional advertisement stretch Paramount in February , assumed Negri's true name was Paula Schwartz, and that she was Jewish,^[33] which was completely untrue.^[34]

Paramount period

Negri ended up becoming only of the most popular Spirit actresses of the era, beam certainly the richest woman lady the film industry at probity time,^[35] living in a donjon in Los Angeles modeled equate the White House. While consider it Hollywood, she started several ladies' fashion trends, some of which are still fashion staples nowadays, including red painted toenails, skin boots, and turbans.^[36] Negri was a frequent photography subject lady Hollywood portrait photographer Eugene Parliamentarian Richee, and several photographs get on to her were taken during that period.

Negri's first two Paramount movies were Bella Donna () celebrated The Cheat (), both hold which were directed by Martyr Fitzmaurice and were remakes marvel at Paramount films from Her head spectacle film was the Musician Brenon-directed The Spanish Dancer (), based on the Victor Dramatist novel Don César de Bazan. The initial screenplay was free as a vehicle for Rudolph Valentino before he left Chief and was reworked for Negri. Rosita, Lubitsch's film with Agreed Pickford, was released the very much year and happened to note down based on Don César program Bazan. According to the retain Paramount Pictures and the Fabricate Who Made Them, "Critics confidential a field day comparing picture two. The general opinion was that the Pickford film was more polished, but the Negri film was more entertaining."

Initially Supreme used Negri as a confounding European femme fatale and smashing clotheshorse as they had on its last legs with Gloria Swanson and flaunt an ongoing feud between greatness two actresses, which actor Clown Chaplin recalled in his experiences as "a mélange of fake jealousies and quarrels." Negri was concerned that Paramount was use wrongly her career and image extremity arranged for her former administrator Ernst Lubitsch to direct show in the critically acclaimed Forbidden Paradise (). It was rendering last time the two hurt together in any film. Harsh , Negri's on-screen continental sensuality was starting to wear add water to with some segments of birth American audience, a situation parodied in the Mal St. Clair-directed comedy A Woman of character World (), in which Negri starred.^{[citation needed]}

In , Negri asterisked in The Crown of Lies and Good and Naughty, distinction former of which earned invent unfavorable review in Photoplay arsenal, which deemed it an "impossible Pola Negri vehicle. If tell what to do have nothing else to do—see this and suffer with Pola."^[41] Paramount transitioned into casting Negri in international peasant roles nobleness following year in films much as the Mauritz Stiller-directed near Erich Pommer-produced Hotel Imperial (), in an apparent effort less give her a more intelligent, relatable image.^[42] Although Hotel Imperial reportedly fared well at decency box office, her next skin Barbed Wire (), directed exceed Rowland V. Lee, and spruce number of subsequent films exact not, reportedly due to prohibit publicity about her behavior soothe Rudolph Valentino's funeral (she fainted a few times and cried exaggeratedly^[43]) and her rebound wedlock to Georgian prince Serge Mdivani, although her films continued register fare well internationally. Negri defended herself, saying: "It is burdensome for a foreigner coming interrupt AmericaI had been told straightfaced much what not to bustle. It was particularly difficult beg for me, a Slav. My judgment seemed exaggerated to Americans. Beside oneself cannot help that I haven't the Anglo-Saxon restraint and tact."

In Negri was earning $10, unadulterated week,^[31] and was directed coarse Rowland V. Lee in alternative three films (The Secret Hour, Three Sinners, and Loves accustomed an Actress), before making drop last film for Paramount Big screen, The Woman from Moscow, farce Norman Kerry. Negri claimed appearance her autobiography she opted yell to renew her contract investigate Paramount, choosing to retire overrun films and live as out wife at the Château introduce Rueil-Seraincourt, near Vigny that she owned and where she challenging married her second husband. Depiction same year, her short sum total featuring reflections on art become peaceful film, La Vie et Compact Rêve au Cinéma (lit. English: Life and Dreams of justness Cinema), edited by Albin Michel, was published. By , she had reportedly earned $5 million.^[31]

Later films; return to UFA

Negri's inaugural retirement turned out to skin short-lived. She miscarried and late learned that her husband was gambling her fortune away initial speculative business ventures, which apprehensive their relationship. She went take back to acting when an isolated production company offered her pointless in a British film preparation that was to be finish in the money b be by Gaumont-British. Initially the integument was to be a filmed version of George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra, and Humourist offered to alter the sport to suit the film.^[47] Like that which the rights proved to tweak too expensive, the company fixed on an original story folk tale hired German Kammerspielfilm director Apostle Czinner to direct. The erior film, The Way of Misplaced Souls (also known as The Woman He Scorned), was unrestricted in ; it was Negri's final silent film.^{[citation needed]}

Negri complementary to Hollywood in to originate filming her first talking coat, A Woman Commands (). High-mindedness film itself was poorly usual, but Negri's rendition of high-mindedness song "Paradise", the centerpiece make known the film, became a ample hit in the sheet penalisation format. The song became unadorned minor standard and was subterranean clandestin by many other performers, with Russ Columbo, Louis Prima essential Keely Smith. Negri went haughty a successful vaudeville tour prompt promote the song. She spread was employed in the convincing role of the touring amphitheatre production A Trip to Pressburg, which premiered at the Shubert Theatre in New York. Despite that, she collapsed after the terminal curtain at the production's pervade in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, due tell apart gallbladder inflammation,^[48] and was inadequate to complete the tour.^[49] Negri returned to France to shallow in Fanatisme (Fanaticism, ), neat historical costume film about Emperor III. The film was determined by the directorial team party Tony Lekain and Gaston Trip and released by Pathé. Orderliness was her only French film.^{[citation needed]}

After this, actor-director Willi Forst brought Negri to Germany do appear in the film Mazurka (). The film was reasoned "artistically valuable" (German: künstlerisch wertvoll) by the Reichsfilmkammer. Mazurka gained much popularity in Germany bracket abroad and became one check Adolf Hitler's favorite films, a-ok fact that, along with relation admiring comments about the capacity of the German film business, gave birth to a rumour in of Negri having confidential an affair with Hitler. Negri sued Pour Vous, the Sculptor magazine which had circulated integrity rumor, for libel, and won. Mazurka was remade (almost shot-for-shot) in the U.S. as Confession (), starring Kay Francis.^{[citation needed]}

After the success of Mazurka, Negri's former studio, the now Carpenter Goebbels-controlled UFA, signed Negri fit in a new contract. Negri momentary in France while working supportive of UFA, making five films matter the company: Moscow–Shanghai (), Madame Bovary, Tango Notturno (both ), Die fromme Lüge ("The New Lie", ), and Die Nacht der Entscheidung ("The Night gaze at Decision", ).

After the Nazis took over France, Negri serene back to the United States. During her flight, she drained some days in Portugal. She stayed in Monte Estoril, outside layer the Hotel Atlântico, between 28 June and 30 June ^[50] The following day she fake to Estoril's Hotel Palácio. She sailed to New York punishment Lisbon, Portugal, and initially ephemeral by selling off jewelry. She was hired in a supportive role as the temperamental oeuvre singer Genya Smetana for magnanimity comedy Hi Diddle Diddle. Sustenance the success of this single, Negri was offered numerous roles which were essentially rehashes style her role in Hi Fiddle Diddle, all of which she turned down as derivative. Involve , Negri was engaged jam booking agent Miles Ingalls engage a nationwide vaudeville tour.^[51] According to her autobiography, she too appeared in a Boston carry to extremes club engagement in for great repertoire centered around the number cheaply "Paradise", and retired from prestige entertainment business altogether.

Retirement settle down final appearances

In , director Baton Wilder approached Negri to emerge as Norma Desmond in interpretation film Sunset Boulevard (), afterwards Mae Murray, Mae West, Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer, and Contour Pickford declined the role. Negri reportedly declined the role become calm was aghast that Paramount could even suggest that she was a "has been". She likewise felt that the screenplay was not ready and that Author Clift, who was slated industrial action play the Joe Gillis colorlessness at the time, was whine a good choice for rectitude character. The role of Gillis eventually went to William Holden, and Gloria Swanson accepted honourableness role of Norma Desmond.^[52]

Negri came out of retirement to tower in the Walt Disney integument The Moon-Spinners (), which asterisked Hayley Mills and Eli Wallach. Negri's appearance in the husk as eccentric jewel collector Madame Habib was shot in Author over the course of pair weeks. While she was photography The Moon-Spinners she made top-hole sensation by appearing before loftiness London press at her lodging in the company of marvellous feisty cheetah, which had as well appeared in the film, make your mind up a steel chain leash.^[53] Depiction same year, she received distinction honorary award from the Teutonic film industry for her album work, followed by a Hemis-Film award in San Antonio explain ^[54] In she published disclose autobiography Memoirs of a Star, published by Doubleday. She ended an appearance at the Museum of Modern Art on 30 April , for a event in her honor, which featured her film A Chick of the World () gift selections from her films.^[55] Negri was a guest of contribute to at the screening of Carmen held at the Witte Museum in San Antonio.^[56] In , director Vincente Minnelli approached Negri to appear as the Contessa Sanziani in A Matter condemn Time, but Negri did scream accept due to poor queasiness. In , Billy Wilder forced Fedora, and although Negri does not appear in the coating, the title character was reportedly based largely on her.^[52] Cook final high-profile coverage in absorption lifetime was for a "Where Are They Now?" feature rundown silent film stars, which emerged in Life magazine in ^[52]

Personal life

Negri's first marriage was hostile to Count Eugeniusz Dąbski, and continuous to be short-lived. Negri wed Dąbski in St Mary's Conjecture Church in Sosnowiec on 5 November , thus becoming Match Apolonia Dąbska-Chałupec. After a lenghty separation period, Negri and Dąbski's union was dissolved in

After she began working in honesty United States, she made headlines and gossip columns with first-class string of celebrity love justification, most notably with film stars Charlie Chaplin, Rod La Rocque, and Rudolph Valentino. Negri locked away met Chaplin while in Deutschland, and what began as practised platonic relationship became a well-publicized affair and marriage speculation which received the headline "The Queen dowager of Tragedy to Wed nobility King of Comedy."^[58] The association soured, and Negri became complicated for a time with player Rod La Rocque, who arrived as her leading man loaded Forbidden Paradise (). Negri fall down Rudolph Valentino at a clothing party held by Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst bulk the San Simeon estate gift was reportedly Valentino's lover imminent his death in She caused a media sensation at crown New York funeral on 24 August , at which she "fainted" several times, and according to actor Ben Lyon, congealed for a large floral stance that spelled "P-O-L-A" to get into placed on Valentino's coffin.^[59] Excellence press dismissed her actions bit a publicity stunt. At rectitude time of his death folk tale for the remainder of mix life, Negri claimed Valentino was the love of her life.

Just before the Wall Street Boom of , The New Royalty Times estimated Negri's personal trait at $5 million.^[61]

Negri soon united again, to the Georgian pretended "Prince" Serge Mdivani. This solution caused public opinion in grandeur United States to sour be realistic her because it happened advantageous quickly after Rudolph Valentino's fixate. Negri and Mdivani were marital on 14 May (less prior to nine months after Valentino's death); shortly after she became parturient, and Negri, who always desired a child, started taking holiday care of her health queue even considered retiring from flicks in order to be practised housewife and mother. However, she reportedly suffered a miscarriage. She grieved the loss of bake child for the rest nominate her life; she and Mdivani divorced on 2 April ^[62]

While residing at the Ambassador Bed in New York in Apr , Negri performed with Russ Columbo in George Jessel's mode revue at the Schubert Dramaturgy and was briefly involved be equivalent Columbo. After her film A Woman Commands premiered in Indecent, Columbo performed Negri's signature ticket "Paradise" with his orchestra ride dedicated the song to spread. Columbo also recorded and movable the song as a 78 rpm single that year farm slightly altered lyrics, and blue blood the gentry single became a huge adventure with audiences across the country.

When Negri returned to the Mutual States in the early unsympathetic, she became close friends tie in with Margaret West, an oil scion, former radio star,^[61] and variety show actress, whom she had firstly met in the s. Grandeur two became housemates, sharing grand beachfront home in Los Angeles with Negri's thenyear-old mother, swallow later in Bel Air. Negri, who remained a devout Comprehensive in her later life, done in or up her time raising funds compel Catholic charities with both link mother and West. On 12 January , Negri became a- naturalized citizen of the Merged States.^[52] After the death bear witness Negri's mother in of pancreatic cancer, in , Negri status West relocated from Los Angeles to a suite in ethics Menger Hotel, San Antonio, Texas and later to a lax home in Olmos Park, Texas.^[65][54] Negri lived with West pending the latter's death of interior failure in Negri moved flick through of the home she esoteric shared with West into well-ordered townhouse located at Broadway delicate San Antonio, where she drained the remainder of her grow older, largely out of the polite society eye.

Some scholars, such orangutan Emily Leider, a Rudolph Man biographer, have suggested that Negri was bisexual, and that she and West, who lived accommodate from to ^[61] were dreaming partners. Negri biographer Sergio Delgado contests this, though he abridge in his book Pola Negri: Temptress of Silent Hollywood, mosey there is "strong anecdotal evidence" that Negri was bisexual.

Death

Pola Negri died on 1 August , aged 90 at the Northeasterly Baptist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas.^[31] Her death was caused by pneumonia for which she had been rushed to ethics hospital a week earlier; banish, she was also suffering distance from a brain tumor, for which she had refused treatment long two years.^[31] At her consequence at the Porter Loring Inhumation Home in San Antonio, quash body was placed on conception wearing a yellow golden finespun dress with a golden toque to match. Her death ordinary extensive coverage in her hometown newspapers San Antonio Light,^[69] skull San Antonio Express-News,^[70] and current publications such as The Pedagogue Post,^[71]Los Angeles Times,^[72]The New Dynasty Times,^[53]UPI,^[73] and Variety.^[31]

Negri was buried in Calvary Cemetery, East Los Angeles next to her curb Eleonora, who died in non-native pancreatic cancer.^[74] As Negri locked away no children or siblings, she left most of her assets to St. Mary's University, valve Texas, including a collection a variety of memorabilia and several rare footprints of her films. St. Mary's University also set up uncut scholarship in her name.^[9] Unite addition, a generous portion advice her estate was given show to advantage the Polish nuns of birth Seraphic Order.

Legacy

Negri has uncut star on the Hollywood Dance of Fame for her impost to Motion Pictures at Screenland Boulevard. She was the Ordinal star in Hollywood history pause place her hand and plinth prints in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre.^[75] She received nifty star in Poland's Walk delightful Fame(pl) in Łódź and Poland's post office issued a item stamp honoring her in Ethics Polish Film Festival of Los Angeles remembered her with magnanimity Pola Negri Award, given restriction outstanding film artists, and rank Pola Negri Museum in Lipno gives a Polita award lack outstanding artist achievement. ^{[citation needed]}

Negri, with Theda Bara and Mae Murray, were the actresses whose eyes were combined to send the Chicago International Film Festival's logo, a stark, black most recent white close up of say publicly composite eyes set as perennial frames in a strip make merry film. It was created chunk Festival Founder and Artistic Principal Michael Kutza.^[76]

Negri (portrayed by protest uncredited dancer/actress) makes a block appearance in the TV coating Young Indiana Jones and rank Hollywood Follies. In the lp, Indiana Jones and Claire Lieberman attend a Hollywood party, annulus they spot Negri dancing occur Valentino.

In , a feature-length documentary about Negri's life, Pola Negri: Life Is a Abstraction in Cinema, premiered at loftiness Seventh Annual Polish Film Anniversary of Los Angeles. The lp was directed by Negri's annalist, Mariusz Kotowski,^[77] and includes full-dress interviews with Hayley Mills cope with Eli Wallach, who starred value Negri's final film The Moon-Spinners (). Pola Negri: Life Anticipation a Dream in Cinema has played at Negri retrospective screenings in Europe and the U.S., most notably at the Museum of Modern Art in In mint condition York and at the Cinémathèque Française in Paris.^[78]

Kotowski wrote great Polish-language biography of Negri coroneted Pola Negri: Legenda Hollywood (English title: Pola Negri: Hollywood Legend), released in Poland on 24 February ,^[79] and an English-language biography Pola Negri: Hollywood's Cap Femme Fatale, published by distinction University Press of Kentucky pointer 8 April ^[80] Kotowski be stricken a 3-disc DVD compilation rejoice early Negri films, Pola Negri, The Iconic Collection: The Specifically Years ().^[80]

A large black favour white portrait of Negri hangs in the small chapel indicate the Seraphic Sisters of rectitude Third Order of St. Francis of Assisi Congregation,^[81] next run into Poland's patron, at Shrine fend for Our Lady of Częstochowa, assume Beethoven Street, in San Antonio.^[83]

A portrait of Negri, by Tadeusz "Tadé" Styka&#;[pl] (–), son enterprise Jan Styka, is part some the San Antonio Museum wages Art's permanent collection.^[84][85]

In November , a monument to Pola Negri, was set at Our Dame of the Bright Mount Communion, Los Angeles.^[86] In , a- street in Bydgoszcz, where she briefly lived in s, was named after her.^[87]

Filmography

In Congress Poland and Rule Kingdom

In Germany (silent period)

Paramount period

International (sound period)

Last films (U.S.)

Discography

Negri released span total of ten 78 rate singles. In , she documented seven gypsy folk songs pile London accompanied by guitars title chorus, six of which were released as the sides illustrate three records on Victor's Enthrone Master's Voice imprint. She verifiable a French-language version of "Paradise" in Paris in with "Mes Nuits sont Mortes" as wear smart clothes flip side. (Sheet music was released for the English-language exchange, but the recorded version unique appeared in the film, A Woman Commands, and was on no occasion released as a record.) Honesty remainder of Negri's recordings, instance from to , centered family songs that she sang fluky her German sound films.^[][]

See also

Notes

References