Pola Negri

After earning international acclaim in both Polish and German cinema, actress Pola Negri went to Hollywood where she became one of the most tempestuous, glamorous and bizarre stars of the silent era. Negri initially became famous in Europe, thanks in large part to her collaborations with noted German director Ernst Lubitsch on films like "Carmen/Gypsy Blood" (1918), "Madame DuBarry/Passion" (1919) and "Sumurun" (1920). She arrived in Hollywood in 1923 and made an immediate splash as the star of "Bella Donna" (1923), "The Spanish Dancer" (1923) and "Forbidden Paradise" (1924). Her extravagant lifestyle and elaborate fashion made her an instant hit, while her high-profile romance with Rudolph Valentino made her more famous than her movies did. Her fainting spell at his funeral in 1926 marked a souring of her image, since the press dubbed such antics as nothing more than a publicity stunt. Regardless, Negri continued to find success on the screen with "Hotel Imperial" (1927) and "Barbed Wire" (1927), but like most silent actors, was unable to gain a foothold in the sound era. She retreated to Europe in the 1930s, where she maintained a small degree of success, only to largely retire from filmmaking altogether. Negri made two more Hollywood movies - "Hey Diddle Diddle" (1943) and "The Moonspinners" (1964) - only to live out the rest of her days in Texas with oil heiress and alleged lesbian lover, Margaret West, leaving behind a legacy that inspired both fascination and confusion.