Theda Bara was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatale roles earned her the nickname "The Vamp", later fueling the rising popularity in "vamp" roles based in exoticism and sexual domination.
A femme fatale, sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of literature and art. Her ability to enchant, entice and hypnotize her victim with a spell was in the earliest stories seen as verging on supernatural; hence, the femme fatale today is still often described as having a power akin to an enchantress, seductress, witch, having power over men. Femmes fatales are typically villainous, or at least morally ambiguous, and always associated with a sense of mystification, and unease.
Olga Petrova was a British-American actress, screenwriter and playwright.
The Devil-Stone is a 1917 American silent romance film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, co-written by his mother Beatrice deMille and Jeanie MacPherson, and starring Geraldine Farrar.
Petrov or Petroff or Petrova, is one of the most common surnames in Russia and Bulgaria. The surname is derived from the first name Pyotr or Petar and literally means Pyotr's or Petar's.
Olga Tchakova is a Russian-American film and television actress and model. She is also known for her role as Nadia Petrova in The Vampire Diaries (2013–2014).
The Soul Market is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Francis J. Grandon. The film is considered to be lost.
The Law of the Land is a 1917 silent film starring stage actress turned screen vamp Olga Petrova. The film was directed by Maurice Tourneur and produced by Jesse Lasky.
The Undying Flame is a lost 1917 silent film drama directed by Maurice Tourneur, produced by Jesse Lasky and released by Paramount Pictures. This movie starred Olga Petrova, an English-born actress who became popular in silents playing vamps.
The Eternal Question is a lost 1916 American silent drama film starring Olga Petrova and directed by Burton L. King. It was produced by the production company known as Popular Plays and Players and released through the newly formed Metro Pictures.
The Black Butterfly is a lost 1916 American silent drama film released by Metro Pictures, starring Olga Petrova. The last known copy was destroyed in the 1965 MGM vault fire. The extant footage was posted online in 2019.
My Madonna is a lost 1915 American silent drama film directed by Alice Guy and starring Olga Petrova.
Exile is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur and written by Charles E. Whittaker based upon the 1916 Dolf Wyllarde novel. The film stars Olga Petrova, Wyndham Standing, Mahlon Hamilton, Warren Cook, Charles Martin, and Violet Reed. The film was released in September 1917, by Paramount Pictures. It is not known whether the film currently survives, which suggests that it is a lost film.
The Secret of Eve is a lost 1917 silent film drama directed by Perry N. Vekroff and starring Olga Petrova. It was produced by Popular Plays and Players and distributed through Metro Pictures.
The Scarlet Woman is a 1916 American silent melodrama film directed by Edmund Lawrence and starring Madame Olga Petrova. It was distributed by Metro Pictures, then a newly formed organization.
Bridges Burned is a lost 1917 silent film drama directed by Perry N. Vekroff and starring Olga Petrova. Popular Plays and Players produced while Metro Pictures distributed.
Extravagance is a 1916 silent film comedy drama directed by Burton L. King and based on a play by Aaron Hoffman. It stars Olga Petrova sometimes billed as Madame Olga Petrova. Produced by Popular Plays and Players, it was distributed through Metro Pictures.
More Truth Than Poetry is a 1917 American silent drama film, directed by Burton King. It stars Olga Petrova, Mahlon Hamilton, and Charles Martin, and was released on October 22, 1917.
What Will People Say? is a 1916 American silent, black-and-white film directed by film pioneer Alice Guy, produced by Herbert Blaché, and starring Olga Petrova.
The Waiting Soul is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Burton L. King and starring Olga Petrova, Mahlon Hamilton and Mathilde Brundage.
