Vola Vale
Born: 1897-02-12 in Buffalo, New York, USA
Died: 1970-10-17
Known For: Acting
Biography
From Wikipedia She was born Vola Smith in Buffalo, New York. Vale was educated in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She began her career in amateur theatricals in Rochester, New York. Then she played in stock companies for a while. Her first movie experience was with Biograph, under the tutelage of the great film director D.W. Griffith. After a month of playing atmosphere parts, Vola was offered a genuine role. She wore a velvet gown with a train and a feathered hat. Soon she was appearing in short reel films for Biograph. Among the actors she was cast with were William S. Hart, Sessue Hayakawa, Tsuru Aoki, William Haines, Harry Carey, Tully Marshall and William Russell. She was adept in playing Spanish, Italian, French, and Gypsy roles. Aside from Biograph Vola worked for Fox Film, Famous Players-Lasky, Universal Pictures, and Paramount Pictures. Her ambition was to play Madame Butterfly with an actual Japanese company, as well as to act as Lorna Doone. She was most inspired by Hayakawa and hoped to learn to act inside, as he did. With Sessue Hayakawa she made Each To His Kind (1917). Before filming began it was decided that the name Smith was too common to be used by a motion picture star. She changed her professional name to Vola Vale.
Filmography
2002
- Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story as Self (uncredited)
1936
1932
- Tomorrow and Tomorrow as Townswoman
1927
1926
- Two Can Play as Mimi Allen
- Home Sweet Home
- The Sky Pirate
- Her Big Adventure as Countess Fontaine
1925
- Who Cares as Tootles
- The Phantom of the Opera as Ballerina / Christines Maid (uncredited)
- Little Annie Rooney as Mamie
- Heartless Husbands as Mrs. Jackson Cain
1924
- The Mirage as Betty Bond
1923
- Crashin' Thru as Diane
- Soul of the Beast as Jacqueline
- Mothers-in-Law as Ina Phillips
- The Midnight Flower as Mary — a foundling
- The Man Between as Rosie - Joe Cateau's Bride
1922
- Good Men and True as Georgie Hibbler
1921
- The Duke of Chimney Butte as Vesta Philbrook
- White Oak as Barbara
1920
- Overland Red as Louise Alacarme
- Common Sense as Violet Manners
- Someone in the House as Molly Brent
- Alias Jimmy Valentine as Rose Lane
- Singing River as Alice Thornton
- The Purple Cipher as Jeanne Baldwin
- The Iron Rider as Mera Donovan
- A Master Stroke as Minnie Patton
1919
- Hearts Asleep as Virginia Calvert
- Six Feet Four as Winifred Waverly
- Happy Though Married as Diana Ramon
- A Heart in Pawn as Emily Stone
- Hornet's Nest as Muriel Fletcher
1918
- The Locked Heart as Ruth Mason
- Wolves of the Rail as Faith Lawson
1917
- Zollenstein as Princess Fulvia / Princess Zenia
- Perils of the Secret Service as Minna Ober (Episode #1)
- The Silent Man as Betty Bryce
- Each to His Kind as Amy Dawe
- The Son of His Father as Hazel Mallinsbee
- The Secret of Black Mountain as Miriam Vale
- The Lady in the Library as Mildred Vandeburg
- The Last Cigarette as Minna Ober
- The Bond Between as Ellen Ingram
- The Topsy Turvy Twins as Mattie
- The Winning of Sally Temple as Lady Pamela Vauclain
- Mentioned in Confidence as Marjorie Manning
1916
- The Price of Silence as Aline Urmy (as Vola Smith)
- A Great Love as Nell Woodward
- The Eagle's Wings as Kitty Miles (as Vola Smith)
- It Sounded Like a Kiss as Estelle
- The Woman He Feared as May Clive
1915
1914
- Liberty Belles as Boarding Schoolgirl
- The Iron Master as The Iron Master's Sister (as Viola Smith)