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Vola Vale
Vola Vale 001.jpg
Publicity photo from Motion Picture Magazine (August, 1915)
Born
Vola Smith

(1897-02-12)February 12, 1897
Died October 17, 1970(1970-10-17) (aged 73)
Occupation Actress
Spouse(s)
Albert Russell
(m. 1918; div. 1926)
John. W. Gorman
(m. 1926)
Lawrence McDougal
(m. 1932; his death 1970)
Children 1

Vola Vale (born Vola Smith; February 12, 1897 – October 17, 1970) was a silent film actress.

Early career

Vale was born in Buffalo, New York and educated in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Her high school friends in Rochester, New York, where she was raised, knew her as Vola Smith. She began her career in amateur theatricals in Rochester. Then she played in stock companies for a while.

After working under Bert Lytell on stage, in 1916 Vale began working in film for Biograph, under the tutelage of the 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.

Serious Actress

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.

Vale reflected in the early 1920s about observation, particularly its power in attaining one's acting proficiency. It is the ability of the actress to see and note of the little things in life and then store them in her subconscious mind where they await her call to use at the psychological moment before the camera that enables her to either register success in her chosen work, or be merely mediocre. She began this process as a youth acting with D.W. Griffith. She observed how the director took notice of everything the actors did.

Model

Vale modeled clothes for the Broadway Department Store in Los Angeles, California. A 1916 photo from the Los Angeles Times shows her in an exclusive Betty Wales frock from Broadway. This was a very popular dress among college women of the era.

Private life

Vale was married to film director and producer Al Russell. They had a son. On December 8, 1926, Vale married director John. W. Gorman in Santa Ana, California. They kept the wedding secret until they told friends on February 2, 1927. She married a second time to Lawrence McDougal, with whom she remained until his death in February 1970.

She was a member of Our Club, a group of seventeen of Hollywood's baby cinema stars. Mary Pickford served as honorary president. Fellow members were Mildred Davis, Helen Ferguson, Patsy Ruth Miller, Clara Horton, Gertrude Olmstead, Laura La Plante, Virginia Fox, Colleen Moore, ZaSu Pitts, Lois Wilson, May McAvoy, Gloria Hope, Virginia Valli, Carmel Myers, Edna Murphy, and Carmelita Geraghty.

Vale died in Hawthorne, California in 1970, aged 73, of heart disease. She is interred at Roosevelt Memorial Park in Los Angeles County, California.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1916 Timothy Dobbs, That's Me Mary Clarkson Lost film
1916 The Eagle's Wings Kitty Miles Lost film
1916 The Price of Silence Aline Urmy
1917 Each to His Kind Amy Dawe Lost film
1917 The Winning of Sally Temple Lady Pamela Vauclain
1917 Mentioned in Confidence Marjorie Manning
1917 Perils of the Secret Service Minna Ober (Episode #1)
1917 The Bond Between Ellen Ingram Lost film
1917 The Secret of Black Mountain Miriam Vale Short
Incomplete film
1917 The Son of His Father Hazel Mallinsbee
1917 The Lady in the Library Mildred Vandeburg
1917 Zollenstein Princess Fulvia / Princess Zenia
1917 The Silent Man Betty Bryce
1918 Wolves of the Rail Faith Lawson
1918 The Locked Heart Ruth Mason Lost film
1919 Happy Though Married Diana Ramon Lost film
1919 A Heart in Pawn Emily Stone Lost film
1919 Hearts Asleep Virginia Calvert Lost film
1919 Hornet's Nest Muriel Fletcher Lost film
1919 Six Feet Four Winifred Waverly
1919 Someone Must Pay Molly Brent Lost film
1920 Overland Red Louise Alacarme Lost film
1920 Alias Jimmy Valentine Rose Lane Lost film
1920 A Master Stroke Minnie Patton Lost film
1920 The Purple Cipher Jeanne Baldwin Lost film
1920 Someone in the House Molly Brent Lost film
1920 The Iron Rider Mera Donovan Lost film
1920 Common Sense Violet Manners Lost film
1921 Singing River Alice Thornton Lost film
1921 The Duke of Chimney Butte Vesta Philbrook Lost film
1921 White Oak Barbara
1922 Good Men and True Georgie Hibbler Lost film
1923 Crashin' Thru Diane Lost film
1923 Soul of the Beast Jacqueline
1923 The Man Between Rosie (Joe Cateau's bride) Lost film
1923 Mothers-in-Law Ina Phillips Lost film
1923 The Midnight Flower Myra Lost film
1924 The Mirage Betty Bond Lost film
1925 Who Cares Tootles
1925 The Phantom of the Opera Ballerina / Christines Maid Uncredited
1925 Little Annie Rooney Mamie
1925 Heartless Husbands Mrs. Jackson Cain Lost film
1926 Her Big Adventure Countess Fontaine Lost film
1926 Two Can Play Mimi Lost film
1926 The Sky Pirate Lost film
1926 Home Sweet Home
1927 Black Tears Lost film
1932 Tomorrow and Tomorrow Townswoman Uncredited
1936 One Rainy Afternoon Minor Role Uncredited
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