1897-02-12 Buffalo, New York, USA
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.
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Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story | Self (uncredited) | 2002-02-05 |
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One Rainy Afternoon | 1936-05-13 | |
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Tomorrow and Tomorrow | Townswoman | 1932-02-05 |
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Black Tears | 1927-06-08 | |
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Two Can Play | Mimi Allen | 1926-02-21 |
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The Sky Pirate | 1926-11-26 | |
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Home Sweet Home | 1926-12-24 | |
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Her Big Adventure | Countess Fontaine | 1926-01-05 |
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Heartless Husbands | Mrs. Jackson Cain | 1925-10-05 |
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Little Annie Rooney | Mamie | 1925-10-18 |
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The Phantom of the Opera | Ballerina / Christines Maid (uncredited) | 1925-09-22 |
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Who Cares | Tootles | 1925-02-01 |
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The Mirage | Betty Bond | 1924-12-28 |
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Crashin' Thru | Diane | 1923-04-01 |
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The Midnight Flower | Mary — a foundling | 1923-10-09 |
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The Man Between | Rosie - Joe Cateau's Bride | 1923-07-15 |
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Soul of the Beast | Jacqueline | 1923-05-06 |
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Mothers-in-Law | Ina Phillips | 1923-09-09 |
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Good Men and True | Georgie Hibbler | 1922-11-05 |
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The Duke of Chimney Butte | Vesta Philbrook | 1921-12-04 |
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White Oak | Barbara | 1921-02-01 |
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The Iron Rider | Mera Donovan | 1920-11-21 |
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A Master Stroke | Minnie Patton | 1920-06-01 |
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Overland Red | Louise Alacarme | 1920-03-22 |
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Common Sense | Violet Manners | 1920-06-01 |
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The Purple Cipher | Jeanne Baldwin | 1920-10-11 |
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Singing River | Alice Thornton | 1920-11-21 |
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Alias Jimmy Valentine | Rose Lane | 1920-02-29 |
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Someone in the House | Molly Brent | 1920-11-15 |
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Happy Though Married | Diana Ramon | 1919-02-23 |
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A Heart in Pawn | Emily Stone | 1919-03-20 |
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Hearts Asleep | Virginia Calvert | 1919-03-31 |
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Six Feet Four | Winifred Waverly | 1919-09-13 |
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Hornet's Nest | Muriel Fletcher | 1919-07-01 |
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The Locked Heart | Ruth Mason | 1918-07-20 |
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Wolves of the Rail | Faith Lawson | 1918-01-01 |
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Each to His Kind | Amy Dawe | 1917-02-05 |
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The Winning of Sally Temple | Lady Pamela Vauclain | 1917-02-19 |
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Mentioned in Confidence | Marjorie Manning | 1917-03-08 |
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The Topsy Turvy Twins | Mattie | 1917-04-19 |
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The Last Cigarette | Minna Ober | 1917-03-09 |
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The Secret of Black Mountain | Miriam Vale | 1917-09-21 |
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The Lady in the Library | Mildred Vandeburg | 1917-10-19 |
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The Son of His Father | Hazel Mallinsbee | 1917-10-22 |
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Zollenstein | Princess Fulvia / Princess Zenia | 1917-11-21 |
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The Silent Man | Betty Bryce | 1917-11-26 |
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Perils of the Secret Service | Minna Ober (Episode #1) | 1917-03-09 |
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The Bond Between | Ellen Ingram | 1917-04-02 |
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The Woman He Feared | May Clive | 1916-11-14 |
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The Eagle's Wings | Kitty Miles (as Vola Smith) | 1916-12-04 |
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A Great Love | Nell Woodward | 1916-07-28 |
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The Price of Silence | Aline Urmy (as Vola Smith) | 1916-12-11 |
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It Sounded Like a Kiss | Estelle | 1916-12-18 |
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The Soul of Pierre | 1915-09-15 | |
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Liberty Belles | Boarding Schoolgirl | 1914-05-13 |
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The Iron Master | The Iron Master's Sister (as Viola Smith) | 1914-10-13 |
