Olga Baclanova

Olga Baclanova

From Wikipedia Ólga Vladímirovna Baclanova (19 August 1893 – 6 September 1974) was a Russian-born actress and operatic singer, who achieved prominence during the silent film era and was often billed under her last name only, as Baclanova, similarly to the surname-only nomenclature assigned to fellow countryman Nazimova. She was billed as the "Russian Tigress" and remains most noted by modern audiences for portraying Cleopatra in Tod Browning's horror movie Freaks (1932), which features a cast of actual carnival sideshow freaks. Baclanova first came to New York City with the 1925 touring production of the Moscow Art Theatre's Lysistrata. Though the rest of the company returned to Russia in 1926, she stayed to pursue a career in the United States. A statuesque blonde, Baclanova quickly established herself as a popular actress in American silent movies and achieved a notable success with The Docks of New York (1928), directed by Josef von Sternberg. Later that year, she also appeared in The Man Who Laughs as Duchess Josiana, the femme fatale love interest to Conrad Veidt's disfigured hero. The introduction of talking films proved difficult for Baclanova, as audiences did not respond to her heavy Russian accent. She no longer secured leading roles, and was relegated to supporting parts. Her career was in decline when she was offered the role of the cruel circus performer Cleopatra in Tod Browning's film Freaks (1932). This horror movie, which featured actual carnival freaks, was highly controversial and screened only briefly before being withdrawn. It would be 30 years before Freaks gained a cult following. The movie did not revive Baclanova's film career, which ended in 1943. Baclanova worked extensively on stage in London's West End and in New York, for about 10 years starting in the mid-1930s. In 1943 she appeared in "Claudia" at the Moore Theatre in Seattle, Washington. Baclanova was married three times and bore two sons with her first and second husbands. The birth of her second son with actor Nicholas Soussanin was front page news and covered quite extensively in the press in 1930. After her retirement she settled in Vevey, Switzerland, where she died in 1974.

  • Title: Olga Baclanova
  • Popularity: 2.394
  • Known For: Acting
  • Birthday: 1893-08-16
  • Place of Birth: Moscow, Russian Empire [now Russia]
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As: Olga Baklanova, Baclanova, オルガ・バクラノヴァ, Olga Vladimirovna Baklanova, Ольга Бакланова, О. Бакланова
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Olga Baclanova Movies

  • 1928
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    The Docks of New York

    The Docks of New York

    6.98 1928 HD

    A blue-collar worker on New York's depressed waterfront finds his life changed after he saves a woman attempting suicide.

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  • 1928
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    The Man Who Laughs

    The Man Who Laughs

    7.337 1928 HD

    Gwynplaine, son of Lord Clancharlie, has a permanent smile carved on his face by the King, in revenge for Gwynplaine's father's treachery. Gwynplaine...

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  • 1929
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    The Man I Love

    The Man I Love

    4.5 1929 HD

    Wellman’s first all-talkie, scripted by Herman Mankiewicz, with arrogant boxer Richard Arlen romancing Mary Brian, then falling for temptress...

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  • 1929
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    A Dangerous Woman

    A Dangerous Woman

    3 1929 HD

    The commissioner of an African outpost lives with a woman who drives the white men to their deaths with her seductive ways. The commissioner learns...

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  • 1932
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    Downstairs

    Downstairs

    6.9 1932 HD

    In the Austrian manor of Baron and Baroness von Burgen, the relationship between the upstairs aristocracy and the downstairs staff is quite positive....

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  • 1931
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    The Great Lover

    The Great Lover

    5.3 1931 HD

    An aspiring classical singer is romanced by both a famous opera star and his younger understudy.

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  • 1943
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    Claudia

    Claudia

    6.5 1943 HD

    Child bride Claudia Naughton has made life difficult for her husband David because she can't stand living so far away from her mother. She's also...

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  • 1930
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    Cheer Up and Smile

    Cheer Up and Smile

    1 1930 HD

    When a popular radio singer is knocked unconscious during a robbery, a squeaky-voiced college boy fills in for him. To everyone's amazement,...

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  • 1928
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    Forgotten Faces

    Forgotten Faces

    1 1928 HD

    A petty thief (Clive Brook) just robs the very rich at speakeasies, and gets away with it because the rich don't want the bad publicity, finally is...

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  • 1928
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    The Woman Disputed

    The Woman Disputed

    6.2 1928 HD

    An adventuress in love with an Austrian agrees to become the mistress of a Russian officer in exchange for the release of Austrian hostages.

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  • 1914
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    When The Heart's Strings Sound

    When The Heart's Strings Sound

    1 1914 HD

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  • 1928
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    Avalanche

    Avalanche

    1 1928 HD

    An otherwise honest gambler, played by Jack Holt, begins to cheat at cards in order to put his son John Darrow through mining school in this lavish...

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  • 1928
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    Three Sinners

    Three Sinners

    1 1928 HD

    A woman allows her husband, who she knows no longer loves her, to believe that she has been killed in a train wreck. Her husband later finds her as a...

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  • 1918
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    Bread

    Bread

    1 1918 HD

    "Bread" - a Bolshevik propaganda tale about the fundaments of living.

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  • 1928
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    The Street of Sin

    The Street of Sin

    1 1928 HD

    "Basher Bill," a retired prizefighter turned criminal, pretends to reform by joining a Salvation Army shelter in London run by a pious wraith named...

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  • 1930
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    Are You There?

    Are You There?

    1 1930 HD

    Beatrice Lillie shines in disguise as a private detective.

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  • 1929
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    The Wolf of Wall Street

    The Wolf of Wall Street

    8.5 1929 HD

    A ruthless stockbroker sells short in the copper business and ruins the life of his friends by ruining their finances.

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  • 1917
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    Flowers Belated

    Flowers Belated

    1 1917 HD

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  • 1933
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    The Billion Dollar Scandal

    The Billion Dollar Scandal

    1 1933 HD

    An ex-convict working for a wealthy oil baron uncovers trouble while his brother becomes involved with the boss's daughter.

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  • 1916
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    He Who Gets Slapped

    He Who Gets Slapped

    1 1916 HD

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  • 1932
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    Freaks

    Freaks

    7.787 1932 HD

    A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for...

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  • 1915
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    The Afterlife Wanderer

    The Afterlife Wanderer

    1 1915 HD

    Early lost Russian horror film.

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