Actress. Born in Tula, Russia, she began his career singing at the Warsaw Conservatory and acting at Adasheff’s School of the Drama in Moscow. In 1922, she relocated to New York and was a regular on Broadway for the next decade. Her first Hollywood film role was in “Dodsworth” (1936), which brought her a Academy Award nomination  for Best Supporting Actress, followed by a second nomination for her role in “Love Affair” (1939). Her best remembered role was as Maleva, the gypsy fortuneteller in the classic horrer films “The Wolf Man” (1941) and “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man” (1943). Her other credits included “The Rains Came” (1939), “Waterloo Bridge” (1940), “King Row” (1942), “Wyoming” (1947) and “A Kiss in the Dark” (1949). She died several days after suffering a stroke at age 73. Note: the birth date on her grave stone is disputed. (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)