Nita Naldi (born Mary Nonna Dooley; November , â€" February , ) was
an American stage performer and silent film actress. She was often
cast in theatrical and screen productions as a vamp, a persona first
popularized by actress Theda Bara.Nita Naldi was born in New York City
to working class Irish parents, Julia (née Cronin) and Patrick
Dooley, in . Known in her youth as Nonna, she was named in honor of
her great aunt, Mary Nonna Dunphy, a nun who in had founded Academy
of the Holy Angels in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Later, in , young Nonna
herself attended the Catholic school, the same year her father
“'left the family'†.Her mother's death in required Nonna to care
for her two younger siblings. To support them and herself she took
several jobs, including work as an artist's model and a cloak model.
She soon entered vaudeville with her brother Frank, and by she was
performing as a chorus girl at the Winter Garden Theatre in The
Passing Show of . Her appearance in that Broadway production led to
more stage jobs, and soon Naldi found herself in the Ziegfeld Follies
of and . It was at this time when Nonna Dooley changed her name to
"Nita Naldi," which she adapted from the name of a childhood friend,
Florence Rinaldi.[citation needed] Working under her new name, Naldi
continued acting on Broadway; and after her well-received performance
in The Bonehead, producer William A. Brady in offered her a role in
his play Opportunity.Naldi was asked to perform in a short film with
Johnny Dooley, a Scottish comedian who, despite his last name, was
unrelated to her. She soon quit the film, however, after realizing
that Dooley had romantic intentions with another woman.[citation
needed] Naldi was then offered a role in A Divorce of Convenience with
Owen Moore. Following those two films, she had small roles in several
independent films before being cast as the exotic character Gina in
Paramount Pictures's releaseDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde starring John
Barrymore. Barrymore himself reportedly recommended her for the role
after he “spotted†her dancing at the Winter Garden. Her noted
performance in that film subsequently afforded Naldi more career
opportunities. It also established her long-term friendship with
Barrymore, who affectionately nicknamed her his “Dumb
Duse†.[citation needed]
an American stage performer and silent film actress. She was often
cast in theatrical and screen productions as a vamp, a persona first
popularized by actress Theda Bara.Nita Naldi was born in New York City
to working class Irish parents, Julia (née Cronin) and Patrick
Dooley, in . Known in her youth as Nonna, she was named in honor of
her great aunt, Mary Nonna Dunphy, a nun who in had founded Academy
of the Holy Angels in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Later, in , young Nonna
herself attended the Catholic school, the same year her father
“'left the family'†.Her mother's death in required Nonna to care
for her two younger siblings. To support them and herself she took
several jobs, including work as an artist's model and a cloak model.
She soon entered vaudeville with her brother Frank, and by she was
performing as a chorus girl at the Winter Garden Theatre in The
Passing Show of . Her appearance in that Broadway production led to
more stage jobs, and soon Naldi found herself in the Ziegfeld Follies
of and . It was at this time when Nonna Dooley changed her name to
"Nita Naldi," which she adapted from the name of a childhood friend,
Florence Rinaldi.[citation needed] Working under her new name, Naldi
continued acting on Broadway; and after her well-received performance
in The Bonehead, producer William A. Brady in offered her a role in
his play Opportunity.Naldi was asked to perform in a short film with
Johnny Dooley, a Scottish comedian who, despite his last name, was
unrelated to her. She soon quit the film, however, after realizing
that Dooley had romantic intentions with another woman.[citation
needed] Naldi was then offered a role in A Divorce of Convenience with
Owen Moore. Following those two films, she had small roles in several
independent films before being cast as the exotic character Gina in
Paramount Pictures's releaseDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde starring John
Barrymore. Barrymore himself reportedly recommended her for the role
after he “spotted†her dancing at the Winter Garden. Her noted
performance in that film subsequently afforded Naldi more career
opportunities. It also established her long-term friendship with
Barrymore, who affectionately nicknamed her his “Dumb
Duse†.[citation needed]
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