Sandra Milovanoff (born Alexandrine Aleksejevna Milovanova, 23 June 1892 – 8 May 1957), also known as Sandra Milovanov, was a Russian-French actress known for her roles in

French cinema French cinema consists of the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe; with primary influ ...

during the

silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

.McGerr p. 222

Biography

Alexandrine Aleksejevna Milovanova was born on 23 June 1892 into a bourgeois family, the daughter of Aleksej Milovanov and Marija Milovanova (née Smirnova). Milovanova attended the Tchiszakoff Dance School in St. Petersburg from 1900 to 1908. She became a member of

Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlovna Pavlova ( , rus, Анна Павловна Павлова ), born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova ( rus, Анна Матвеевна Павлова; – 23 January 1931), was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and the early 20th ...

's dance troupe, and, two years later, she became a part of

Sergei Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪˈrɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), usually referred to outside Russia as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, pat ...

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. A ...

, and toured across Europe. While performing in London,

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

broke out, and the company found themselves stranded there. In 1916, Milovanova returned to Russia, and was hired at the Nicholas II Theater. The

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

forced Milovanova to flee from Russia to Monte Carlo, where she planned to continue her work in the Ballets Russes. Instead, director

René Navarre René Navarre (8 July 1877 – 8 February 1968) was a French actor of the silent era. He appeared in 109 films between 1910 and 1946, and was often credited simply as Navarre. His most famous role was probably the master criminal Fantômas. ...

took notice of her, and Milovanova signed a contract with

Gaumont Film Company The Gaumont Film Company (, ), often shortened to Gaumont, is a French film studio headquartered in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Founded by the engineer-turned-inventor Léon Gaumont (1864–1946) in 1895, it is the oldest extant film company in ...

, making her film debut in ''La p'tite du sixième'' (1917) as Sandra Milovanoff.

Louis Feuillade Louis Feuillade (; 19 February 1873 – 25 February 1925) was a French filmmaker of the silent era. Between 1906 and 1924, he directed over 630 films. He is primarily known for the crime serials '' Fantômas'', '' Les Vampires'' and '' Judex ...

became fascinated by Milovanoff, and she next starred in Feuillade's film serial The Two Girls (1921) alongside Olinda Mano and Violette Jyl, followed by ''L'orpheline'' (1921), and

Parisette ''Parisette'' is a 1921 French drama film serial directed by Louis Feuillade. Cast * Sandra Milovanoff as Parisette * Georges Biscot as Cogolin * Fernand Herrmann as Le banquier Stephan * Édouard Mathé as Pedro Alvarez * René Clair as Jean V ...

(1921). Milovanoff became a very famous actress throughout France, and was ranked only second to

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

on a popularity scale in a magazine. After her contract with Gaumont expired,

Jacques de Baroncelli Jacques de Baroncelli (25 June 1881 – 12 January 1951) was a French film director best known for his silent films from 1915 to the late 1930s. He came from a Florence, Florentine family who had settled in Provence in the 15th century, occupying ...

began managing her career. She then starred in ''The Legend of Sister Beatrix'' (1923), ''Nène'' (1924), which she received praise for her performance in,

The Phantom of the Moulin Rouge ''The Phantom of the Moulin Rouge'' (French: ''Le fantôme du Moulin-Rouge'') is a 1925 French silent comedy fantasy film (made in 1924), directed by René Clair and starring Albert Préjean, Sandra Milovanoff and Paul Ollivier. It was based ...

(1925), directed by

René Clair René Clair (11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. He wen ...

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

(1925), and

The Prey of the Wind ''The Prey of the Wind'' (French: ''La proie du vent'') is a 1927 French silent drama film directed by René Clair and starring Charles Vanel, Sandra Milovanoff and Jean Murat.McGerr p.50 The film's sets were designed by Lazare Meerson. Ca ...

(1926), which asserted her as a tragedienne. After starring in Mauprat (1926), directed by

Jean Epstein Jean Epstein (; 25 March 1897 – 2 April 1953) was a French filmmaker, film theorist, literary critic, and novelist. Although he is remembered today primarily for his adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's ''The Fall of the House of Usher'', he directe ...

, Milovanoff's career took off internationally. In Germany, she played a supporting role in

Make Up Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...

(1927) with

Marcella Albani Marcella Albani (born Ida Fidalma Angela Maranca; 7 December 1899 – 11 May 1959), was an Italian actress and writer. Although largely forgotten today, Albani was an idol of European cinema in the 1920s, and appeared in 50 films between 1919 and ...

and

Werner Krauss Werner Johannes Krauss (''Krauß'' in German; 23 June 1884 – 20 October 1959) was a German stage and film actor. Krauss dominated the German stage of the early 20th century. However, his participation in the antisemitic propaganda film ''Jud S ...

, in Sweden she acted in

Gustaf Molander Gustaf Harald August Molander (18 November 1888 – 19 June 1973) was a Sweden, Swedish actor and film director. His parents were director Harald Molander, Sr. (1858–1900) and singer and actress Lydia Molander, ''née'' Wessler, and his brother ...

's ''Sealed Lips'' (1927), and ''La Condesa María'' (1928) in Spain. With the advent of sound, Milovanoff's career began to falter, as her Slavic accent was considered unsuitable for talkies. She made only one film in the 1930s, Dans la nuit (1930), in which she played

Charles Vanel Charles-Marie Vanel (21 August 1892 – 15 April 1989) was a French actor and director. During his 76-year film career, which began in 1912, he appeared in more than 200 films and worked with many prominent directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, ...

's wife. She attempted to resume her career as a dancer, but by this time was too old. She married for a second time to Maurice de Moolek, with whom she had a daughter. She returned to film in the 1940s, appearing in ''Après Mein Kampf, mes crimes'' (1940), The Last Judgment (1945), and ''The Private Life of an Actor'' (1948). She made her final screen appearance in ''Ils ont vingt ans'' (1950). Milovanoff remarried a third time to makeup artist Joseph Mejinsky, and died in Paris on 8 May 1957. She is buried at Cimetière parisien de Pantin.

Filmography

References

Bibliography

* Celia McGerr. ''René Clair''. Twayne Publishers, 1980.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Milovanoff, Sandra 1892 births 1957 deaths French film actresses Actresses from the Russian Empire White Russian emigrants to France People who emigrated to escape Bolshevism Dancers from Saint Petersburg 20th-century French actresses