Actress. She was born into a comfortable lifestyle until her father was arrested by the Russians and sent to a Siberian prison camp. She moved to Warsaw, Poland in 1902 and spent her formative years in poverty. As a teenager, she auditioned for the St. Petersburg Imperial Ballet and was accepted. She showed great promise as a ballerina until she contracted tuberculosis which cut short her dancing career. She then auditioned for the Warsaw Imperial Academy of Dramatic Arts and became a stage actress. Pola was a stage star in Poland by the age of 17. That was to change her life again with the start of World War I. Her first role was in the film Die Bestie in 1915. By the end of the war, she had starred in the Polish production of Slave of Sin in 1918. Her next film later that year was the highly acclaimed Madame Du Berry in 1919, and it became a big sensation in Europe. It was later released in the United States as Passion. The film was so well received that she was given a contract to make films in Hollywood. Her vamp roles were highly popular and she was a direct rival of Theda Bara. But her popularity was short-lived. Pola made a dramatic scene at the funeral of fellow actor Rudolph Valentino. The fans turned against her and her popularity went into a downward spiral. She then decided to return to Europe to revive her career. Her final film was The Moon Spinners in 1964. She lived the remainder of her life in San Antonio, Texas where she died in 1987. (bio by: Marta Monk)  Family links:  Parents:  Eleonora Chalupec (1861 – 1954)  Spouse:  Serge Mdivani (1904 – 1936)* *Calculated relationship