Acting
Valeska Suratt
Born June 28, 1882 · Owensville, Indiana
Died July 2, 1963 · aged 81
American actress marketed as a vamp and cast as seductive and exotic characters. Her films are all apparently lost.
Known For
A Rich Man's Plaything · 1917A Rich Man's Plaything
1917
MovieDrama
Marie Grandon may have seen more of the world than any nice girl ever would, but her motives remain pure. Marie labors in a New England oyster cannery and dreams of someday crushing the slumlords who prey upon the poor. While on a cruise, "Iron" Lloyd, a millionaire financier and tenement owner, decides to visit the town where Marie lives. Under the name Strange, he gets in a fight and is injured. While recuperating, he meets Marie and she tells him of her dream. Lloyd is intrigued by this and decides to test her. He has his lawyer transfer a huge sum of money to her and makes it look like she inherited it from a distant relative. Marie takes the money, goes to New York, and does exactly what she had planned. Her main target happens to be Lloyd. His business rival, Ogden Deneau, even aligns with her, pretending interest in her cause, but really wanting to ruin Lloyd. Marie, however, had dealings with Deneau a long time ago and plans to crush him too.
The Victim · 1916The Victim
1916
MovieCrimeRomance
Ruth Merrill and her father both are serving prison terms but her's is lighter and she is released. She becomes the wife of the wealthy Dr. Richard Boulton, who knows nothing of her past. Ruth's father escapes from prison and the unscrupulous detective, the same one who sent both to prison while knowing Ruth was innocent, is sent on Merrill's trail. A lost film.
The Slave · 1917The Slave
1917
MovieDrama
Caroline works at a hair dressing parlor. A wealthy man falls in love with her, takes her home and proposes to her. Caroline has a dream where she marries the man, who turns vicious and keeps her locked up in his mansion. He finally dies, and Caroline starts out having a good time with his money, but she sees the folly of her ways. She wakes up from the dream.
Wife Number Two · 1917Wife Number Two
1917
MovieDrama
Bored by her country life and misunderstood by her parents, Emma Rolfe marries Dr. Charles Bovar, an older man whose dedication to his medical practice results in wifely neglect. To alleviate her growing loneliness, Emma enjoys the company of many of the young men from the village and eventually begins an affair with Rudolph Bulwer.
The Soul of Broadway · 1915The Soul of Broadway
★ 1.01915
MovieCrimeRomance
Grace Leonard, a typical woman of the New York stage, beautiful but old in sin, seduces William Craig, who becomes a thief in order to shower luxuries upon her. He is sentenced to prison and emerges five years later as a sad-faced, gray-haired man, entirely cured of his mad passion for La Valencia. But she sees him and her old passion is stirred, meaning nothing to her that since his release from prison, he has fallen in love and married a good woman who knows nothing of his past. When William is not swayed by her fascinations, Grace threatens to expose his past life. A lost film.
Jealousy · 1916Jealousy
★ 1.01916
MovieDrama
Vamp Anne Baxte marries for money but when her old suitor marries for love and is happy, she becomes insanely jealous. Determined to ruin his life, first she tempts the wife with a lounge lizard. This doesn't work, so she temps her former sweetheart by offering him her husband's business secrets. Unfortunately Ann's husband (George M. Adams) overhears the conversation and not only does he ruin the young man in the stock market, he also tosses Ann out of the house. The film ends bitterly for all concerned.
The New York Peacock · 1917The New York Peacock
★ 1.01917
MovieDrama
Billy Martin is sent to New York to put through a war contract for his father, a new England manufacturer, and takes $100,000 as a security. The munition broker's secretary, a crook, tells Graham, a gambling house keeper, of Billy's coming. Miller is detailed to lure him to the gambling house.
The Immigrant · 1915The Immigrant
1915
MovieDramaComedy
Masha, a young Russian emigrant traveling to the U.S., is saved from an officer's advances by civil engineer David Harding. Upon landing in America, J. J. Walton, a self-made political boss and contractor, pursues Masha and hires her as his maid. She leaves after the first night, but becomes his mistress after Walton promises her an education and marriage. A lost film.
Filmography
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