From Wikipedia She was born Vola Smith in Buffalo, New York. Vale was educated in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She began her career in amateur theatricals in Rochester, New York. Then she played in stock companies for a while. Her first movie experience was with Biograph, under the tutelage of the great film director D.W. Griffith. After a month of playing atmosphere parts, Vola was offered a genuine role. She wore a velvet gown with a train and a feathered hat. Soon she was appearing in short reel films for Biograph. Among the actors she was cast with were William S. Hart, Sessue Hayakawa, Tsuru Aoki, William Haines, Harry Carey, Tully Marshall and William Russell. She was adept in playing Spanish, Italian, French, and Gypsy roles. Aside from Biograph Vola worked for Fox Film, Famous Players-Lasky, Universal Pictures, and Paramount Pictures. Her ambition was to play Madame Butterfly with an actual Japanese company, as well as to act as Lorna Doone. She was most inspired by Hayakawa and hoped to learn to act inside, as he did. With Sessue Hayakawa she made Each To His Kind (1917). Before filming began it was decided that the name Smith was too common to be used by a motion picture star. She changed her professional name to Vola Vale.
Movie | Her Big Adventure | Countess Fontaine | 1926-01-05 |
Movie | Two Can Play | Mimi Allen | 1926-02-21 |
Movie | Home Sweet Home | 1926-12-24 | |
Movie | The Phantom of the Opera | Ballerina / Christines Maid (uncredited) | 1925-09-22 |
Movie | Little Annie Rooney | Mamie | 1925-10-18 |
Movie | Crashin' Thru | Diane | 1923-04-01 |
Movie | Soul of the Beast | Jacqueline | 1923-05-06 |
Movie | White Oak | Barbara | 1921-02-01 |
Movie | The Duke of Chimney Butte | Vesta Philbrook | 1921-12-04 |
Movie | Alias Jimmy Valentine | Rose Lane | 1920-02-29 |
Movie | Overland Red | Louise Alacarme | 1920-03-22 |
Movie | The Iron Rider | Mera Donovan | 1920-11-21 |
Movie | Common Sense | Violet Manners | 1920-06-01 |
Movie | Six Feet Four | Winifred Waverly | 1919-09-13 |
Movie | Wolves of the Rail | Faith Lawson | 1918-01-01 |
Movie | Zollenstein | Princess Fulvia / Princess Zenia | 1917-11-21 |
Movie | The Bond Between | Ellen Ingram | 1917-04-02 |
Movie | The Silent Man | Betty Bryce | 1917-11-26 |
Movie | The Eagle's Wings | Kitty Miles (as Vola Smith) | 1916-12-04 |
Movie | A Great Love | Nell Woodward | 1916-07-28 |
Movie | The Price of Silence | Aline Urmy (as Vola Smith) | 1916-12-11 |
Movie | The Soul of Pierre | 1915-09-15 | |
Movie | Liberty Belles | Boarding Schoolgirl | 1914-05-13 |
Movie | The Iron Master | The Iron Master's Sister (as Viola Smith) | 1914-10-13 |