Pola Illéry

Paula Iliescu Gibson (18 December 1909[3] – 19 October 1993) known professionally as Pola Illery, was a Romanian-American actress and singer, best known for her appearances in early French film, and of the latter after emigrating to the United States, in Hollywood films, best known for her portrayal of vamps, she appeared in both silent film and talkie films, in a decade long screen career between 1928 and 1938.

Pola Illéry
Pola Illéry, 1930s
Born
Paula Iliescu

December 18, 1909[1]
Corabia, Romania
DiedOctober 19, 1993(1993-10-19) (aged 83)[2]
Palos Verdes, California, U.S.
OccupationActress, singer
Years active1928–1938
Spouse(s)
Charles H. Greiner
​
​
(m. 1946; died 1947)​

James E. Gibson

Biography

Born into a middle-class Jewish family in Corabia, Romania as Paula Iliescu, she changed her name to "Pola" in tribute to the Polish actress and singer Pola Negri.

Illéry made her screen debut appearing in French films in the late-1920s and continuing in roles until the end of the 1930s. She appeared as the lead in René Clair's musical comedy Under the Roofs of Paris (1930). She also played the lead in Parada Paramount, the Romanian-language version of Paramount on Parade (1930), which was made in Paris by Paramount Pictures. She is believed to have made her last film appearance's in 1938.

Illéry married a United States Army Air Corps Major Charles H. Greiner (1914–1947)[4] during World War II and moved to the United States with him on May 26, 1946.[5] The marriage only lasted a few months before he was killed in an accident. She worked for the American Red Cross as a nurse during the war and took up American citizenship in 1946. She later married James Gibson and the couple moved to Palos Verdes, California, where Illéry lived for the rest of her life.[6]

Selected filmography

References
  1. Pola Illéry, einer der letzten Stars des Stummfilms
  2. Viaţa fabuloasă a ultimei dive din filmele mute. Cum a înnebunit bărbaţii românca Pola Illery, considerată cea mai sexy femeie în anii `20
  3. Naturalization papers. "Ancestry.com".
  4. Birth death of maj Charles Greiner. "Ancestry.com".
  5. 1946 passenger list for Paula Greiner. "Ancestry.com".
  6. "Spotlight on nostalgia". The Independent. October 8, 1973. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
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