Valda Valkyrien

The real-life Baroness DeWitz, Valkyrien played bit parts at Great Northern in Copenhagen in 1912 before signing with US producer David Horsley. She later switched to the Thanhouser company who featured her in exotic melodramas partially filmed in Jacksonville, Florida. William Fox lured her over to his company with promises of star-billing and heavy promotion. Unfortunately, Fox failed to deliver and Valkyrien sued him to the tune of $25,000. The outcome of the suit is lost to history but Valkyrien was through as a star. She played supporting roles opposite Clara Kimball Young and was featured in several very low-budget independent films. Leaving films in favor of the Ziegfeld Follies, Valkyrien showed up in Hollywood in 1927 with hopes of resuming her screen career. That didn't happen and she retired permanently.