Tribute to Nita Naldi~Silent Screen Starbr Nita Naldi (November 13, 1894 -- February 17, 1961) was an American silent film actress. She was usually cast in the role of the "femme fatale""vamp", a persona first popularized by actress Theda Bara.br br Portraits of Nita Naldi and still from "COBRA" a 1925 Silent Movie starring Nita Naldi and Rudolph Valentino.br Valentino plays Count Rodrigo Torriani, an Italian noble. A charming libertine, his weakness is women--the "cobras" referred to in the title of the film.