Vola Smith was born in Buffalo, New York, and later received her education in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Prior to embarking on her acting career, she began her theatrical endeavors in amateur productions in Rochester, New York. Subsequently, she joined stock companies, where she refined her craft.
Vola's introduction to the film industry was under the guidance of the renowned director D.W. Griffith at Biograph. Initially, she played minor roles, but after a month, she was offered a significant part, donning a velvet gown with a train and a feathered hat. Soon, she was appearing in short film reels for Biograph, sharing the screen with notable actors such as William S. Hart, Sessue Hayakawa, Tsuru Aoki, William Haines, Harry Carey, Tully Marshall, and William Russell.
Vola demonstrated a remarkable ability to portray characters from various cultural backgrounds, including Spanish, Italian, French, and Gypsy roles. Throughout her career, she worked with multiple film studios, including Biograph, Fox Film, Famous Players-Lasky, Universal Pictures, and Paramount Pictures.
Vola's long-term goal was to play the lead role of Madame Butterfly with an authentic Japanese company, as well as to portray Lorna Doone. She found inspiration in Sessue Hayakawa's acting style and sought to learn the same nuanced approach. The two actors collaborated on the film Each To His Kind (1917). Prior to the start of filming, it was decided that her birth name, Smith, was too common for a motion picture star, and she subsequently changed her professional name to Vola Vale.
