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- DictionaryMata Hari/ˌmɑːtə ˈhɑːri/
- 1. (1876–1917), Dutch dancer and secret agent; born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle. She probably worked for both French and German intelligence services before being executed by the French in 1917.
noun
- 1. a beautiful and seductive female spy: "a Mata Hari of world finance"
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The idea of a beautiful exotic dancer using her powers of seduction as a spy made her name synonymous with the femme fatale. Her story has served as an inspiration for books, films, and other works.
Jun 20, 2024 · Mata Hari (born August 7, 1876, Leeuwarden, Netherlands—died October 15, 1917, Vincennes, near Paris, France) was a Dutch dancer and courtesan whose name has become a synonym for the seductive female spy. She was shot by the French on charges of spying for Germany during World War I.
Jul 9, 2020 · Mata Hari was a stage name taken on by a woman born in the Netherlands as Margaretha Zelle, on 7 August 1876. The Zelle family was fraught with issues. Margaretha’s father speculated unsuccessfully in oil and left his family.
Oct 24, 2017 · Mata Hari’s prosecutor in her court martial, Pierre Bouchardon, focused not on her deeds, but on her character: she was liberated, licentious, international, prone to rewriting her past.
Oct 13, 2017 · Margaretha Zelle, a.k.a. “Mata Hari,” an exotic dancer and convicted spy, met her end at age 41 at the hands of a firing squad outside Paris 100 years ago on Oct. 15, 1917.
May 21, 2018 · Even though she is one of the best-known spies in history, Mata Hari (1876-1917) was far from being successful. She ironically found the fame she had longed for in her death and continued legend. Her life and adventures still fascinate people, who regard her as the twentieth century's first and foremost femme fatale.
Oct 13, 2017 · By Nina Siegal. Oct. 13, 2017. LEEUWARDEN, the Netherlands — In December 1915, Margaretha Zelle, the woman known to all the world as the exotic dancer Mata Hari, was traveling by ship from...
Aug 7, 2019 · Mata Hari: exotic dancer, femme fatale, traitor and spy. She was an exotic dancer who dabbled in low-grade espionage and high-society men, whose numerous dalliances led her to be convicted as a World War I spy.
Jun 18, 2019 · Mata Hari (August 7, 1876–October 15, 1917) was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was arrested by the French and executed for espionage during World War I. After her death, her stage name "Mata Hari" became synonymous with spying and espionage.
From Greta Garbo's Mata Hari (1931) to Jeanne Moreau's Mata Hari, Agent H21 (1964), the combination of cold-blooded spy, evil maneater and bewitching femme fatale has an irresistible Hollywood appeal.
