Marianne von Pistohlkors (born Marianna Erikovna von Pistohlkors; June 30, 1890 – May 14, 1976) was a Russian-born aristocrat and later an actress. She was a suspected co-conspirator in the murder of Grigori Rasputin. As the first wife of Count Nicholas von Zarnekau, she was known for many years as Countess Marianne von Zarnekau. She became one of the first women of nobility to attend the Imperial School of Dramatic Arts, and she appeared under the stage name of Mariana Fiory in MGM's 1944 film, Song of Russia. Early life Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, she was a daughter of Olga Valerianovna Karnovich and her first husband, Maj.-Gen. Erik Augustinovich von Pistohlkors. He was an adjutant to Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, the Tsar's uncle. As a child, Marianne had an older brother, Alexander Erikovich von Pistohlkors, and an older sister, Olga Erikovna von Pistohlkors. When she was still a young girl, her mother began an affair with the widowed Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia, causing a scandal in society. The affair resulted in the birth of a son out of wedlock, Vladimir Paley, who later became a famous poet. Olga Valerianovna von Pistohlkors eventually obtained a divorce and married Grand Duke Paul on 10 October 1902 in a Greek Orthodox Church in Livorno, Italy. Since the couple had deliberately disrespected the authority of Tsar Nicholas II by marrying without his permission, they were banished from Russia and moved to France. In 1904, Grand Duke Paul arranged through Prince Regent Leopold of Bavaria for his wife and her children to be granted titles of nobility. They were styled as Count/Countess von Hohenfelsen and granted a coat of arms. Only after much pleading by relatives did the Tsar finally relent in 1905 and allow them to return to St. Petersburg. Olga was then granted the Russian title of Princess Paley, and her son, Vladimir, became Prince Paley. Unlike morganatic wives of other Romanov Grand Dukes, Olga never bore the title of "Princess Romanowsky", a name that would have associated her visibly with the Imperial Family. As was customary with morganatic Romanov marriages, moreover, neither Olga nor her children were ever considered to be dynastic members of the Imperial House before the Revolution of 1917. Marianne von Pistohlkors thus became, at age 15, a countess, and later the daughter of a princess. Upon the Grand Duke's return from France to