Anna Anderson (1) (–1984)

Anna Anderson was the pseudonym of the best-known of several imposters who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicholaevna, the daughter of the last Tsar and Tsarina of Russia. Mrs. Anderson claimed to have escaped the execution of the rest of the Imperial family by the Bolsheviks in 1918. She lived in several mental institutions and hospitals, and with fans of royalty, from 1920 until her death. Eventually, DNA tests on the remains of the Tsar, his wife and children and Mrs. Anderson proved conclusively that she was not related to them. Most historians believe her real identity was Franziska Schanzkowska, a Polish factory worker with a prior history of mental illness. Mrs. Anderson's claims inspired many fictional works, including the film Anastasia (1956), which won an Academy Award for Ingrid Bergman in the title role.