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LYA DE PUTTI
Lya was one of Vilma's fellow Hungarians who came to Hollywood; Lya, however, was a striking beauty with dark features and glaring eyes. She was born on January 10, 1899 in Vecses, Hungary, which is on the very outskirts of Budapest, about 40 minutes from the city center. "In the 1920s, the Austro-German community was small enough that most of its members stuck together. Lya de Putti was friends with Jannings from their time together in Germany, but soon became close to Vilma Banky, whom she met in Hollywood." [Horak, Jan-Christopher, "Sauerkraut & Sausages with a Little Goulash: Germans in Hollywood, 1927." Film History: An International Journey, 17.2/3, 2005. 241-260] She died unfortunately very young after an unsuccessful operation and a bout with pneumonia on November 27, 1931 in New York, one of Vilma's early losses.
Career-wise, while popular in Hungary and Germany since her entrance into pictures in 1918, she did not make the transition to American silents very well. The best way to learn about Lya would be her biography by Peter Herzog and Romano Tozzi, called Lya de Putti: Loving Life and Not Fearing Death, NY: Corvin Pub., 1993.
VICTOR VARCONI
Dark and handsome Victor was born on March 31, 1891 in Kisvarda, Hungary, located in the upper Eastern corner of Hungary by the border of Slovakia and the Ukraine. He began appearing in pictures in his native Hungary in the early 1910s, and continued in the film industry in America well into the 1950s. Upon arrival to America in 1924, Victor established himself as a capable actor, no doubt helped by his good looks, but with the arrival of sound, much like his Hungarian counterparts, his accent dictated what roles he received [generally foreign or ethnic parts]. Shortly before his death on June 06, 1976, he wrote his biography with the help of Ed Honeck, entitled It's Not Enough to Be Hungarian, Denver: Graphic Impressions, 1976.
Victor was close to both Rod and Vilma, both during their courting days and well after their marriage. Rod contacted him one day, a little while before he decided to ask Vilma to marry him, and told Victor that he wanted to learn how to say "I love you" in Hungarian, or so the story goes. Victor, always the practical joker, actually taught Rod "Go to Hell."  Rod, of course, would not know the difference, and anyone can imagine Vilma's surprise and perhaps shock at Rod's attempt to express his feelings. Victor also worked with Vilma on a picture in 1933 in Germany, The Rebel.
LILY DAMITA
The beautiful Lily [sometimes written as Lili] Damita was born in Blaye, France on July 10, 1904. Before Samuel Goldwyn snatched her up to 'replace' Vilma, she had been appearing in French, British, and German pictures until 1928.  She made her American movie debut with Ronald Colman in 1929, appearing in The Rescue. Like most foreign born actors, Lily's accent did not fare well with the talkies, and she retired soon after that. Today, she is mainly remembered for being Errol Flynn's first wife. Despite a brief marriage, Lily and Errol had a son, who disappeared while working in Cambodia on a photo shoot in 1970. He was never found, much to Lily's extreme disappointment. She died on March 21, 1994 in Palm Beach, Florida.
Despite her being reported as Vilma's replacment, Lily and Vilma became close friends. [Personally, I think Vilma could have cared less; she had been contemplating retirement for a year at this point.] In any case, Vilma supported the newly arrived actress, a welcome reception unlike the one she had received upon her arrival to the country back in 1925.
LEATRICE JOY 
The unusual, but ever-so-chic beauty of Leatrice is often forgotten now even though her acting is still both fun and fresh. Born in New Orleans, Lousiana on November 07, 1893, she began her acting career on the stage, moving to pictures by 1915. Leatrice worked with Vilma's husband, Rod, on three different movies: The Ten Commandments in 1923, Triumph in 1924, and Show People in 1928. Perhaps it is through this last one that Vilma was introduced to the kindly Leatrice, who commented on Vilma's sad situation throughout the years. William Drew told me that Leatrice remarked on Vilma in later years saying, "It's been different with so many of my friends. Vilma Banky, for instance, is all alone out there in California. Her husband, Rod La Rocque, passed on; her mother-in-law, whom she adored, passed on, and she's absolutely alone with no children."
Acting up in to the 1950s, Leatrice decided to take a break. She died on May 13, 1985 in Riverdale, New York, but not before leaving her legacy behind by granting numerous interviews to her fans.
NORMA TALMADGE
The cool sophistication of Norma Talmadge is generally overlooked as well. The lovely Miss Talmadge appeared in over 161 pictures, almost from the outset of movies themselves. Along with her two sisters, Constance and Natalie, the girls achieved a good bit of fame, though Norma [and perhaps Constance] was the most famous of the trio. She was born on May 26, 1893 in in Jersey City, New Jersey, dying relatively young in Las Vegas on December 24, 1957. Norma was the first person in Hollywood to reach out to Vilma upon her arrival; a magazine documents this occurrence: "Practically the only woman who, with her usual sympathy and understanding, went out of her way to be kind to the bewildered, unhappy, homesick stranger, was Norma Talmadge." ["When Vilma Invaded Hollywood," ca. 1929, Photoplay]

I won't attempt to tell much more about Norma - there is a lovely website on her that will fill the void: The Norma Talmadge Website.
RONALD COLMAN
Born on February 09, 1891 in Richmond, England, the rugged Ronald began appearing in British films by 1917. Around 1920 - 1921, he made his mark on American films [winning an Oscar as well], becoming one of the greatest actors from the mid-1920s to the 1950s. Ronald died in Santa Barbara, California on May 19, 1958, still in the midst of movie-making.

Ronald's association with Vilma was generally more professional, but over the course of five years, the two undoubtedly became close. A series of romantic pictures during this time cemented the friendship the two had. Ronald had a much more successful career [in films anyway] than Vilma did, and he would continue to play the handsome leading man for years.

Website: The Ronald Colman Pages or Giovanni Severi: Ronald Colman in Silent Pictures
RUDOLPH VALENTINO
Biographical information for Rudy is not necessary; there's certainly some excellent websites and books which have done that enough and rightly so. For completeness, however, he was born May 06, 1895 in Castellaneta, Italy, and died to horror of countless fans, friends, and the general public in New York City on August 23, 1926. Rudy's exotic looks will undoubtedly sustain his popularity for time. The friendship that he had with Vilma was a special one, however, the rumors that they had a sexual relationship I do not believe to be true. The knowledge that I have of Vilma and her personality do not coincide with this belief; she was not known for endless boyfriends or suitors, keeping the same Hungarian fiancee for years, and then falling madly in love with Rod. Rudy relied on Vilma for emotional support; she listened to the many problems plaguing his life, like the parade of women who were always coming and going. She truly missed him upon his death and declared that "there will never be another Rudy."

Website: Falcon Lair: Rudolph Valentino
Contact: info@vilma-banky.com