Paula Maxa, also known mononymously as Maxa and born Marie-Thérèse Beau was a French actress of stage and screen best known for her tenure as lead actress at the Grand Guignol. Much of her life is only known due to her memoir, which was published in a tabloid and is known to have been dramatized. She is known as "The Most Murdered Woman In The World", and has been viewed by numerous historians and analysts as the first-ever scream queen. She is the subject of the fictionalized biography The Most Assassinated Woman in the World, as well as other media.