Mata Hari (Margaretha Geertruida Zelle) * August 7th 1876, Leeuwarden (Netherlands) † October 15th 1917, Vincennes (France) Mata Hari was born as Margaretha Geertruida Zelle in the northern Netherlands. For a few years she was one of the most glorified dancing artists of the Belle Epoque, shining up and disappearing like a comet and mystified by an early tragic death.