Svengali is a Jew of Eastern European origins, who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young English girl, and makes her into a famous singer. The word “svengali” has come to refer to a person who, with evil intent, dominates, manipulates and controls a creative person such as a singer or actor. In court, a “Svengali defense” is a legal tactic that purports the defendant to be a pawn in the scheme of a greater, and more influential, criminal mastermind.