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1-50 of 96
- Director
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The son of an affluent architect, Eisenstein attended the Institute of Civil Engineering in Petrograd as a young man. With the fall of the tsar in 1917, he worked as an engineer for the Red Army. In the following years, Eisenstein joined up with the Moscow Proletkult Theater as a set designer and then director. The Proletkult's director, Vsevolod Meyerhold, became a big influence on Eisenstein, introducing him to the concept of biomechanics, or conditioned spontaneity. Eisenstein furthered Meyerhold's theory with his own "montage of attractions"--a sequence of pictures whose total emotion effect is greater than the sum of its parts. He later theorized that this style of editing worked in a similar fashion to Marx's dialectic. Though Eisenstein wanted to make films for the common man, his intense use of symbolism and metaphor in what he called "intellectual montage" sometimes lost his audience. Though he made only seven films in his career, he and his theoretical writings demonstrated how film could move beyond its nineteenth-century predecessor--Victorian theatre-- to create abstract concepts with concrete images.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
The multi-talented comedian, pianist, singer and home-spun poet Heinz Erhardt was born in Riga, the son of a successful bandmaster. After his parents split up, he had a somewhat unsettled upbringing, spent, alternately, with his mother in St. Petersburg, with his grandparents in Riga and with his father in Hannover. Forced to change school some fifteen times, he eventually completed his education -- though failing to matriculate -- and commenced musical studies at the Leipzig Conservatory under the distinguished concert pianist and educator Professor Robert Teichmüller. He then had a stint as a piano salesman, but soon put his talents to better use 'tickling the ivories' and performing as a cabaret artist and stand-up comic in cafés and on radio in Danzig. He made his proper stage debut at the Riga Schauspielhaus in 1932 in a play, for which he had also composed the music. Then followed several years of financial hardship supporting his new family, a wife and four children. However, in 1938 he was invited by the actor and emcee Willi Schaeffers to join the popular satirical revue Kabarett der Komiker in Berlin. Erhardt quickly established a singular reputation as humorist, as well as persisting with his musical vocation. Though a non-swimmer, he was conscripted to serve as a pianist with the orchestra of the German Navy during the Second World War.
After the war, he resumed work on the stage in Hamburg and had a huge national hit as presenter of a weekly radio series ("So was Dummes") which spotlighted his forte for spontaneous wit, pun poetry and double entendre. Eventually, the screen beckoned, initially finding him cast in minor supporting parts or as a singing pianist. As his radio fame grew, the bespectacled, cherubic, corpulent Erhardt became an instant cinematic favorite. His starring debut in Der müde Theodor (1957) was a box-office blockbuster, followed with a back-to-back hit in Widower with 5 Daughters (1957). A kind of querulous equivalent to Hollywood's S.Z. Sakall, Erhardt often lampooned bourgeois values and philistine preoccupations. Thus, even his more irritating characters, like Paul Perlacher in Der Haustyrann (1959), were never dislikeable.
In order to escape his typecasting as a comedian, Erhardt founded his own television production company in 1961, though the venture lasted a mere two years.The public seemed more than reluctant to accept Erhardt in any genre other than comedy. Following this disappointment, he returned to the small screen, inevitably in his familiar comic guises, including a recurring role as good-hearted but hapless taxation officer Willi Winzig. He also proceeded to publish several best-selling compilations of his comic poetry and profited from numerous record sales of his live performances. Sadly, in December 1971, Erhardt suffered a paralysing stroke and lost the facility of speech, which effectively put an end to his career. He died eight years later in Hamburg at the age of seventy, six months after receiving Germany's highest award, the Bundesverdienstkreuz (Federal Cross of Merit).- Henry Sharp was born on 19 February 1889 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was an actor, known for Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951), The Great Waltz (1955) and Shadow of the Cloak (1951). He died on 10 January 1964 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.
- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Yuli Raizman was born on 15 December 1903 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was a director and writer, known for The Last Night (1937), Dream of a Cossack (1951) and The Fall of Berlin (1945). He died on 11 December 1994 in Moscow, Russia.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Luba Malina was born on 18 September 1909 in Dvinsk, Vitebsk Governorate, Russian Empire [now Daugavpils, Latvia]. She was an actress, known for Mexican Hayride (1948), The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950) and Latin Rhythm (1938). She died on 12 July 1982 in New York, New York, USA.- Actor
- Director
Victor Janson was born on 25 September 1884 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was an actor and director, known for The Oyster Princess (1919), Die Dame in Schwarz (1920) and Das Skelett des Herrn Markutius (1920). He died on 29 June 1960 in West Berlin, West Germany.- Art Department
The family of Mark Rothko, whose real name was Rothkowitz, emigrated to New York in 1912/1913. In 1913 they moved to Portland (Oregon). He attended Yale University in New Haven from 1921 to 1923. He then took acting lessons from 1924 to 1927 and was a student of the expressionist Max Weber. In 1929 he began teaching at the Brooklyn Jewish Center. In 1932 he married Edith Sarah and two years later he became a co-founder of the artist group "Artists Union" in New York. Just one year later, the independent association of artists "The Ten" was founded. Marcus Rothkowitz began to change his name to Mark Rothko in 1940, which he kept. Around this time he became acquainted with Expressionism. He initiated a change from his previous surrealistic painting style in order to find his own painting language through the expressive style. It was expressed in the blurry rectangles of color.
After his divorce, he married Mell Beistle in 1945. This union resulted in two children, Kate (born 1950) and Christopher (born 1963). With his major work, which began in 1949, Mark Rothko became one of the most important representatives of abstract expressionism and color field painting. In 1950, Mark Rothko embarked on a five-month European tour through France, Italy and England. After his return he taught at Brooklyn College from 1951. Three years later the collaboration with the Sidney Janis Gallery began. In 1958, Rothko received an artistic commission for the "Four Seasans" restaurant in the Seagram Building, but he turned it down. The following year a second trip to Europe took place. A permanent Rothko Room with his paintings was set up in Washington's Philipps Collection in 1960. In 1969 he received another artistic commission for murals at the famous Harvard University in Cambridge near Boston.
In 1963, the Marlborough Fine Arts Gallery took up the painter's artistic interests. The following year, the construction of the Rothko Chapel in Houston was commissioned. Rothko became seriously ill in 1968. A year later, in 1969, the Mark Rothko Foundation was founded. The Tate Gallery was gifted nine Seagram Murals in 1969. During this time he separated from his wife Mell Beistle. Rothko became known for his abstract large-format paintings with their colored rectangular surfaces, which create the illusion of movement for the viewer through their blurred outlines. Beyond his actual painting, the artist always tried to create a close connection between the viewer and his works of art. It was always his intention to densely drape small rooms with his large-format works and to expose them to only subdued light.
The simple arrangement of its non-representational rectangular surfaces, the light and the space create something sublime that the viewer can also grasp. The apparent movement of the flat image objects creates tension in the viewer, who is absorbed by it and thus also by the image - in accordance with the artist's intentions. Rothko's abstraction is symbolic in nature. He was inspired by themes from the Old and New Testaments, myths and archaisms. He combines an eternal validity with his style, which he presents and makes tangible in the pictorial translation. As a representative of color field painting, he gave significant impetus to abstract expressionism.
In 1970, the Rothko Rooms opened at the Tate Gallery, and a year later, in 1971, the Rothko Chapel in Houston was posthumously completed.
Mark Rothko committed suicide in New York. He died on February 25, 1970.- Director
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Fridrikh Ermler was born on 13 May 1898 in Rechitsa, Vitebsk Governorate, Russian Empire [now Rezekne, Latvia]. He was a director and writer, known for The Great Force (1951), Great Citizen (1938) and The Turning Point (1945). He died on 12 July 1967 in Leningrad, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia].- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Arkady Isaakovich Raykin was born on October 24, 1911, in Riga, Russian Empire (now Riga, Latvia). His father, named Isaak Raykin, worked at the Riga sea port. In 1922 his family moved to Petrograd (now St. Petersburg, Russia). There young Raykin took his first acting lessons at the local drama club. In 1935 he graduated from Leningrad Theater and Film Institute, where his classmate was actor Georgi Zhzhyonov. Raykin began his acting career at Leningrad Theater of Young Workers (TRAM). At that time Raykin also began his film career by playing small roles, often uncredited.
His great acting talent unfolded in stand-up comedy. His hallmark momentalism, his razor-sharp wit, and a free-spirited humor won him the love of millions. In 1939 Raykin became the winner of the 1st National All-Soviet Competition of Comedians, where he performed two numbers, a parody of Charlie Chaplin and "Mishka" (Little Bear). In 1939 he became one of the founders of Leningrad Theater of Estrada and Miniature Comedy. During the Second World War, Arkady Raykin made numerous performances for the Red Army soldiers, who were fighting the Nazis on the front-line. In 1942, during the siege of Leningrad, Raykin became the Artistic Director of Leningrad Theater of Miniatures. His witty performances helped to lift the spirits of the survivors in Leningrad, while the city was besieged by the Nazis. Raykin was decorated for his courage and for the numerous stage performances he made during the war.
Arkady Raykin was the undisputed leader among comedians in the Soviet Union. He was often called a Russian Chaplin. Raykin had a special way of using comedy to ridicule the Soviet communism by satirizing the inefficient bureaucracy and absurdity of the Soviet system. Despite the politically sensitive performances and despite his being a Jew, Arkady Raykin was lionized both popularly and officially. He performed to consistently "sold out" audiences and toured all over the former USSR and abroad for over 50 years. In 1982 he moved his theatre company from Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) to Moscow. There he opened the State Theatre of Miniatures which is now Arkady Raykin Satyricon Theatre, run by his son, actor Konstantin Raykin.
Arkady Raykin was designated the title of People's Artist of the USSR (1968), was awarded the State Lenin Prize (1980), and also received the highest civilian award in the Soviet Union, the Hero of Socialist Labour (1981). He died of a heart failure on December 20, 1987, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in the Novodevichye Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.- Yuri German was born on 4 April 1910 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. Yuri was a writer, known for Pirogov (1947), Seven Brave Men (1936) and Den schastya (1964). Yuri died on 16 January 1967 in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia].
- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Ingster was born in 1903 in Riga of what is now Latvia. He worked with Sergei Eisenstein in Russia before arriving in the United States in 1930. In the 1930's, he worked as a writer for several movies, among them The Story of Alexander Graham Bell. His directorial debut was in the 1940 classic "Stranger on the Third Floor," in which he was also a writer. Two of his other efforts were as contributing writer of the controversial 1943 propaganda film "Song of Russia" and writer-director of the 1949 comedy "The Judge Steps Out."
In the 1950's and 1960's, Ingster gravitated to television, where he produced episodes of various series, including 25 episodes of "Wagon Train," 18 episodes of "The Roaring 20's," 11 episodes of "Cheyenne," and 38 episodes of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."
Ingster was married at least four times: to Leni Stengel (m.1930), Wilma (m. 1938), Zita Perczel (m.1944 - d. 1954), and Christiane (nee Deleval, later Oshay) (m.1955-his death). By the latter marriage, he had a son, Michael (c.1962-). Ingster died in Woodland Hills California on August 7, 1978.- Lya Mara was born on 1 August 1897 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. She was an actress, known for Kri-Kri, die Herzogin von Tarabac (1920), Charlotte Corday (1919) and Anna Karenina (1920). She was married to Frederic Zelnik. She died on 1 March 1960 in Ticino, Switzerland.
- Alfreds Videnieks was born on 20 August 1908 in Doblen uyezd, Courland Governorate, Russian Empire [now Dobele Municipality, Latvia]. He was an actor, known for Naves ena (1971), Ukaimo tamashi (1966) and Komitet 19-ti (1972). He died on 22 June 2002 in Riga, Latvia.
- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Solomon Mikhoels was born on 16 March 1890 in Dvinsk, Russian Empire [now Daugavpils, Latvia]. He was an actor and producer, known for The Circus (1936), Jewish Luck (1925) and A Greater Promise (1936). He died on 19 January 1948 in Minsk, BSSR, USSR [now Belarus].- Max Perlman was born in 1909 in Riga, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire [now Riga, Latvia]. He was an actor, known for Mamele (1938). He was married to Guita Galina. He died on 23 July 1985.
- Lilita Berzina was born on 17 July 1903 in Riga, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. She was an actress, known for Lacplesis (1930), A Limousine the Colour of Midsummer's Eve (1981) and Nauris (1958). She died on 27 May 1983 in Riga, Latvian SSR, USSR [now Latvia].
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Nikolai Ekk was born on 14 June 1902 in Riga, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was a director and writer, known for Road to Life (1931), Sorochynskyi yarmarok (1939) and Odni znakomye (1934). He died on 13 July 1976 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Actor
- Director
Stanislaw Jaskiewicz was born on 12 January 1907 in Lipava, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was an actor and director, known for Domek z kart (1954), Soldaty svobody (1977) and Television Theater (1953). He died on 21 December 1980 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Axel Gruenberg was born on 17 August 1902 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was a director and producer, known for Stars Over Hollywood (1950), Chevron Theatre (1952) and Hollywood Opening Night (1951). He died on 19 December 1981 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Karlis Sebris was born on 18 February 1914 in Sinole, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was an actor, known for King Lear (1970), Dead Mountaineer's Hotel (1979) and Naves ena (1971). He died on 12 January 2009 in Riga, Latvia.
- Viola Dolan was born on 2 July 1893 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. She was an actress, known for Castles in the Air (1919), Judge Her Not (1921) and Teddy's Goat (1921). She died on 27 November 1969 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Director
- Writer
- Art Department
Aleksandr Stolper was born on 12 August 1907 in Dvinsk, Dvinsk uyezd, Vitebsk Governorate, Russian Empire [now Daugavpils, Latvia]. He was a director and writer, known for Zhivye i myortvye (1964), Povest o nastoyashchem cheloveke (1948) and Far from Moscow (1950). He died on 11 January 1979 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Writer
- Art Department
- Script and Continuity Department
Alexander Stenbock-Fermor was born on 30 January 1902 in Nitaure, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was a writer, known for First Spaceship on Venus (1960), Das Fräulein von Scuderi (1955) and Karriere in Paris (1952). He died on 8 May 1972 in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany.- Frank Thieß was born on 13 March 1890 in Eluisenstein, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was a writer, known for Der Weg zu Isabel (1940), Die Brüder Noltenius (1945) and It Was a Gay Ballnight (1939). He was married to Florence Losey. He died on 22 December 1977 in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany.
- Cinematographer
- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
Eduard Tisse was born on 13 April 1897 in Libava, Grobina uyezd, Courland Governorate, Russian Empire [now Liepaja, Latvia]. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Ivan the Terrible, Part I (1944), Battleship Potemkin (1925) and The Immortal Garrison (1956). He died on 18 November 1961 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Philippe Halsman was born on 2 May 1906 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He is known for John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick (1988), Love, Marilyn (2012) and The Eleanor Roosevelt Story (1965). He was married to Yvonne Moser. He died on 25 June 1979 in New York City, New York, USA.- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Albert Gamse was born on 31 July 1901 in Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He is known for Amistad (1997), Scoop (2006) and Deconstructing Harry (1997). He died in March 1974 in Bronx, New York, USA.- Evalds Valters was born on 2 April 1894 in village Egleniekos, Goldingen uyezd, Courland Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kuldga District, Latvia]. He was an actor, known for Melna veza spiles (1976), Vella kalpi (1970) and Redundant (1976). He died on 26 September 1994 in Riga, Latvia.
- Werner Bergengruen was born on 15 September 1892 in Riga, Livland, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. Werner was a writer, known for Die Schatzgräbergeschichte (1970), Herzlichst, Heinz Rühmann (1990) and Der Großtyrann und das Gericht (1966). Werner died on 4 September 1964 in Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany.
- Indra Devi was born on 12 May 1899 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. She was married to Siegrid Knauer and Jan Strakaty. She died on 25 April 2002 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Isaiah Berlin was born on 6 June 1909 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He died on 5 November 1997 in Oxford, England, UK.
- Nathaniel Sack was born on 15 July 1880 in Libau, Russian Empire [now Liepaja, Latvia]. He was an actor, known for The Man from Mexico (1914), The Prince and the Pauper (1915) and You Find It Everywhere (1921). He died on 2 July 1966 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Ivar Lissner was born on 23 April 1909 in Lievenhof, Vitebsk Governorate, Russian Empire [now Livani, Latvia]. He was a writer, known for Stückgut (1970). He was married to Ruth Niehaus. He died on 4 September 1967 in Chesières sur Ollon at Montreux, Switzerland.
- Actor
- Writer
Boris Tumarin was born on 4 April 1910 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was an actor and writer, known for The Doctors (1963), Christmas in the Marketplace (1967) and Gebroeders Karamazow (1968). He died on 28 January 1979 in New York City, New York, USA.- Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski was born on 27 May 1876 in Ludza, Vitebsk Governorate, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. Ferdynand Antoni was a writer, known for Glos pustyni (1932). Ferdynand Antoni died on 3 January 1945 in Zólwin, Mazowieckie, Poland.
- Arkadi Tsinman was born on 1 March 1909 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was an actor, known for Spring (1947), Through Fire, Water and... Trumpets (1968) and Serebristaya pyl (1953). He died on 19 June 1985 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].
- Wolfgang Dohnberg was born on 19 June 1898 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was an actor, known for Murderers Among Us (1946), Two Friends (1938) and Sag' die Wahrheit (1946). He died on 18 May 1959 in Munich, West Germany.
- Composer
- Music Department
Grzegorz Fitelberg was born on 18 October 1879 in Dvinsk, Russian Empire [now Daugavpils, Latvia]. He was a composer, known for Janko Muzykant (1930) and Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes (1986). He died on 10 June 1953 in Katowice, Slaskie, Poland.- Director
- Writer
- Art Director
Arnolds Burovs was born on 29 April 1915 in Riga, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was a director and writer, known for Sapnis (1983), Princese un puma (1986) and Bimini (1981). He died on 13 January 2006 in Riga, Latvia.- Margeris Zarins was born on 24 May 1910 in Jaunpiebalga, Wenden uyezd, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire [now Jaunpiebalga Municipality, Latvia]. He was a composer, known for Naves ena (1971), Pie bagatas kundzes (1969) and Nauris (1958). He was married to Jolanta Dzene. He died on 27 February 1993 in Riga, Latvia.
- Cinematographer
- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Glushanok was born on 27 August 1911 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Martha Graham: An American Original in Performance (1957), Omnibus (1952) and Dreams That Money Can Buy (1947). He died on 5 December 1996 in Manhattan, New York, USA.- Producer
- Production Manager
- Additional Crew
Romain Pinès was born on 31 August 1890 in Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was a producer and production manager, known for Street of Shadows (1937), Prix de beauté (Miss Europe) (1930) and Song of the Streets (1933). He died on 8 September 1981.- Arthur Cavara was born on 29 June 1901 in Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was an actor, known for Dschainah, das Mädchen aus dem Tanzhaus (1935) and Der weiße Teufel (1930). He died on 9 April 1979 in Saint Petersburg, Florida, USA.
- Wladyslaw Hermanowicz was born on 21 June 1909 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was an actor, known for Zobaczymy sie w niedziele (1960). He died on 2 January 1960 in Bialystok, Podlaskie, Poland.
- Andrejs Upits (1877-1970) was a Latvian writer, poet, teacher, playwright and Communist public figure, who was born in Skriveri. His first work appeared in the newspaper Majas viesis in 1892. Upits' most notable works include Zala zeme (The Green Land, 1945) and Sunu ciema zeni (Boys of Moss Village, 1940). The latter was used as the script for the animation film Laimes lacis (Bear of Happiness, 1985).
- Alfred Läutner was born on 21 May 1879 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was an actor, known for Im Dienste der Liebe (1919), Schuberts Frühlingstraum (1931) and Das Bild der Geliebten (1916). He died in 1943.
- Olga Mazeikyte was born on 10 January 1909 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. She was an actress, known for Nerami rudens diena (1975), Tadas Blinda (1972) and Fact (1981). She died on 28 August 2000 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
- Harry Adaskin was born on 6 October 1901 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. He was an actor, known for Pacific 13 (1956). He was married to Frances Adaskin. He died on 7 April 1994 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Peteris Lucis was born on 28 June 1907 in Jaunsvirlauka parish, Doblen uyezd, Courland Governorate, Russian Empire [now Jelgava Municipality, Latvia]. He was an actor, known for Zvejnieka dels (1939), Nekur vairs nav jaiet (1963) and Uzbrukums slepenpolicijai (1976). He died on 22 July 1991 in Valmiera, Latvian SSR, USSR [now Latvia].
- Oswald Glazunov was born on 5 May 1891 in Mitava, Courland Governorate, Russian Empire [now Jelgava, Latvia]. He was an actor, known for Chest (1938), Podnyataya tselina (1940) and Bolshie krylya (1937). He died on 16 March 1947.