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Mayer was born Lazar Meir in the Ukraine and grew up in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada after his parents fled Russian oppression in 1886. He had a brutal childhood, raised in poverty and suffering physical and emotional abuse from his nearly-illiterate peddler father. In the early 1890s, he changed his name to Louis and fudged his birth date to reflect the more "patriotic" date of July 4, 1885. He moved to Boston in 1904 and struggled as a scrap-metal dealer until he was able to purchase a burlesque house. Although he made large sums by showing films (he made a sizable fortune off The Birth of a Nation (1915)), his early business ventures favored legitimate theater in New England. As his theater empire expanded, he had acquired and refurbished enough small movie theaters that he was able to move his business to Los Angeles and venture into movie production in 1918. Along with Samuel Goldwyn and Marcus Loew of Metro Pictures, he formed a new company called Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
Over the next 25 years, MGM was "the Tiffany of the studios," producing more films and movie stars than any other studio in the world. Mayer became the prime creator of the enduring Hollywood of myth, home to stars like Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford, and Jean Harlow. Mayer became the highest-paid man in America, one of the country's most successful horse breeders, a political force and Hollywood's leading spokesman. Both he and MGM reached their peaks at the end of World War II, and Mayer was forced out in 1951. He died of leukemia in 1957.- Joseph Conrad was born in Berdichev, Kiev Province, now the Ukraine, to Polish parents Apollo Korzeniowski and Ewa Bobrowska. His father was a political activist and he and his family were exiled after he was suspected of involvement with revolutionary activities. Conrad had no friends as a child and rarely associated with boys or girls. His mother had always been a sickly person and died of tuberculosis in 1865. Conrad's father sent him to live with his uncle and pursue his education in France. Conrad's father died in 1869, also of tuberculosis. Conrad became an officer on British ships and spent two decades on various ships. Conrad was inspired to write "Heart of Darkness" after voyaging to Congo in 1890. In 1894, Conrad published his first novel and in 1896 he married Jessie George, an on-again off-again girlfriend. Conrad had few friends in adulthood, mainly fellow authors such as Stephen Crane and Henry James. Conrad died of a heart attack in 1924.
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Oscar-nominated Hollywood screenwriter Jo Swerling, who also was a Tony Award-winning Broadway writer and lyricist, was born in Berdichev, Ukraine in what was then the Russian Empire. His family emigrated from Czarist Russia and he grew up on the Lower East Side in New York City.
From a youthful job peddling newspapers, he worked his way up to becoming a journalist, working on newspapers and magazines in the 1920s, including the prestigious "Vanity Fair". He became a playwright, like other famous journalists of the era (most notably Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur of The Front Page (1931) fame). Swerling wrote the stage show "Street Cinderella" for the The Marx Brothers and the screenplay for their first film, the 1921 comedy short Humor Risk (1921), starring Chico, Groucho, Harpo and Zeppo. Groucho supposedly hated it so much, he burned the negative. The movie was never released.
Swerling's first legitimate production on the Great White Way was the musical-revue "The New Yorkers", which ran for a then-respectable 52 performances in March and April 1927. Swerling wrote the book and the lyrics for the songs. His next foray on Broadway was the more successful "Kibitzer", an original comedy he co-wrote with Edward G. Robinson (who also co-starred in the show). It ran for 120 performances in February through June 1929.
Wall Street famously laid an egg in October 1929, and Swerling would not be back on Broadway for 21 years. Hollywood beckoned.
In 1929, Universal adapted his play "The Understander" into the movie Melody Lane (1929) while Paramount released The Kibitzer (1930) the following year (without the participation of Edward G. Robinson). Columbia Pictures, the premier studio on Hollywood's "Poverty Row", hired Swerling, and his first screen credit was for the screenplay for Frank Capra's Ladies of Leisure (1930). He would received screen credit on Capra's next five films in the period 1930-32, before Capra turned to Robert Riskin as his main collaborator. (Jo would work on the screenplay for Capra's classic It's a Wonderful Life (1946), providing additional scenes.)
Swerling worked on scores of films before he received his last screen credit for King of the Roaring 20's: The Story of Arnold Rothstein (1961) in 1961. He received his sole Oscar nomination for The Pride of the Yankees (1942). He was one of the many screenwriters, including Ben Hecht, who worked uncredited on the Oscar-winning Gone with the Wind (1939) screenplay (won by Sidney Howard).
Swerling's greatest professional success came when he returned to Broadway, co-writing the book for the classic musical Guys and Dolls (1955) with Abe Burrows, for which he shared the Tony and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards for Best Musical. The show was a smash, running from November 1950 to November 1953 for a total of 1,200 performances. The screenplay for the 1955 movie adaptation was written by director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, whose brother Herman J. Mankiewicz shared an Oscar nod for Best Screenplay in 1943 with Swerling.
Jo Swerling died in Los Angeles, California on October 23, 1964. He was 71 years old.- Sholom Aleichem (translated from Hebrew as a greeting "Peace be with you") was the pseudonym of Sholom Yakov Rabinovitz. He was born on February 18, 1859, in Pereyaslav near Kiev, Ukraine, in the Russian Empire. His father was a religious scholar and the family was trilingual. After his mother died of cholera, when he was only 12 years of age, his father encouraged his writing, even through the hard times. Young Sholom Aleichem attended a Russian secular high school, but never attended university. He was drafted into the Russian Army and upon being discharged became a rabineer for 3 years. Throughout his entire lifetime, he was not wealthy. He had a humble, modest disposition, a quiet voice, and was described by many as a man of great wisdom and wit. It was the humbling experience of his life in Russia under the Czars that led to his special style of "laughing through tears" humor.
Sholom Aleichem began serious writing in the 1880's. He was instrumental in the foundation of "di Yidishe folks bibliotek" (the popular Yiddish library) in 1888. At the same time during the 1880's Jews in Russia came under attack (known as "pogrom"); they suffered loss of property and of lives. In 1905 Sholom Aleichem fled from Russia. He lived in several countries of Europe until WWI. Large numbers of Jews were dislocated because their communities, known as "shetls, were destroyed. With the suffering came an increased cultural awakening of Jews, expressed in literature written in Yiddish. Yiddish was the every day language of European Jews, derived from Hogh German with enrichment from Hebrew, Russian, Polish, and English (among other languages). Sholom Aleichem wrote in Yiddish, Hebrew, and Russian; he was also fluent in Polish, Ukrainian and other languages.
From 1883 to 1916, Sholom Aleichem wrote about 40 volumes of stories, novels, and plays ; he became the leading writer in Yiddish, and one of the most prolific writers ever. He also wrote scholarly works in Hebrew and secular works in Russian, the only acceptable language of official publishers in the Russian Empire. His works about the life of Jews in traditional communities were based on real life stories and were published throughout Europe and in the United States. His best known work is "Tevye the Milkman" ("Tevye der milkhiker" in Yiddish). It describes the Russian Jewish milkman, who deals with the complex world with humor, pain, optimism, and wisdom. It was adapted for stage production as the play 'Fiddler on the Roof' which became a Broadway success. The eponymous film, starring 'Haim Topol', won three Oscars. A successful staging of the 'Fiddler on the Roof' was done at the Moscow Lenkom Theatre by director Mark Zakharov, starring Evgeniy Leonov and later Vladimir Steklov in the title role.
The dangers of WWI forced Sholom Aleichem to emigrate to America. He settled in the Bronx. The tragedy of separation from his son Misha, who suffered from tuberculosis, was unbearable. After Misha's death in 1915, Sholom Aleichem followed him on May 13, 1916 in Bronx. His funeral was attended by tens of thousands.
The great value of his works is in the meticulous literary preservation of the traditional life of a shtetl, before it disappeared in the tragic abyss of history. "You can take a Jew out of a shtetl, but you cannot take a shtetl out of a Jew", wrote Sholom Aleichem. - Director
- Writer
Vera Stroyeva was born on 4 October 1903 in Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine]. She was a director and writer, known for Boris Godunov (1954), Petersburg Nights (1934) and Khovanschina (1959). She was married to Grigoriy Roshal. She died on 26 August 1991 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Actor
- Soundtrack
Yossele Rosenblatt was born on 9 May 1882 in Bila Tserkva, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for The Jazz Singer (1927), The Voice of Israel (1934) and Halome Ami (1933). He was married to Taube Kaufman and Traube Kaufmann. He died on 19 June 1933 in Jerusalem, Palestine [now Israel].- Additional Crew
- Writer
- Actor
Vaslav Nijinsky was one of the most important male dancers of all time. He was born Vaslav Fomich Nijinsky on December 28, 1889, while his parents were on tour in Kiev, Russian Empire (now Kiev, Ukraine). His father, Foma Lavrentevich Nijinsky, and his mother, Eleonora Bereda, were of Polish-Russian heritage, they were celebrated dancers and had their own touring dance company. His father gave him his first dance lessons. Young Nijinsky made his stage debut at the early age of 5, in 1895, at a Christmas pageant show in Nizhni Novgorod, Russia. There he had several stage performances with his little sister, Bronislava Njinska alongside his father and mother.
In 1900 Nijinsky was accepted at the Imperial School of Ballet in St. Petersburg on a 7-year scholarship from the State of Russia. From 1900-07 he studied dance and music at the Imperial School of Ballet, graduating with honors as a ballet dancer. He made his professional debut on the stage of Mariinsky Theare in St. Petersburg. There his partners were none other than Anna Pavlova and Tamara Karsavina. Nijinsky performed as the leading star of Mariinsky Ballet, as well as a guest star at Bolshoi Ballet. He appeared as Albert in 'Giselle', and as the princes in 'Swan Lake' and 'The Sleeping Beauty'. His astounding performances were marked by the height and lightness of his leaps, impressive movements, and intense charismatic personality. Nijinsky's stage presence enchanted both critics and audiences. Nijinsky became the attraction for many important patrons, such as the Tsar Nicholas II, Grand Prince Vladimir Romanoff, and Prince Pavel Lvov. From 1907-10, Nijinsky was the principal star of the Imperial Ballet at Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. There he met impresario Sergei Diaghilev and became his protégé; Diaghilev heavily invested in development of Nijinsky's talent and ultimately made him one of the most respected dancers of all time.
In 1909, Sergei Diaghilev made Nijinsky the premier dancer with Ballets Russes. Nijinsky's complex relationship with Diaghilev would have a profound effect on his professional career as well as his personal life. In May 1909, on the sponsorship from Grand Prince Vladimir Romanoff, Diaghilev took Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova on their first and highly successful tour of Ballets Russes to Paris. During the seasons of 1909-13, Nijinsky built his reputation having such great partners as Tamara Karsavina and Anna Pavlova under the leadership of Sergei Diaghilev and choreographer Mikhail Fokin. He also danced with Isadora Duncan in Paris, learning from her and absorbing from other influences and traditions.
In 1913, Nijinsky made his debut as a choreographer for the Diaghilev's Ballets Russes with successful staging of ballets 'L'après-midi d'un faune' (1912, aka.. The Afternoon of a Faun), 'Jeux' (1913) on the music of Claude Debussy, and 'Le Sacre du Printemps' (1913, aka.. The Rite of Spring), for which Igor Stravinsky composed the famous score. At that time Nijinsky emerged as the most interesting and innovative male dancer who impressed audiences with his spectacular elevation in Grande Jeté, as well as his stage presence and his sensitive interpretations. In his performance of 'L'après-midi d'un faune' Nijinsky mimed masturbation with the scarf, causing an uproar known as "the greatest scandal of the cultural world" that split audiences and became the talk of Paris and beyond. However, Nijinsky said "I don't know what happened, I had an orgasm right there on stage" describing how he got that involved in his performance. He was defended by such figures as Auguste Rodin and Marcel Proust.
In 1913, while Diaghilev was away, Nijinsky was followed by a corps-de-ballet dancer Romola Pulszky, an obsessed fan, who clinged to Nijinsky and manipulated him to marry her. Being far too immature and unsophisticated, Nijinsky entered into a relationship that set him up to many failures in his life and career. He and Romola eloped in Buenos Aires. Nijinsky's unthoughtful marriage brought uncertainty in his life, causing him a cascade of many traumatic experiences, such as his split from Diaghilev and his failed performances, and eventually led to his decline. Nijinsky followed his wife's impulse to form an independent ballet company in London, albeit their project collapsed due to the lack of leadership and administrative skills. As Nijinsky's wife ended her dancing career, she became driven by her agenda to have her own ballet company with her husband as main attraction. Her persistence only caused him more failures and further exacerbated his trauma. 1914, she bore their first daughter, Kyra, and a few years later, had their second daughter, Tamara. He and Romola tried again to create their own troupe, but failed to attract enough talent and money. Being driven by Romola's demands Nijinsky ended up giving performances far below his level, often without any direction and creative plans. Her efforts aimed at his separation from his cultural roots led to his removal from the Parisian cultural milieu, and he ended up living in his wife's country, Hungary. There Nijinsky suffered from another traumatic experience. In 1916, during the First World War, Nijinsky, baptized in Poland, but still a Russian citizen, was held as a prisoner of war in Hungary.
Sergei Diaghilev helped Nijinsky again and succeeded in getting him out of his internment, then hired him for the 1916-1917 season and sent him on tour with Russian Ballet Company in Noth America. On that tour Nijinsky was given a chance to be a choreographer and dancer in the leading role as Til Eulenspiegel in the eponymous ballet, that had a premiere in New York, in 1916. However, by that time his health was already damaged and he was emotionally labile and vulnerable. His erratic behavior and his tense personal relationships with his dancing partners on that tour had manifested some signs of dementia praecox that became apparent to members of the company. Nijinsky again split from Diaghilev's Ballet, then went on a string of cabaret gigs arranged by his wife. Her domineering personality and her demands again clashed with his artistic gift causing him several failed and substandard performances, frustration and further depression. Nijinsky's performances after his split from Diaghilev were never as good as before; also upon his wife's objections, he did not have an equally prepared dancing partner. His collaboration with his more successful sister, Bronislava Njinska, did not last, he also failed to find a good impresario, albeit that could be a hard task for anyone, except Diaghilev, during the war.
In December 1917 Nijinsky learned that his property in St. Petersburg, where he had enjoyed the best years of his life, was lost because of the Russian revolution, and he suffered another emotional trauma. He retreated in a Swiss villa in St. Moritz, owned by his wife's parents, where he lived in seclusion with his domineering wife and three-year-old daughter, Kyra. At that time he expressed his longing for ballet and started writing his diaries in Russian, but his writing was interrupted when his wife reported on his "violent" behavior and placed him in an asylum. In 1919, on Romola's arrangements, Nijinsky gave his last performances for a charity at a local hotel in St. Moritz, and at the same time he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and undergone a psychiatric treatment in Switzerland, being accompanied by his wife. For the rest of his life Nijinsky suffered from unstable emotions and mental problems; he spent many years in and out of mental hospitals. Although his wife was taking care of him in her own manner, which was described by witnesses as manipulative, Nijinsky wrote about his marriage "My wife is an untwinkling star..." Her own denial and insecurities of a failed actress led to a never-ending chain of conflicts with her famous husband. While she reported on his periods of anger, Romola clinged to Nijinsky against all advice to get a divorce, thus provoking anger again and again, and turning their irreconcilable differences into a vicious cycle, while maintaining the image of a victimized but devoted and caring wife of an ailing star.
At the same time Nijinsky, having expressed himself in writing of four volumes of his diaries, also made numerous drawings of dancing figures. He developed his original system of dance notation, but never danced for another 30 years. His handwritten diaries suffered from heavy editing by his wife, who cut the original drastically before the first publication in 1936, and the fourth book was never published. The original preface by Dr. Alfred Adler described his establishment of cooperative therapeutic relationship and the instilling of hope as central factor for successful treatment, but that original preface was not published and was not shown to Nijinsky. It was replaced by Romola with her version of Nijinsky's life. Romola portrayed Nijinsky as a passive victim of Diaghilev's abuse, and described herself as a savior who changed his life.
Meanwhile, Nijinsky was treated by the best doctors of his time, such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Alfred Adler. In 1945, when Nijinsky was living in Hungary, he met some Russians and spoke to them in his native language, one day he joined Russian dancers as they performed on a street, and danced with them, showing happiness, but soon he had to move with his wife to another country. Nijinsky's medical records showed some improvement of his mental status before he died of kidney disease, at age 60, on April 8, 1950. He was buried in London, until 1953, when Serge Lifar, in a bitter dispute with Romola, refused to accede to Romola's wish and moved his body to Cimetière de Montmartre in Paris, next to the graves of Gaetano Vestris and Theophile Gotier. Romola died of cancer in 1978, but Nijinsky's side refused to bury her together with him. In 2005, after a long legal battle, Nijinsky's sepulcher was opened on permission granted by Lifar's widow, so that Romola was re-buried next to Nijinsky, but her name was not on his tombstone.
Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, Jean Cocteau, and Auguste Rodin drew portraits of Nijinsky during the peak of his career. A comprehensive biography of Vaslav Nijinsky, titled 'A leap into madness', was written by Peter Oswald, professor of psychiatry at the UCSF in California, with many documents related to Nijinsky's brilliant career, his disastrous marriage as well as his medical records and observations by foremost doctors such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Alfred Adler. Nijinsky's original hand-written manuscript was written mainly in Russian and partially in French as a stream-of-consciousness narration about his traumatic experiences and hectic relationships between him, Diaghilev, and Romola. The diary remained a closely guarded secret until Romola's death, and was sold at an auction in 1979, for over $100,000, and finally, in 1994, it was acquired by the New York Public Library. It was published in 1999, after Nijinsky's daughters relented as holders of the copyright. Nijinsky's system of dance notation was deciphered in the 1980s.
Nijinsky's tombstone in Monmartre Cemetery in Paris has inscription SEPULTURE NIJINSKY VASLAV NIJINSKY NE A KIEV 28 XII 1889 MORT A Londres 8 IV 1950.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Viktor Ivanov was born on 13 February 1909 in Kazatin, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Koziatyn, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for Za dvoma zaytsiamy (1961), Oleksa Dovbush (1960) and Ni pukha, ni pera (1974). He died on 18 June 1981.- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nikolai Prozorovsky was born on 9 May 1905 in Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kiev Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Tavadis asuli Meri (1926), Bela (1927) and Kapitanskaya dochka (1928). He died on 9 November 1935 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Emiliya Milton was a tall and elegant character stage and film actress in the Soviet Union. She was born Emiliya Davydovna Milton, on May 15, 1902, in the Russian Empire, into a Russian-Jewish family. During the 1920s and 1930s she was a leading actress with "Krasny Fakel" Proletariat Theatre in Moscow, and also toured with that troupe all over the USSR. During the 1940s and 1950s she worked as an actress with the Kiev Theatre of Russian Drama, then at Mossoveta Theatre in Moscow. From 1950s - 1970s she was a permanent member of the troupe at Gogol Drama Theatre in Moscow. There he shared stage with Viktor Khokhryakov, Boris Chirkov, Aleksei Krasnopolsky, Vladimir Samoylov, and other notable Russian actors. She is best known for her brilliant performance in the role as Frau Zaurich, opposite Vyacheslav Tikhonov, in the popular Russian TV series Seventeen Moments of Spring (1973). Emiliya Milton was also regarded as a popular radio actress. She was married to actor/director Aleksei Krasnopolsky. She was designated Honorable Actor of Russia in 1962. She died of natural causes on February 12, 1978, in Moscow, Russia.
- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Leo Birinsky was born on 8 June 1884 in Lysianka, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine]. Leo was a writer and director, known for Flirtation (1934), Der Meister der Welt (1927) and Waxworks (1924). Leo died on 23 October 1951 in New York City, New York, USA.- Lyubov Dobrzhanskaya was born on 24 December 1908 in Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kyiv, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine]. She was an actress, known for V chetverg i bolshe nikogda (1978), Uchitel tantsev (1952) and Watch Out for the Automobile (1966). She died on 3 November 1980 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dmitriy Kapka was born on 7 November 1898 in Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Bountiful Summer (1951), Zvyozdy na krylyakh (1955) and Ch. P. - Chrezvychainoe proisshestvie (1958). He died on 25 October 1977 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine].- Director
- Writer
- Cinematographer
Mikhail Slutsky was born on 19 July 1907 in Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for Boyevoy kinosbornik 5 (1941), Kvitucha Ukraina (1950) and V odin prekrasnyy den (1956). He died on 23 June 1959 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Mikhail Vysotsky was born on 18 November 1885 in village Nedra, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Baryshivka Raion, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for Shumi, gorodok (1940), Bountiful Summer (1951) and V dalnem plavanii (1946). He died on 6 October 1950 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine].
- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Oskar Sandler was born on 26 January 1910 in Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a composer, known for Aktrisa (1943), Belaya roza (1943) and Secret Agent (1947). He died on 30 May 1981 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine].- Nina Visaroff was born on 15 March 1885 in Radomyshl, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. She was an actress, known for Paddy O'Day (1936). She was married to Michael Visaroff. She died on 14 December 1938 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Juliusz Lubicz-Lisowski was born on 25 February 1900 in Rakhnovka, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for Janosik (1974), Zamach stanu (1980) and Sexmission (1984). He died on 22 July 1993 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.
- Vasiliy Grossman was born on 12 December 1905 in Berdichev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Berdychiv, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer, known for Stalingrad (2013), Stepan Kolchugin (1957) and The Commissar (1967). He was married to Olga Guber, Ekaterina Zabolotskaya and Galina Matsuk Petrowna. He died on 15 December 1964 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia].
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Taras Shevchenko was born on 9 March 1814 in Moryntsi, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer, known for Toloka (2020), Nazar Stodolya (1955) and Nazar Stodolya (1937). He died on 10 March 1861 in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire [now Russia].- Mira Mendelson-Prokofieva was born on 8 January 1915 in Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine]. She is a writer, known for NBC Television Opera Theatre (1949), War and Peace (1991) and La guerre et la paix (2000). She was previously married to Sergei Prokofiev.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Aleksey Maslyukov was born on 2 June 1904 in Cherkassy, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Cherkassy Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for Road to Life (1955), Senka s 'Mimozy' (1932) and S dnyom rozhdeniya (1962). He died on 14 April 1962 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine].- Cinematographer
- Special Effects
- Camera and Electrical Department
Aleksei Pankratyev was born on 13 November 1903 in Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a cinematographer, known for Troye s odnoy ulitsy (1936), The Self-Seeker (1929) and Mirabo (1930). He died on 8 July 1983 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine].- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Reinhold Glière is Russian and Soviet composer, conductor, teacher, music and social activist. People's Artist of the USSR.
Glière got his initial musical education at home (violin lessons from A. Weinberg, C. Voute). In 1894 he graduated from the Kiev Musical College and entered the Moscow Conservatory in the class of violin. In 1900 he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory (he went through a course of polyphony with Sergey Taneyev, harmony with A. Arenskiy and G. Konus, class composition Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov), in 1906-1908 he took conducting lessons from O. Fried in Germany. In the years 1902-1903 he gave private lessons to Nikolai Myaskovsky and Sergei Prokofiev. From 1908 he performed as a conductor with the performance of mainly his own works.
As the composer Glière was formed largely due to communication with Aleksandr Glazunov, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. In 1913-1920 - Professor of the Kiev Conservatory, in 1914-1920, the director of the Conservatory, as well as the head of the opera, orchestral, chamber and instrumental classes. In the late 1930s, as well as in 1947 and 1950, he embarked on several touring tours around the USSR, giving author concerts.- Writer
- Production Manager
Aleksandr Kanevskiy was born on 29 May 1933 in Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Ukrainian SSR [now Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine]. Aleksandr is a writer and production manager, known for Sorok minut do rassveta (1963), Odnazhdy dvadtsat let spustya (1981) and Smekhanicheskiye priklyucheniya Tarapunki i Shtepselya (1970).- Levi Eshkol was born on 25 October 1895 in Oratov, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Orativ, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. He was married to Miriam, Elisheva Kaplan and Rebecca Maharshek. He died on 26 February 1969 in Jerusalem, Israel.
- Alla Konstantinovna Tarasova was born on February 6, 1898, in Kiev, Russian Empire, into an aristocratic family. Her father, named Konstantin Tarasov, was a military doctor in Kiev. Tarasova's sister was married to Russian Prince Svyatopolk-Mirsky. From 1910-1914 Young Tarasova studied at the Private Gymnasium of Titarenko on Fundukleevskaya street in Kiev. She was fond of theatre and attended the performances of Moscow Art Theatre on tour in Kiev. In 1914 she moved to Moscow and took acting class with Nikolai Massalitinov at the Acting School of Moscow Art Theatre.
In 1916 Tarasova became a permanent member of the 2nd company of the Moscow Art Theatre. At the age of 18, she shot to fame with a leading role of Finochka in "Zelenoe Koltso", a play by Zinaida Gippius. She married Alexei Kuzmin, who fought in the Russian Civil War in the White Army and then emigrated from Russia. During the 1922 tour with Moscow Art Theatre in New York, Tarasova defected and joined her husband. She tried an acting career on Broadway, but failed because of her poor English. She worked as a waitress at her husband's café and was not planning to go back to Russia. At the end of 1924 Tarasova was convinced to go back by the letter from Stanislavsky, who insisted on her return to Moscow Art Theatre. She returned to Moscow, but had no serious roles for a few years. In 1931 she married the leading actor Ivan Moskvin and her career took off again. Tarasova became the undisputed leading actress of the Moscow Art Theatre under directors Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. She made her best stage works in classical plays of Maxim Gorky and Anton Chekhov that were staged by director Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko during the 1930's. Her most resounding success was a title role in staging of "Anna Karenina" in 1937. The same theatrical production was recorded on film in 1953, when Tarasova and her partners were much older than at the time of their legendary premiere.
Tarasova was received with mixed reviews by the Russian intellectuals émigrés during her international tours. At the same time she was the favorite actress of Joseph Stalin, who frequently attended her performances at the Moscow Art Theatre. Tarasova was made the "first official actress" of the Soviet Union. In 1937 she became the first actress to be designated the People's Artist of the Soviet Union. She was five times awarded the State Stalin's Prize, in 1941, 1946, 1947, 1948, and 1949. She received numerous awards and decorations and was also twice awarded the Order of Lenin and was made the Hero of Socialist Labor. However, her film career was limited to only a few roles, mainly in the films of director 'Vladimir Petrov' (I). She died on April 5, 1973, in Moscow. Tarasova left a peculiar will about her burial arrangements: instead of being buried at the prestigious Novodevichy Cemetery, she was laid to rest next to her mother at the Vvedenskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. - Composer
Adolf Skulte was born on 28 October 1909 in Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kyiv, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a composer, known for Rainis (1949), Tava laime (1960) and Rita (1958). He died on 20 March 2000 in Riga, Latvia.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Lavrenti Masokha was born on 23 August 1909 in Khreshchatik, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for Two Soldiers (1943), Po tonkomu ldu (1966) and V mirnye dni (1951). He died on 20 June 1971 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Actress
- Soundtrack
Manya Roberti was born on 2 March 1908 in Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire. She was an actress, known for The Spider (1931) and Delicious (1931). She was married to Louis Schneider and Irvin Russell Deibert. She died in December 1983.- Lazar Kaganovich was born on 22 November 1893 in Kabany, Radomyschl Uyezd, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Dibrova, Poliske Rayon, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine]. He died on 25 July 1991 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Art Director
Timofei Levchuk was born on 19 January 1912 in village Bystrievka, Skvira uyezd, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Ruzhyn Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a director and assistant director, known for Zakon Antarktidy (1963), Bukhta smerti (1991) and Esli vrag ne sdayotsya... (1983). He died on 14 December 1998 in Kyiv, Ukraine.- Pyotr Lastivka-Starshiy was born on 5 July 1922 in Savintsy, Kiev Governorate, Ukrainian SSR [now Ukraine]. She was an actress, known for Chyortova dyuzhina (1971), Duma o Kovpake: Nabat (1974) and Vsadniki (1972). She was married to Mariya Oleksandrivna Bozhko-Lastivka. She died on 18 December 2018 in Ternopol, Ukraine.
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Benedikt Nord was born on 26 October 1901 in Brusilov, Radomyshl uyezd, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Brusyliv District, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Nenavist (1930). He died on 5 October 1965 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Aleksandr Levada was born on 26 November 1909 in Krivchunka, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine]. Aleksandr was a writer, known for Ukrainskaya rapsodiya (1961), Semya Kotsyubinskikh (1971) and Pravda (1957). Aleksandr died on 16 December 1955 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine].
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Director
- Producer
Rafail Perelshteyn was born on 19 August 1909 in Uman, Uman uyezd, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an assistant director and director, known for Ya vstretil devushku (1957), Chelovek menyaet kozhu (1960) and Syn pastukha (1955). He died on 9 March 1978.- Pyotr Tur was born on 24 January 1908 in Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer, known for Vstrecha na Elbe (1949), Posol Sovetskogo Soyuza (1970) and Bespokoynoe khozyaystvo (1946). He died on 2 October 1978 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].
- Costume Designer
- Art Director
- Production Designer
Ekaterina Gakkebush was born on 26 December 1913 in Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine]. Ekaterina was a costume designer and art director, known for Bogatyr idyot v Marto (1954), Secret Agent (1947) and Roman i Francheska (1961). Ekaterina died on 14 June 1993 in Kyiv, Ukraine.- Semyon Likhogodenko was born on 1 September 1919 in Belaya Tserkov, Kiev Governorate [now Bila Tserkva, Kiev Oblast], Ukraine. He was an actor, known for Koroleva benzokolonki (1963), Martyn Borulya (1953) and Seym vykhodit iz beregov (1962). He died on 14 January 1997.
- Director
- Actress
- Writer
Ewa Bonacka was born on 28 December 1912 in Koziatyn, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine]. She was a director and actress, known for Television Theater (1953), For Crimes Not Theirs (1938) and O czym sie nie mówi... (1939). She was married to Wladyslaw Daszewski. She died on 23 October 1992 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.- Aleksandr Borshchagovskiy was born on 11 October 1913 in Belaya Tserkov, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Bila Tserkva, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer, known for Tretiy taym (1963), Three Poplars on Plyuschikha Street (1968) and Na ostrove dalnem (1957). He died on 4 March 2006 in Moscow, Russia.
- Writer
- Director
- Additional Crew
Vladimir Alekseev was born on 14 July 1910 in Boguslav, Kanev uyezd, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Bohuslav, Bohuslav Raion, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer and director, known for Miners of the Don (1951), Ori okeanis saidumloeba (1957) and Golubaya strela (1959). He died on 22 October 2000.- Louise Nevelson was born on 23 September 1899 in Pereyaslav, Poltava Governorate, Russian Empire [now Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine]. She was married to Charles Nevelson. She died on 17 April 1988 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Aleksey Kozlovsky was born on 15 October 1905 in Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a composer, known for Pokhozhdeniya Nasreddina (1947) and Takhir i Zukhra (1945). He died on 9 January 1977 in Tashkent, Tashkent Oblast, Uzbek SSR, USSR [now Tashkent Region, Uzbekistan].
- Production Designer
- Costume Designer
Berta Manevich was born on 14 November 1922 in Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Ukrainian SSR [now Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine]. Berta was a production designer and costume designer, known for Tsvety kalenduly (1999), White Sun of the Desert (1970) and The Lady with the Dog (1960). Berta was married to Isaak Kaplan. Berta died on 13 June 2002 in St. Petersburg, Russia.- Valentina Bzheskaya-Buchma was born on 22 February 1896 in Belaya Tserkov, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kiev oblast, Ukraine]. She was an actress, known for Veter s vostoka (1940). She died on 12 January 1977 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine].
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Valentina Tyshkovets was born on 26 January 1915 in Kiev, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine]. Valentina was a cinematographer, known for Tsygan (1967), Ukrainian Festival (1962) and Sumka, polnaya serdets (1964). Valentina died on 20 February 1977 in the Soviet Union.- Camera and Electrical Department
Semyon Stoyanovsky was born on 1 August 1917 in Borispol, Poltava Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kiev oblast, Ukraine]. Semyon is known for The Fall of Berlin (1945) and Prigovor naroda (1943). Semyon died on 12 April 1945 in Vienna, Austria.- Miron Polyakin was born on 12 February 1895 in Cherkassy, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for Beethoven Concerto (1937). He died on 21 May 1941.
- Music Department
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Karol Szymanowski was born on 6 October 1882 in Timoshovka, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Timoshivka, Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer, known for Le roi Roger (2009), Television Theater (1953) and The Polish Bride (1998). He died on 29 March 1937 in Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland.