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- Jovan Sterija Popovic (1806-1856) was one of the most famous dramatists
to emerge from the Balkans in the 19th century. He was a famous
playwright, dramatist, comediographer, and pedagogue. He is considered
by many to be the Father of Serbian Drama. His famous dramas were (and
still are) "Kir Janja", "Pokondirena Tikva", "Rodoljupci", "Zapiske",
and many others. - Ernst Elias Niebergall was born on 13 January 1815 in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany. He was a writer, known for Der Datterich (1963), Der Datterich (1958) and Datterich (1976). He died on 19 April 1843 in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany.
- Alger was a writer of young adult novels, characterized by the "rags-to-riches" narrative, in which impoverished boys rise from their humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through good works. His writings had a formative effect on the United States during the Gilded Age, an era of rapid economic growth from the 1870s to about 1900.
Since 1947, the 'Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans', based in Alexandria, Virginia, has bestowed an annual award on outstanding individuals in American society who have succeeded in the face of adversity, and scholarships to encourage young people to pursue their dreams with determination and perseverance.
He died with little money at his sister's home in Natick, Massachusetts, and his death was barely noticed. - Franklin Távora was born on 13 January 1842 in Baturité, Ceará, Brazil. He was a writer, known for O Cabeleira (1963). He died on 18 August 1888 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Alfred Hennequin was born on 13 January 1842 in Liege, Belgium. Alfred was a writer, known for Lili (1918). Alfred died on 7 August 1887 in Lpinay-sur-Seine, France.
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Albert Millaud was born on 13 January 1844 in Paris, France. He was a writer, known for Mam'zelle Nitouche (1931), Heavenly Swallows (1976) and Frøken Nitouche (1963). He was married to Anna Judic. He died on 22 October 1892 in Paris, France.- Marie Sloot was born on 13 January 1853 in Semarang, Semarang, Dutch East Indies [now Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia]. Marie was a writer, known for La renzoni (1916). Marie died on 13 June 1927 in Noordwijk aan Zee, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands.
- John Strange Winter was born on 13 January 1856 in York, Yorkshire, England, UK. John Strange was a writer, known for Goodbye (1918), Bootle's Baby (1914) and Lady Jennifer (1915). John Strange died on 13 December 1911 in Putney, London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Director
Károly Hatvani was born on 13 January 1858 in Félegyháza, Hungary. He was an actor and director, known for A koldusgróf (1918), A Gög (1918) and Dracula's Death (1921). He died on 19 February 1929 in Budapest, Hungary.- Josef Wanderer was born on 13 January 1859 in Prague, Austrian Empire [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for Batalion (1927) and Josef Kajetán Tyl (1926). He died on 11 March 1928 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic].
- August Van den Hoeck was born on 13 January 1863 in Brussels, Belgium. He was an actor, known for Gloria transita (1917), De zwarte tulp (1921) and L'ampoule brisée (1922). He died on 27 March 1942 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands.
- Henry Carson Clarke was born on 13 January 1863 in New York City, New York, USA. He is known for Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford (1916).
- Prinsesse Marie was born on 13 January 1865 in Ham, Surrey, England, UK. She was married to Prins Valdemar. She died on 4 December 1909 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Haidee Wright was born on 13 January 1867 in Tunstall, Staffordshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Cabaret Kid (1926), Aunt Rachel (1920) and Paddy the Next Best Thing (1923). She died on 29 January 1943 in Hendon, Middlesex, England, UK.
- Johanne Voss was born on 13 January 1868 in Bergen, Norway. She was an actress, known for Himmeluret (1925), Baldevins bryllup (1926) and Jeg drepte! (1942). She died on 27 July 1946 in Kristiania, Norway.
- Director
- Writer
- Editor
Zanmu Kako was born on 13 January 1869 in Anamizu-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. Zanmu was a director and writer, known for Konjiki yasha (1922), Omoi tsuma (1921) and Biwauta (1921). Zanmu died on 21 March 1938 in Tokyo, Japan.- The Duke of Aosta was born on 13 January 1869 in Genoa, Liguria, Italy. He was married to Hélène d'Orléans. He died on 4 July 1931 in Turin, Piedmont, Italy.
- Actor
- Writer
Irving White was born on 13 January 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Always in My Heart (1942), Daughters Courageous (1939) and Rich Relations (1937). He was married to Alma Chester. He died on 18 April 1944 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Louis Payne was born on 13 January 1873 in Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for The Only Thing (1925), As Man Desires (1925) and The Last Edition (1925). He was married to Mrs. Leslie Carter. He died on 14 August 1953 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Adolfo Bernáldez was born on 13 January 1874 in Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Las de Méndez (1927), En tiempos de Don Porfirio (1940) and Corazón, o La vida de una modista (1925). He was married to Alfonsina Guerrier. He died on 28 April 1944 in Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico.- Rózsi Forrai was born on 13 January 1874 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary [now Hungary]. He was an actor, known for A szerencse fia (1917). He was married to Jenö Törzs. He died on 20 June 1931 in Budapest, Hungary.
- William 'Shorty' Blanche was born on 13 January 1875 in Tennessee, USA. He was an actor. He died on 2 August 1931 in New York, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Composer and singer Grace Lane was part of The Lane Sisters - Dorothy
(later Walker), Grace and Betty Lane - who began their careers at
Connecticut radio stations WICC in Bridgeport and WELI in New Haven.
They lived at 1080 Morehouse Street and their father Bill Lane owned
Bill's Diner on Broad Street and their mother was pianist Carrie Lane,
who was instrumental in promoting the girls' career at various benefits
and charitable events. When they joined the McFarland Twins Band just
before World War II, they began being billed as the Norton Sisters
(from their mother's maiden name) so as not to be confused with the
Lane Sisters of films. Soon they began working with the orchestras of
Tony Pastor, Carl Hoff and then Vaughn Monroe, with the latter
recording several RCA Victor hits including "There I've Said It Again"
and "Let It Snow." Middle sister Grace ended the trio in October of
1945 with her marriage to music publisher Al Gallico. Betty (later
Frankhauser), the youngest sister, joined the bands of George Paxton
and Hal McIntyre until she married and left the business in the early
1950s. But in 1961 the Lane Sisters reunited under their original name,
encouraged by Al Gallico of the Shapiro Bernstein publishing company,
and recorded "Peek A Boo Moon" and "Birmingham Rag" (written by Grace)
for Landa Records. Grace Lane Gallico joined ASCAP in 1954 and her
musical collaborators included Tom Glazer, Earl Shuman and Leon Carr.
Her other popular-song compositions include "Pass the Plate of
Happiness Around," "Fontainebleu," "Margarita," "Penny Was Lucky for
Me," "Darling, You Make It So", "Twilight Waltz", Clinging Vine",
"Believe in Me", and, for Titus Turner, "Bla Bla Bla, Cha Cha Cha."- Ivan Novikov was born on 13 January 1877 in the Russian Empire. He was a writer, known for Aleshina dudka (1919), Domovoy-agitator (1920) and Neoplachennoye pismo (1927). He died on 10 January 1959 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].
- Harry Bernard was born on 13 January 1878 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Shadow (1937), Saps at Sea (1940) and Bedtime Worries (1933). He died on 4 November 1940 in Hollywood, California, USA.
- Lionel Groulx was born on 13 January 1879 in Vaudreuil, Québec, Canada. He was a writer, known for Le chanoine Lionel Groulx, historien (1960), Les adieux de la Grise (2013) and Reportage (1956). He died on 23 May 1967 in Vaudreuil, Québec, Canada.
- Elaine Inescourt was born on 13 January 1879 in St George Hanover Square, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for An Arabian Knight (1920), Androcles and the Lion (1946) and Anna Karenina (1961). She was married to Harry Willes Darell de Windt and John Wightman. She died on 7 July 1964 in Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Herbert Brenon was born on 13 January 1880 in Dublin, Ireland, UK [now Republic of Ireland]. He was a director and writer, known for Beau Geste (1926), Ivanhoe (1913) and Sorrell and Son (1927). He was married to Mrs. Herbert Brenon. He died on 21 June 1958 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
André Berley was born on 13 January 1880 in Paris, France. He was an actor, known for The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), Jenny Lind (1931) and Le petit café (1931). He died on 27 November 1936 in Paris, France.- Additional Crew
Lillian K. Deighton was born on 13 January 1881 in Pennsylvania, USA. Lillian K. died on 7 July 1950 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.- Johannes Steiner was born on 13 January 1881 in Zürich, Kanton Zürich, Switzerland. He is known for Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe (1941), Der achti Schwyzer (1940) and Das Weyerhuus (1940).
- Alois Hitler was born on 13 January 1882 in Vienna, Lower Austria, Austria-Hungary. He was married to Hedwig Heidemann and Bridget Dowling. He died on 20 May 1956 in Hamburg, West Germany.
- Princess Mona Darkfeather was born Josephine M. Workman in the Boyle
Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles on 13 January 1882. Her
grandparents were William Workman (1799-1876), a native of England, and
Nicolasa Urioste (1802-1892), who hailed from the Taos Pueblo of New
Mexico. Consequently, though Darkfeather stated in a 1914 film magazine
interview that she was descended "from an aristocratic Spanish family,"
she likely had at least some Indian blood through her grandmother. Her
father was José (Joseph) Workman (1833-1901), who worked as a ranch
superintendent in Kern County, California, when he married Josephine
Belt (1850-1937), a native of Stockton, California, of American and
Peruvian ancestry. Josephine was the youngest of their seven children.
The first hint of her involvement in entertainment appears to have been
captured in the 1900 federal census, where her profession was given as
"whistler." Some have speculated this was a job calling out to
passersby to visit a nickelodeon theater. In 1909, however, the year
films were first made in Los Angeles, Josephine answered an
advertisement calling for a dark-featured woman for acting roles.
Quickly, she became a major star in the fledgling film industry in
Hollywood with her peak period of activity coming between 1913 and
1915.
Working with film director Frank E. Montgomery (a.k.a., Akley),
Princess Mona made dozens of short films as a stereotypical Indian for
such companies as Bison, Nestor, Kalem and Centaur and one full-length
film for Universal in 1917. Her last film appearance was in 1926. Her husband
continued to work in the industry as a cameraman and bit player, the
former Princess lived in obscurity for decades.
She lived in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles until her death
on 3 September 1977 when she was 95 years old. She died as a ward of
the State of California and her collection of film memorabilia,
recalled by relatives, was likely discarded as she had lost contact
with her family. Josephine Workman/Princess Mona Darkfeather was buried
in an unmarked grave at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California, but in late 2014 her great-nephew, Doug Neilson, had a grave marker installed to identify this early silent film star. - Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Domenico Savino was born on 13 January 1882 in Taranto, Puglia, Italy. He was a composer, known for The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Café Society (2016) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). He died in 1973 in New York City, New York, USA.- Ora Devereaux was born on 13 January 1882 in California, USA. She was an actress, known for Enter Madame (1922), The Peddler of Lies (1920) and The Woman's Side (1922). She died on 11 December 1951 in Orange, California, USA.
- Additional Crew
Carl Stecker was born on 13 January 1882 in Michigan, USA. He died on 12 January 1963 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Toni von Bukovics was born on 13 January 1882 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary [now Hungary]. She was an actress, known for Carl Peters (1941), Kongo-Express (1939) and An der schönen blauen Donau (1955). She died on 2 November 1970.
- Spyros Melas was a Greek journalist, writer, dramatist, stage director, editor and academic. He was one of the most productive figures with a long-standing service and manifold activities in the intellectual domain of his time.
He was born in Nafpaktos and joined the Athens University Law School, but did not complete his studies. He started his career in journalism with the newspapers 'Asty' and 'Acropolis', while he was soon distinguished as a chronicler and war correspondent at the Balkan Wars, where he served as an artillery sergeant and at the Greco-Italian war, as well. He published his experience in his book "Polemikes selides" (War Pages).
He served as the chief editor in the newspapers "Chronos", "Nea Imera", "Patris", as the director in "Democratia" (1924) and collaborated with many others ("Ebros", "I Kathimerini", "Eleftheria", "Estia", "To Vima"), while in 1948, he published the periodical "Elliniki Dimiourgia".
He also deployed an important activity in the theater area, as a writer, actor and director. In 1925, he founded the short-lived "Theatro Tehnis" (Art Theater) and in 1929 co-founded the theater company "Elefthera Skini" (Free Stage) with Marika Kotopouli and Dimitris Myrat. He was the director of this companies. He revived notably the Athenian repertoire from 1924 until 1936 and collaborated with Aliki Theodorides and Kostas Mousouris.
In 1935, he was elected a member of the Academy of Athens, where he served as the president in 1959. - Ernest Sefton was born on 13 January 1883 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Strictly Illegal (1935), She Shall Have Music (1935) and Silent Barriers (1937). He died on 5 December 1954 in Surrey, England, UK.
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Clarence Elmer was born on 13 January 1883 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was an actor and assistant director, known for The Engineer's Revenge (1914), Patsy at School (1914) and Patsy, Married and Settled (1915). He died on 17 March 1961 in New York, USA.- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Adrian was the only child of Col. Robert Adams and Ellen McMahon Johnson. Ellen was Robert Johnson's third wife, the other two dying after only a few years of marriage. Even though he was reared as an only child, Adrian had four half-siblings. The Johnson family originally came from near Georgetown, Kentucky and were influential in state politics. Adrian was only three years of age when his father passed away, but his father's connections led him to receive a good education. He graduated with a Liberal Arts Degree from St. Mary's College in Belmont, North Carolina. He would become a prolific screenwriter for early day silent films, starting first at Metro and then for the William Fox Company. He has been credited with writing at least fifty-three early day productions, including "The Darling of Paris" (1915) and "Cleopatra" (1917), starring Theda Bara. He was working for the Fox company as early as 1915 and continued until the early 1930s, having relocated to Los Angeles. On March 5, 1926, he married Margaret Cloud, a comedienne. Johnson and his wife continued living in Los Angeles, furthering their careers until well after 1940.- Ludwig Strecker der Jüngere was born on 13 January 1883 in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Ludwig Strecker der is known for Die Zaubergeige (1963).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
What becomes a legend most? For the beloved Russian-born entertainer
Sophie Tucker, it was most definitely the live stage. The stage was her
home. She fed off a live audience and it's what made her the sensation
she was. Seeing her up close and personal was to get the very best of
her. Movies and TV were too restrictive to capture the true essence of
Sophie Tucker. For well over five decades, she performed everywhere --
Broadway, vaudeville, cabaret, clubs and burlesque.
This gutsy, irrepressible "Jazz Age Hot Mamma" was born Sonya Kalish
in Russia in 1884 just as her family was about to emigrate to the
United States. They left when she was a mere three months old, settling
in Hartford, Connecticut. She started performing as a youngster in her
parent's small restaurant, occasionally singing and playing the piano
for tips. Marrying in her teens to a ne'er-do-well, she was forced to
continue at the restaurant to support a family of three (including baby
boy Bert). Within a short time, however, she divorced, left her child
with her parents, and headed to nearby New York with visions of
stardom. Changing her name to the more suitable marquee moniker of
"Sophie Tucker" (her ex-husband's name was Louis Tuck), she proceeded
to take the town by storm.
Sophie started out in amateur shows. Not a beauty by any stretch, she
was grossly overweight and quickly found that self parody and racy
comedy, punctuated by her jazzy musical style, would become the
backbone of her popularity. Playing at various dives, she earned a
minor break in 1906 after earning a singing/piano-playing gig on the
vaudeville circuit. Disguised in blackface, she played ragtime music.
Her humor, of course, came at the expense of her weight but, with such
ditties as "Nobody Loves a Fat Girl, But Oh How a Fat Girl Can Love,"
she had audiences eating out of the palm of her hand. They were
laughing with her, not at her. One night her makeup kit was stolen and
she was forced to stand in front of the curtain and entertain without
it. The audience went crazy for her and the rest is history. She never
wore blackface again.
Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. caught her act and started her off in his Follies shows in
1909. She proved to be such a scene-stealer, however, that other top
female headliners refused to be on the same billing with her. She went
on instead to headline her own shows. A cross between the sex-minded
Mae West and the homely, self-effacing Fanny Brice, Sophie relied on
aggressive sexual innuendo to win over her crowds. She had a faux
confidence about her sexuality, dressing up with opulent, come-hither
costumes. She gave advice to both women and married men in such songs
as "You've Got to Make It Legal, Mr. Siegel." Sophie played The Palace
-- vaudeville's "A" No. 1 showcase. She made huge hits out of such
naughty novelty songs as "Who Paid the Rent for Mrs. Rip van Winkle
When Rip Van Winkle Went Away?" These songs stayed with her act for
decades. Sophie was also a pioneer recording artist, recording her
famous signature song "Some of These Days" for the Edison Company on
February 24, 1911. She re-recorded the song in 1926. Other big hits
would include "After You've Gone," "Cheatin' On Me" and "My Yiddishe
Mama."
Her blockbuster success in America aggressively spread into Europe.
Upon returning from her first trip to Berlin in 1925, however, things
had changed. Vaudeville was dying and she started looking into radio
and films as a viable means of livelihood. Radio, yes, but films were a
major disappointment. She was too bawdy and larger-than-life for the
small lens. Besides, she really couldn't act. Nevertheless, in 1929,
Sophie made her film debut as an night club singer in Honky Tonk (1929) in which
she sang her ever-popular "Some of These Days" in addition to "I Never
Want to Get Thin" and "I'm the Last of the Red Hot Mamas." She went on
to share the spotlight with Judy Garland in Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937), in which she played a
non-singing boarding house owner. She would showcase her signature tune
"Some of These Days" twice more in movies, in Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) and Follow the Boys (1944).
In the 1930s Tucker brought a wave of burlesque-styled nostalgia into
her show, now billing herself as "The Last of the Red Hot Mamas." She
had a hit Broadway musical comedy with "Leave It to Me" in 1938-1939
which co-starred the comedy team of William Gaxton and Victor Moore, along with a
debuting Mary Martin. With her financial success, she started the Sophie
Tucker foundation in 1945.
In the 1950s and early 1960s the woman, hailed as "The First Lady of
Show Business," made frequent TV appearances on the popular variety and
talk shows of the day. She remained a favorite both here and abroad,
especially in London music halls where she once greeted King George
with an earthy "Hiya, King!" On April 13, 1963, a Broadway musical
entitled "Sophie" opened with Libi Staiger in the title role, based on
Sophie's early life (until 1922). It closed after eight performances.
Sophie went on doing her thing until the very end, playing the Latin
Quarter only months before her death. She had developed lung cancer and
died at age 82 of lung and kidney complications in 1966. She was
interred at Emanuel Cemetery in Wethersfield, Connecticut, her home
state. For Sophie Tucker, a true legend, it was either her way or the
highway, and the audiences embraced her for it.- Fred Ardath was born on 13 January 1884 in Toledo, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Lights Out (1946), The Singing Bee (1929) and Cabaret Nights (1929). He died in 1955 in Valhalla, New York, USA.
- Johan Elsensohn was born on 13 January 1884 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. He was an actor, known for Bleeke Bet (1934), Oranje Hein (1925) and Op een avond in mei (1936). He died on 23 March 1966 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands.
- Additional Crew
Alfred Brandt was born on 13 January 1884. He is known for The Sea Lion (1921), The Alien (1915) and The Battle of Gettysburg (1913).- Gyula Stella was born on 13 January 1884 in Budapest, Hungary. He was an actor, known for Göre Gábor bíró úr pesti kalandozásai (1914), A szökött katona (1915) and Göre Marcsa lakodalma (1915). He died on 9 April 1931 in Budapest, Hungary.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
James V. Monaco was born on 13 January 1885 in Fornia, Italy. He was a composer, known for Sphere (1998), Sweet and Low-Down (1944) and Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). He was married to Virginia Case. He died on 16 October 1945 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Maurice Samuels was born on 13 January 1885 in Romania. He was an actor, known for Black Hand (1950) and Insurance Investigator (1951). He died on 1 August 1964 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Writer
- Actor
- Music Department
Ettore Petrolini was born on 13 January 1886 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He was a writer and actor, known for Nerone (1930), Il medico per forza (1931) and 47 morto che parla (1950). He died on 29 June 1936 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.