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Tenen Holtz

Tenen Holtz

Birthday: 1887-02-17 | Place of Birth: Volin - Russia

Elihu "Elye" Tenenholtz was born in the Russian hamlet of Azran, near the city of Rovne, in 1887 and came to the US at the age of ten. His first appearance in amateur Yiddish theatricals occurred in 1903, in staged readings of the works of Yiddish author Sholom Aleichem, the first person to do that. He augmented his theater appearances by writing for and editing a Yiddish satirical magazine under the pen-name "Moishe McCarthy". In 1916 he made the leap to the professional Yiddish stage and, befriended by the great doyenne Bessie Thomashevsky, helped her pen her memoirs, the first publication documenting a Yiddish actor's life. By 1920 he was appearing on both the Yiddish art stage with Maurice Schwartz and on Broadway, quickly rising to the top leadership of the Hebrew Actors' Union, the first arts union in America. In 1925 he co-founded a theater company with Celia Adler, half-sister of Luther Adler and "Method" teacher Stella Adler. In 1926 he was summoned to Hollywood and given a five-year contract at MGM. Like most Jewish actors, when he arrived in Hollywood he changed his name (choosing to bifurcate it into "Tenen Holtz"). During that time he regularly appeared in films alongside such stars as Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow and Marion Davies and under directors like King Vidor and Victor Fleming. This period would prove to be Tenenholtz's most prolific and would account for the majority of the 50+ films in which he would appear. While in Hollywood he helped jump start its fledgling Yiddish theater, founding a popular Yiddish theater company that included other transplanted Yiddish actors including Muni Weisenfreund (aka Paul Muni, father and son Rudolph Schildkraut and Joseph Schildkraut. When his contract at MGM ended, he moved over to Warner Brothers where he made films with Leslie Howard under the direction of Michael Curtiz. By the late 1930s the only calls he got were from Poverty Row studios, so Tenenholtz moved to nearby Monrovia and opened a chicken ranch. Though he would occasionally go back in front of the camera, he retired from film. By the time TV emerged, he landed a few roles on shows such as Perry Mason (1957) and Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955). He died in 1971.

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Known For

International Crime
International Crime

International Crime   1938

Release Date: 
1938

Rating: 5.4

genres: 
Crime  /  Science Fiction  /  Mystery
Stars: 
Rod La Rocque  /  Astrid Allwyn  /  Thomas E. Jackson
Hollywood Mystery
Hollywood Mystery

Hollywood Mystery   1934

Release Date: 
1934

Rating: 4.8

Stars: 
June Clyde  /  Frank Albertson  /  José Crespo
The Cardboard Lover
The Cardboard Lover

The Cardboard Lover   1928

Release Date: 
1928

Rating: 6.6

genres: 
Comedy  /  Romance
Stars: 
Marion Davies  /  Jetta Goudal  /  Nils Asther
Show People
Show People

Show People   1928

Release Date: 
1928

Rating: 7.6

genres: 
Comedy  /  Romance
Stars: 
Marion Davies  /  William Haines  /  Dell Henderson
The Law of the Range
The Law of the Range

The Law of the Range   1928

Release Date: 
1928

Rating: 1.9

genres: 
Western
Stars: 
Tim McCoy  /  Joan Crawford  /  Rex Lease
The Trail of '98
The Trail of '98

The Trail of '98   1928

Release Date: 
1928

Rating: 7

genres: 
Adventure  /  Action
Stars: 
Dolores del Río  /  Ralph Forbes  /  Karl Dane

Acting

1938
International Crime

as    Starkhov

1934
Hollywood Mystery

as    Benjamin Vogel

1928
The Cardboard Lover

as    Albine

1928
Show People

as    Casting Director

1928
The Law of the Range

as    Cohen

1928
The Trail of '98

as    Mr. Bulkey

1928
Detectives

as    Orloff

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