Theodore Kosloff
Encyclopedia
Theodore Kosloff was a Russian-born ballet
dancer, choreographer and film and stage actor
. He was occasionally credited as Theodor Kosloff.
in 1882, Kosloff began his professional ballet career after training at Moscow's Imperial Theater
. After graduating in 1901, he began touring internationally with the Diaghilev Ballet Company
which he had joined in 1909. While touring with the company, Kosloff began a romantic relationship with fellow company member, the American future set-designer and Mrs. Rudolph Valentino
, Natacha Rambova
. The affair however, was brief and allegedly tumultuous.
After arriving in the United States of America in 1909, Kosloff was introduced to influential film director Cecil B. DeMille
by the actress and writer Jeanie MacPherson
. DeMille was also encouraged to sign Kosloff due to the persistence of his young niece Agnes de Mille
, who was an ardent fan of the ballet dancer. DeMille was immediately impressed by the dark-haired young dancer and quickly put Kosloff to work as an actor. Kosloff's first role was in the 1917 DeMille directed The Woman God Forgot
opposite the extremely popular American singer and actress, Geraldine Farrar
.
Kosloff also worked steadily during his acting career as a choreographer and between 1912 and 1916 choreographed several Broadway
musicals: The Passing Show of 1915 (1915–1916), A World of Pleasure (1915–1916) and See America First (1916). From 1918 through 1919 Kosloff also appeared on the stage as an actor in the revival of The Awakening.
In early 1923, the Los Angeles Times reported that Kosloff had been offered the throne of the Tatars
. He traveled to New York City in February of that year, where he saw his brother and fellow dancer Alexis Kosloff and met with representatives of the Liberal party of Kazan
. Fearing the resistance of the Conservative party, Kosloff turned down the offer, saying: "I could be Khan, but it is doubtful for how long. And I decided I would rather be a live motion-picture actor than a dead king!"
Kosloff's career as a film actor spanned the 1920s and Kosloff often appeared as the leading man opposite such well renowned actresses as Nita Naldi, Gloria Swanson
, Bebe Daniels
and Anna Q. Nilsson
. With his dark hair and complexion, the ballet dancer was often cast in more exotic roles, often as a "Latin lover" type, Eastern European prince or noble, or Arabic sheik. Kosloff's acting career often relied heavily on DeMille procuring roles for him in his films. Indeed, the majority of Kosloff's film roles are in DeMille directed films.
Kosloff's acting career came to an end with the advent of sound film
. Studio executives were reluctant to cast him in roles because of his pronounced Russian accent. Kosloff's last film role was an uncredited role as a dance instructor in the 1937 Gregory La Cava
directed Stage Door
, opposite Ginger Rogers
, Katharine Hepburn
and Adolphe Menjou
.
. Theodore Kosloff died in 1956 in Los Angeles at the age of 74 and was interred at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
in North Hollywood
.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Theodore Kosloff was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
located at 1617 Vine Street, in Hollywood, California
.
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
dancer, choreographer and film and stage actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He was occasionally credited as Theodor Kosloff.
Career
Born Fyodor Mikhailovich Koslov in MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1882, Kosloff began his professional ballet career after training at Moscow's Imperial Theater
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
. After graduating in 1901, he began touring internationally with the Diaghilev Ballet Company
Sergei Diaghilev
Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev , usually referred to outside of Russia as Serge, was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes, from which many famous dancers and choreographers would arise.-Early life and career:...
which he had joined in 1909. While touring with the company, Kosloff began a romantic relationship with fellow company member, the American future set-designer and Mrs. Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
, Natacha Rambova
Natacha Rambova
Natacha Rambova was an American silent film costume and set designer, artistic director, screenwriter, producer and occasional actress. Later in life she worked as a mildly successful fashion designer and Egyptologist....
. The affair however, was brief and allegedly tumultuous.
After arriving in the United States of America in 1909, Kosloff was introduced to influential film director Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
by the actress and writer Jeanie MacPherson
Jeanie MacPherson
Jeanie MacPherson was a silent film actress from 1908 to 1917 and a film screenwriter through the 1940s....
. DeMille was also encouraged to sign Kosloff due to the persistence of his young niece Agnes de Mille
Agnes de Mille
Agnes George de Mille was an American dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Agnes de Mille was born in New York City into a well-connected family of theater professionals. Her father William C. deMille and her uncle Cecil B. DeMille were both Hollywood directors...
, who was an ardent fan of the ballet dancer. DeMille was immediately impressed by the dark-haired young dancer and quickly put Kosloff to work as an actor. Kosloff's first role was in the 1917 DeMille directed The Woman God Forgot
The Woman God Forgot
-Cast:* Wallace Reid - Alvarado* Raymond Hatton - Montezuma* Hobart Bosworth - Cortez* Theodore Kosloff - Guatemoco* Walter Long - Taloc * Julia Faye - Tecza's handmaiden* Olga Grey - Aztec woman* Geraldine Farrar - Tecza...
opposite the extremely popular American singer and actress, Geraldine Farrar
Geraldine Farrar
Geraldine Farrar was an American soprano opera singer and film actress, noted for her beauty, acting ability, and "the intimate timbre of her voice." She had a large following among young women, who were nicknamed "Gerry-flappers".- Early life and opera career :Farrar was born in Melrose,...
.
Kosloff also worked steadily during his acting career as a choreographer and between 1912 and 1916 choreographed several Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musicals: The Passing Show of 1915 (1915–1916), A World of Pleasure (1915–1916) and See America First (1916). From 1918 through 1919 Kosloff also appeared on the stage as an actor in the revival of The Awakening.
In early 1923, the Los Angeles Times reported that Kosloff had been offered the throne of the Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
. He traveled to New York City in February of that year, where he saw his brother and fellow dancer Alexis Kosloff and met with representatives of the Liberal party of Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
. Fearing the resistance of the Conservative party, Kosloff turned down the offer, saying: "I could be Khan, but it is doubtful for how long. And I decided I would rather be a live motion-picture actor than a dead king!"
Kosloff's career as a film actor spanned the 1920s and Kosloff often appeared as the leading man opposite such well renowned actresses as Nita Naldi, Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson was an American actress, singer and producer. She was one of the most prominent stars during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille, made dozens of silents and was nominated for the first Academy Award in the...
, Bebe Daniels
Bebe Daniels
Bebe Daniels was an American actress, singer, dancer, writer and producer. She began her career in Hollywood during the silent movie era as a child actress, became a star in musicals like 42nd Street, and later gained further fame on radio and television in Britain...
and Anna Q. Nilsson
Anna Q. Nilsson
Anna Quirentia Nilsson was a Swedish born American actress who achieved success in American silent movies.-Background:...
. With his dark hair and complexion, the ballet dancer was often cast in more exotic roles, often as a "Latin lover" type, Eastern European prince or noble, or Arabic sheik. Kosloff's acting career often relied heavily on DeMille procuring roles for him in his films. Indeed, the majority of Kosloff's film roles are in DeMille directed films.
Kosloff's acting career came to an end with the advent of sound film
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
. Studio executives were reluctant to cast him in roles because of his pronounced Russian accent. Kosloff's last film role was an uncredited role as a dance instructor in the 1937 Gregory La Cava
Gregory La Cava
Gregory La Cava was an American film director best known for his films of the 1930s, including My Man Godfrey and Stage Door....
directed Stage Door
Stage Door
Stage Door is a RKO film, adapted from the play by the same name, that tells the story of several would-be actresses who live together in a boarding house at 158 West 58th Street in New York City. The film stars Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, Adolphe Menjou, Gail Patrick, Constance Collier,...
, opposite Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
, Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
and Adolphe Menjou
Adolphe Menjou
Adolphe Jean Menjou was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies, appearing in such films as The Sheik, A Woman of Paris, Morocco, and A Star is Born...
.
Later years and death
After retiring from acting, Kosloff continued to work as a choreographer and opened a successful ballet school in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Theodore Kosloff died in 1956 in Los Angeles at the age of 74 and was interred at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood, California.The cemetery has a special section called the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation that is the final resting place for a number of aviation pioneers — barnstormers, daredevils and...
in North Hollywood
North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California, along the Tujunga Wash. It is bounded on the south by Moorpark Street and the Ventura Freeway, on the southwest by Burbank Blvd...
.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Theodore Kosloff was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
located at 1617 Vine Street, in Hollywood, California
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
.