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Tenen Holtz

Tenen Holtz

Actor

Born February 17, 1887 in Volin - Russia

Died July 1, 1971

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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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Filmography

Actor

69

Type

Year

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Poster

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour TV Series1962The Druggist

Dr. Kildare Poster

Dr. Kildare TV Series1961Meade

The George Raft Story Poster

The George Raft Story Feature Film1961Doctor

The Barbara Stanwyck Show Poster

The Barbara Stanwyck Show TV Series1960Bronsky

Peter Gunn Poster

Peter Gunn TV Series1958Jan Norbinski

Perry Mason Poster

Perry Mason TV Series1957Mr. Gilfain

Alfred Hitchcock Presents Poster

Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV Series1955Sol Dankers

Bridal Suite Poster

Bridal Suite Feature Film1939Hotel Runner at Train Station

Henry Goes Arizona Poster

Henry Goes Arizona Feature Film1939Boris - a Ranch Hand

Let Freedom Ring Poster

Let Freedom Ring Feature Film1939Hunky

Mutiny on the Blackhawk Poster

Mutiny on the Blackhawk Feature Film1939

Paris Honeymoon Poster

Paris Honeymoon Feature Film1939Salesman

Cipher Bureau Poster

Cipher Bureau Feature Film1938Simon Herrick

International Crime Poster

International Crime Feature Film1938Starkhov

Nothing Sacred Poster

Nothing Sacred Feature Film1937Tearful Waiter

British Agent Poster

British Agent Feature Film1934Lenin

Hide-Out Poster

Hide-Out Feature Film1934Undetermined Secondary Role

Hollywood Mystery Poster

Hollywood Mystery Feature Film1934Benjamin Vogel

Hollywood Party Poster

Hollywood Party Feature Film1934Bald Man in Elevator

Money Means Nothing Poster

Money Means Nothing Feature Film1934Mr. Silverman

The Notorious Sophie Lang Poster

The Notorious Sophie Lang Feature Film1934Bystander

Big Executive Poster

Big Executive Feature Film1933Pawnbroker

Bombshell Poster

Bombshell Feature Film1933White - Lola's Agent

Broadway to Hollywood Poster

Broadway to Hollywood Feature Film1933Booking Agent

Dinner at Eight Poster

Dinner at Eight Feature Film1933Butler

Hard to Handle Poster

Hard to Handle Feature Film1933Tailor

Her Bodyguard Poster

Her Bodyguard Feature Film1933Hood

Reunion in Vienna Poster

Reunion in Vienna Feature Film1933Tourist with Drapes

The Chief Poster

The Chief Feature Film1933Bald Henchman at Cabin

The Prizefighter and the Lady Poster

The Prizefighter and the Lady Feature Film1933Maitre D'

Whistling in the Dark Poster

Whistling in the Dark Feature Film1933Herman Lefkovitz

Cock of the Air Poster

Cock of the Air Feature Film1932Tall Waiter

Faithless Poster

Faithless Feature Film1932Diner Proprietor

Frisco Jenny Poster

Frisco Jenny Feature Film1932Bail Bondsman

Caught Cheating Poster

Caught Cheating Feature Film1931

Devotion Poster

Devotion Feature Film1931Waiter

Gentleman's Fate Poster

Gentleman's Fate Feature Film1931Tony

Laughing Sinners Poster

Laughing Sinners Feature Film1931Poker-Playing Salesman

Sporting Blood Poster

Sporting Blood Feature Film1931Gus, Bald Gambling Mobster

Three Girls Lost Poster

Three Girls Lost Feature Film1931Photographer

All Teed Up Poster

All Teed Up Short Film1930Senator Brown

Lilies of the Field Poster

Lilies of the Field Feature Film1930Paymaster

Man Trouble Poster

Man Trouble Feature Film1930Morris, Maitre D

The Kibitzer Poster

The Kibitzer Feature Film1930Meyer

The Melody Man Poster

The Melody Man Feature Film1930Gustav

The Woman Racket Poster

The Woman Racket Feature Film1930Ben

Whispering Whoopee Poster

Whispering Whoopee Short Film1930Mr. Holtz

Charming Sinners Poster

Charming Sinners Feature Film1929Waiter

House of Horror Poster

House of Horror Feature Film1929Brown

Noisy Noises Poster

Noisy Noises Short Film1929Man practicing the fiddle

The Duke Steps Out Poster

The Duke Steps Out Feature Film1929Jake, Duke's Manager

Three Live Ghosts Poster

Three Live Ghosts Feature Film1929Crockery Man

Bringing Up Father Poster

Bringing Up Father Feature Film1928Ginsberg Feitelbaum

Detectives Poster

Detectives Feature Film1928Orloff

Show People Poster

Show People Feature Film1928Casting Director

The Cardboard Lover Poster

The Cardboard Lover Feature Film1928Argine

The Garden of Eden Poster

The Garden of Eden Feature Film1928Headwaiter at Palais de Paris

The Latest from Paris Poster

The Latest from Paris Feature Film1928Abe Littauer

The Law of the Range Poster

The Law of the Range Feature Film1928Cohen

The Ol' Gray Hoss Poster

The Ol' Gray Hoss Short Film1928Man with Soot on Face

The Trail of '98 Poster

The Trail of '98 Feature Film1928Mr. Bulkey

Frisco Sally Levy Poster

Frisco Sally Levy Feature Film1927Isaac Solomon Lapidowitz

Long Pants Poster

Long Pants Feature Film1927Minor Role

On Ze Boulevard Poster

On Ze Boulevard Feature Film1927Undetermined Secondary Role

Slide, Kelly, Slide Poster

Slide, Kelly, Slide Feature Film1927Bald Man on Train

The Demi-Bride Poster

The Demi-Bride Feature Film1927Gastón

Exit Smiling Poster

Exit Smiling Feature Film1926Tod Powell

Upstage Feature Film1926Sam Davis

Salome of the Tenements Poster

Salome of the Tenements Feature Film1925Banker Ben

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