Natasha Lytess (born 16 May 1911,

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

– died 12 May 1963, Zurich, Switzerland) was an actress, writer and drama coach.

Life

Born Natalia Postmann and also known as Tala Forman, she had studied with the director

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born theatre and film director, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he is regarded as one of the most pro ...

and appeared in the repertory theater. She is said to have had a relationship with the writer Bruno Frank, who is also said to be the father of her daughter Barbara, born in 1943. When the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...

came to power, and in light of her

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

heritage, she moved to the United States and settled down in

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. She had hoped for a great stage career, but her accent and purportedly unfeminine appearance limited the roles she could play. Among her acting credits were appearances in ''

Comrade X ''Comrade X'' is a 1940 American comedy spy film directed by King Vidor and starring Clark Gable and Hedy Lamarr. The supporting cast features Oskar Homolka, Eve Arden and Sig Rumann. In February 2020, the film was shown at the 70th Berlin Inte ...

'' (1940), ''

Once Upon a Honeymoon ''Once Upon a Honeymoon'' is a 1942 romantic comedy/drama starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, and Walter Slezak, directed by Leo McCarey, and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It was nominated for the Oscar for Best Sound Recording (Stephen Dunn) ...

'' (1942), and '' The House on Telegraph Hill'' (1951). Her performance in ''Once Upon a Honeymoon'' drew praise from ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

, who said she "shines with clear and poignant brilliance in a brief part as a Jewish chambermaid." In her career as a drama coach, her students included

Mamie Van Doren Mamie Van Doren (born Joan Lucille Olander; February 6, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and sex symbol. She is perhaps best known for the rock 'n' roll, juvenile delinquency exploitation film ''Untamed Youth'' (1957). Early life Van D ...

Virginia Leith Virginia Leith (October 15, 1925 – November 4, 2019) was an American film and television actress. Career Leith starred in a few films, with her most productive period coming in the 1950s. Her debut was also the first film directed by St ...

, and Ann Savage (who reputedly got her stage name after a particularly "savage" argument with Lytess). Lytess is known best for her partnership with actress

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

from 1948 to 1956. During her time as a drama coach for Columbia Pictures, Lytess was shown Monroe's screen test and convinced the head of Columbia Pictures to hire Monroe for a six-month contract. Lytess appeared on

What's My Line ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

on September 12, 1954, as Marilyn Monroe's Dramatic Coach. Her occupation was guessed by

Bennett Cerf Bennett Alfred Cerf (May 25, 1898 – August 27, 1971) was an American writer, publisher, and co-founder of the American publishing firm Random House. Cerf was also known for his own compilations of jokes and puns, for regular personal appearanc ...

in the free guess given the panel before the game began because he recognized her face. Lytess coached Marilyn through more than 20 films before their partnership began to deteriorate. Lytess is rumored to have had more than professional feelings towards Monroe which developed, according to Monroe and other actresses that studied under Lytess, into an overbearing obsession. In 1956, Monroe sent Lytess a telegram saying that she did not require Natasha's services anymore, and the partnership ended after more than seven years.

Death

Lytess died of cancer four days before her 52nd birthday in Zurich, Switzerland. She was portrayed by

Lindsay Crouse Lindsay Ann Crouse is a retired American actress. She made her Broadway debut in the 1972 revival of ''Much Ado About Nothing'' and appeared in her first film in 1976 in ''All the President's Men''. For her role in the 1984 film ''Places in the ...

in ''

Norma Jean & Marilyn ''Norma Jean & Marilyn'' is a 1996 made-for-TV biographical film produced by HBO and premiered on May 18, 1996. The film featured Ashley Judd as Norma Jean Dougherty and Mira Sorvino as Marilyn Monroe. It was partially based on the 1989 book '' ...

'', and by Embeth Davidtz in ''

The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe ''The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe'' is a 2015 American drama miniseries on Marilyn Monroe. It stars Kelli Garner, Susan Sarandon, Emily Watson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Eva Amurri Martino and was first aired on Lifetime on May 30 and 31, 20 ...

''.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Natasha Lytess on ''What's My Line'' (1954)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lytess, Natasha 1911 births 1963 deaths Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Germany German emigrants to the United States Deaths from cancer in Switzerland Actresses from Berlin