Sari Maritza (born Dora Patricia Detring-Nathan; 17 March 1910 – July 1987) was a British film

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

of the early 1930s.

Early years

Born Dora Patricia Detring-Nathan in

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popu ...

, China, Maritza was the daughter of Major Walter Simeon Nathan, an army engineer who was an agent and manager in Chinese Mining and Engineering, and his

Viennese Viennese may refer to: * Vienna, the capital of Austria * Viennese people, List of people from Vienna * Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna * Music of Vienna, musical styles in the city * Viennese Waltz, genre of ballroom dance * V ...

wife. Her stage name was taken from the titles of two then famous European operettas – ''Sari'' and ''

Countess Maritza ''Gräfin Mariza'' (''Countess Maritza'') is an operetta in three acts composed by Hungarian composer Emmerich Kálmán, with a German libretto by Julius Brammer and Alfred Grünwald. It premiered in Vienna on 28 February 1924 at the Theater an ...

''. British colonial administrator

Matthew Nathan Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan (3 January 1862 – 18 April 1939) was a British soldier and colonial administrator, who variously served as the Governor of Sierra Leone, Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast, Hong Kong, Natal and Quee ...

was her uncle.

Film

Maritza entered films in 1930 and gained some notoriety for dancing a tango with

Charles Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consid ...

at the premiere for his film '' City Lights'' in 1931. Although her behaviour was described as lurid, which was silly publicity, she attracted attention and was cast in several low budget, but relatively popular British films. She made the German-UK film '' Monte Carlo Madness'' in

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 ...

in 1932 before traveling to Hollywood, but her few films there for

Paramount Studios Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest ...

and

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

were poorly received. In America, she was portrayed as an exotic European

vamp The VaMP driverless car was one of the first truly autonomous cars Dynamic Vision for Perc ...

with emphasis placed on her mother's

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n heritage, but Maritza had lived most of her life in Britain, and disapproved of the studio's attempts to create a more mysterious facade for her. She retired in 1934 following her marriage, and in later years, admitted that she had been eager to end her career as she did not consider herself to be a capable actress. ''The

Literary Digest ''The Literary Digest'' was an influential American general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, ''Public Opinion'' and '' Current ...

'' said the name was pronounced ''SHA-ree MAR-ee-tsa''. (

Charles Earle Funk Charles Earle Funk (1881–1957) was an American lexicographer. He was a member of the Funk family who owned the publisher Funk & Wagnalls; Dr. Isaac Funk was his uncle. Funk wrote several etymological dictionaries An etymological dictionary di ...

, ''What's the Name, Please?'', Funk & Wagnalls, 1936.)

Personal life and death

On October 17, 1934, Maritza married film executive Sam Katz in Phoenix, Arizona. She died at age 77 in the U.S. Virgin Islands in July 1987.

Filmography

* ''

Greek Street Greek Street is a street in Soho, London, leading south from Soho Square to Shaftesbury Avenue. The street is famous for its restaurants and cosmopolitan nature. History It is thought to take its name from a Greek church that was built in ...

'' (1930) as Anna * ''

Bed and Breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

'' (UK, 1930) as Anne Entwhistle * ''

No Lady ''No Lady'' is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Lupino Lane and starring Lane, Renee Clama and Sari Maritza. It was made at Lime Grove Studios in Shepherd's Bush by Gaumont British Picture Corporation, Gaumont British, a company linked to ...

'' (1931) as Greta Gherkinski * '' The Water Gipsies'' (1932) as Lily Bell * '' Monte Carlo Madness'' (Germany/UK, 1932) as Queen Yola * ''

Forgotten Commandments ''Forgotten Commandments'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and William Schorr and written by James B. Fagan and Agnes Brand Leahy. The film stars Sari Maritza, Gene Raymond, Marguerite Churchill, Irving Pich ...

'' (1932) (1932) as Anya Sorina * ''

Evenings for Sale The evening is the period of the day between afternoon and night. Evening may also refer to: * ''Evening'' (magazine), a Japanese magazine * ''Evening'' (novel), a 1998 novel by Susan Minot ** ''Evening'' (film), a 2007 film * ''Evenings'' (f ...

'' (Paramount, 1932) (with Herbert Marshall, Charlie Ruggles, and Mary Boland) as Lela Fischer * '' A Lady's Profession'' (1933) as Cecily Withers * '' International House'' (Paramount, 1933) (with W. C. Fields, Bela Lugosi, George Burns, and Gracie Allen) as Carol Fortescue * ''

The Right to Romance ''The Right to Romance'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film starring Ann Harding and Robert Young and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Premise Ann Harding plays a successful plastic surgeon who meets a local playboy, played by Robert Young ...

'' (RKO, 1933) (with Ann Harding, Robert Young, and Nils Asther) as Lee Joyce *'' Her Secret'' (1933) as Waffles * '' Crimson Romance'' (1934) as Alida Hoffman (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maritza, Sari 1910 births 1987 deaths English film actresses 20th-century English actresses Actresses from Tianjin English people of Austrian descent British expatriates in China