Alexander Asro (also: Aleksander Azro; 10 February 1888 – January 1963) was a film and theatre actor. He was a member of the
Vilna Troupe and appeared in several comedic films in the United States.
Biography
Early life
Born in
Vilna
Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
, in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
(today Vilnius,
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
), Asro attended a traditional Jewish elementary school (
cheder
A ''cheder'' (, lit. 'room'; Yiddish pronunciation: ''khéyder'') is a traditional primary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language.
History
''Cheders'' were widely found in Europe before the end of the 18th century. L ...
), and early on gave 'circus' performances for other children together with his friend Jacob Lubotsky, the brother of
Sonia Alomis (born Lubotsky), Asro's future wife.
[Zylbercweig, Zalmen (1931).]
Azro, Aleksander
. In: Zylbercweig, with the assistance of Jacob Mestel, ''Leksikon fun yidishn teater'' exicon of the Yiddish theatre Vol. 1. New York. Columns 46-48.
He later joined the dramatic circles of the
Jewish Labor Bund
The General Jewish Labour Bund in Lithuania, Poland and Russia (), generally called The Bund (, cognate to , ) or the Jewish Labour Bund (), was a Jewish secularism, secular Jewish Socialism, socialist party initially formed in the Russian Empire ...
, making his first public appearance at the age of 13, in the role of Yehuda in the Biblical play ''Mechirat Yosef'' (The Sale of
Joseph
Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
), in a production by older tradesmen. In this way he came to the attention of the actor
Yehoshua Bertonov, who brought him into a group doing Russian vaudeville; he also participated in guest performances of
Jacob Ben-Ami
Jacob Ben-Ami (; November 23 or December 23, 1890, Minsk, Russian Empire – July 2, 1977, New York City, New York (state), New York, United States) was a noted Belarusian-born Jewish stage actor who performed equally well in Yiddish and English.
...
.
As a 16-year-old Asro became active in the workers' movement. After being arrested and interned, he fled to
Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
, where he enrolled in an art school to study painting, and simultaneously attended a middle school (''Realschule''), supported by a stipend from Baron Günzburg.
In Kiev he took part in the Russian-language
Solovtsov Theater,
which had become known for its dedication to artistic as well as commercial success; he was at first an "
extra
Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Film
* The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film
* The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film
Literature
* Extra (newspaper), ...
", and then advanced to small roles. He subsequently spent three-quarters of a year studying in the law department at the Kiev commercial school (''Handelsschule''), then served for a year in the Russian military; after his discharge from the military he returned to Vilna.
Vilna Troupe
In this period, around 1908, he was active in a literary dramatic circle that had formed in Vilna, including Noah Nachbush, Chaim Shneur, Sonia Alomis, Rachel-Dora Rivkina, and Frieda Blumental; the group worked with
Peretz Hirschbein, whose plays they performed and who was in Vilna at the time, and they traveled into the Lithuanian provinces giving performances.
In the autumn of 1915, under the German occupation of Vilna during the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Asro, along with the same colleagues, belonged to an amateur group that gave dramatic readings and performances of one-act plays.
They were among the larger group of actors who subsequently formed the association called ''Fareyn fun yidishe dramatishe artisten'' (FADA; Union of Yiddish dramatic artists).
[Riss (2000), p. 92.] Asro worked on organizing the first performance; by chance, the local circus owner was willing to have the group use the circus as a venue, since he feared it would otherwise be requisitioned by the military.
The new theatre company premiered in February 1916, with a performance of ''Der landsman'' (The countryman), a comedy by
Sholem Asch
Sholem Asch (, ; 1 November 1880 – 10 July 1957), also written Shalom Ash, was a Polish Jews, Polish-Jewish novelist, dramatist, and essayist in the Yiddish language who settled in the United States.
Life and work
Asch was born Szalom Asz in ...
.
[Bułat, Mirosława M. (November 2, 2010).]
Vilner Trupe
" ''YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe''. Retrieved 2016-08-26.
Aspiring to a purely literary Yiddish theater,
and taking
Stanislavski's troupe as its model, this company later became famous as the
Vilna Troupe.
American years
Asro created the role of "Sasha Smirnoff" in the 1937 play ''
Room Service
Room service or in-room dining is a hotel service enabling guests to choose items of food and drink for delivery to their hotel room for consumption. Room service is organized as a subdivision within the food and beverage department of high-end ...
'', and reprised the role in both the 1938
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...
film of the
same title, and the 1953 Broadway revival.
[Room Service,' a 1937 Comedy by Murray and Boretz, Is Revived at Playhouse" (April 7, 1953). ''New York Times''. "Alexander Asro, who was in the original 1937 cast of 'Room Service,' is back in the same role."]
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asro, Alexander
1888 births
1963 deaths
Jewish American male actors
American male film actors
American male stage actors
Yiddish theatre performers
People from Vilna Governorate
Place of birth missing
Place of death missing
20th-century American male actors