Julius Nathanson (sometimes spelled Natanson, , July 17, 1890 – May 14, 1957) was a prominent figure on the Yiddish stage, known for his career as both a character actor and comedian. Over the course of nearly five decades, he made significant contributions to Yiddish theater.

Early life

Julius Nathanson was born on July 17, 1890, in

Pavoloch Pavoloch (also known as ''Pavolitsh'' in Yiddish, ''Pawolotsch'' in German language, German, Па́волочь in Russian language, Russian and ''Pawołocz'' in Polish language, Polish) is a village, selo in Zhytomyr Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast in ce ...

Kiev Governorate Kiev Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire (1796–1917), Ukrainian People's Republic (1917–18; 1918–1921), Ukrainian State (1918), and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1919–19 ...

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(now Ukraine). His father worked as a grain trader. Until the age of ten, Natanson studied in a

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 sang with a

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. ...

in the local

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

. Later, when his family moved to

Kiev 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, ...

, he became a lace worker. During his time in Kiev, Natanson sang for several years in a chorus at Brodsky Synagogue. Simultaneously, he worked as an employee in a

haberdashery __NOTOC__ In British English, a haberdasher is a business or person who sells small articles for sewing, dressmaking and knitting, such as buttons, ribbons, and zippers; in the United States, the term refers instead to a men's clothing store ...

store and, later, in a hotel. In the evenings, he pursued education at the ''handverker'' (

artisan An artisan (from , ) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, sculpture, clothing, food ite ...

) school.

Immigration to the United States

In 1905, Nathanson's family arrived in the United States and settled in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. For two years, Julius worked in a tailor shop, attended evening school, and privately took Yiddish lessons. In 1907, Nathanson began working in Jewish theaters: as a wardrobe attendant, a ticket seller, a role transcriber and poster paster.

Theatrical career

Nathanson's career then took him to different cities, including

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, and

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, where he worked in various capacities, such as a singer in a Jewish cinema and a prompter in theater troupes. Nathanson continued his pursuits in the entertainment industry, managing a cinema in Denver for two years and returning to cabarets as a singer. His collaborations with his wife, Anna, in English vaudeville acts took him to various provincial troupes. Securing an engagement at

Liberty Theatre The Liberty Theatre is a former Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 234 West 42nd Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1904, the theater was designed by Herts & Tallant ...

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marked a turning point for Nathanson. Subsequently, he joined

Boris Thomashefsky Boris Thomashefsky (, sometimes written Thomashevsky, Thomaschevsky, etc.; ) (1868–July 9, 1939), born Boruch-Aharon Thomashefsky, was a Ukrainian-born (later American) Jewish singer and actor who became one of the biggest stars in Yiddish th ...

's People's Theatre in the same season, where he landed roles in plays alongside Thomashefsky's wife, Bessie. Over the following seasons, Nathanson played at the National Theater and spent a year in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, serving as both an actor and manager. He returned to New York, joining the cast of New York's Grand Theatre. Later, he returned to

, where he was the leading actor and director of a local Jewish theater for four years. In 1927–1928, Nathanson acted at the Second Avenue Theater, and in the 1928–1929 season, he directed a theater in Philadelphia. Following this, he toured Argentina and other Latin American countries in 1930. In 1931, Nathanson performed at the Chicago's Lawndale Theatre, toured the American provinces, and visited Europe. He continued his involvement in the Yiddish theater community, becoming a member of the executive committee of the

Hebrew Actors' Union The Hebrew Actors' Union (HAU) was a craft union for actors in Yiddish theater in the United States (primarily in New York City), and was the first actors' union in the United States. The union was affiliated with the Associated Actors and Artiste ...

and the editorial board of the Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre. Julius Nathanson passed away on May 14, 1957, at his home at Reseda, California, at the age of 66.

Personal life

Julius Nathanson was married to Anna Nathanson (1895–1988), also a figure in the Jewish theater and an actress.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nathanson, Julius 1890 births 1957 deaths Jewish American male actors Yiddish theatre performers 20th-century American people 20th-century American Jews American Ashkenazi Jews