Meier Tzelniker (1 January 1894 – 8 October 1980) was a
Yiddish
Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...
-speaking
actor
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
born in
Hotin County, Romania. He appeared mainly in
Yiddish theatre
Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satire, satiric or nostalgic revues; melodr ...
, but was sometimes a character actor in English-language plays and films, such as ''
It Always Rains On Sunday'' (1947) and ''
Expresso Bongo'' (1959).
Biography
Meier Tzelniker was born in Hotin-Bessarabia, Romania, the son of a yeast manufacturer. Meier was a boy chorister in a synagogue when he got his first stage role in Yiddish theatre, and toured eastern Europe with a Yiddish theatre company.
Selected filmography
* ''
Mr. Emmanuel'' (1944) - Mr. Silver
* ''
It Always Rains on Sunday'' (1947) - Solly, his father
* ''
Last Holiday'' (1950) - Baltin
* ''
Venetian Bird
''Venetian Bird'' (U.S. title ''The Assassin'') is a 1952 British thriller film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Richard Todd, Eva Bartok and John Gregson. The screenplay was adapted by Victor Canning from his 1950 Venetian Bird (novel), no ...
'' (1952) - Mayor of Mirave
* ''
The Teckman Mystery'' (1954) - John Rice
* ''
Make Me an Offer'' (1954) - Wendl
* ''
The Woman for Joe'' (1955) - Sol Goldstein
* ''
The Extra Day
''The Extra Day'' (also known as ''Twelve Desperate Hours'' and ''12 Desperate Hours'') is a 1956 British comedy-drama film directed by William Fairchild and starring Richard Basehart, Simone Simon and George Baker.
Plot
After the final scen ...
'' (1956) - Lou Skeat
* ''
Stars in Your Eyes'' (1956) - Maxie Jago
* ''
The Long Haul'' (1957) - Nat Fine
* ''
A Night to Remember'' (1958) - Mr.
Isador Straus
* ''
Expresso Bongo'' (1959) - Mayer
* ''
Jungle Street'' (1960) - Mr. Rose
* ''
Let's Get Married'' (1960) - Schutzberger
* ''
A Circle of Deception'' (1960) - Barman
* ''
His and Hers'' (1961) - Felix McGregor
* ''
The 25th Hour
''The 25th Hour'' is the 2001 debut novel by David Benioff. A film adaptation, for which Benioff wrote the screenplay, was directed by Spike Lee and released in 2002.
Background
The idea for the book came when Benioff returned home to New Yor ...
'' (1967) - Abramovici
* ''
The Sorcerers'' (1967) - The Jewish Baker
* ''
The Killing of Sister George
''The Killing of Sister George'' is a 1964 play by Frank Marcus that was later adapted into a 1968 film directed by Robert Aldrich.
Stage version
Sister George is a beloved character in the popular radio series ''Applehurst'', a district nu ...
'' (1968) - Mr. Katz
References
External links
*
1894 births
1980 deaths
British male film actors
British male stage actors
Jewish British male actors
20th-century British male actors
Yiddish theatre performers
{{UK-stage-actor-stub