Samuel Goldenberg (1883/1884–1945) was an actor 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 ...

on stage and screen.

Career

Goldenberg worked as a tailor before becoming a leading Yiddish-language actor-singer-pianist. He was known to incorporate piano solos into dramatic scenes, such as the gimmick of hiding a piano behind tombstones props to raise music from the dead. Goldenberg's performances included the title role in the Yiddish Art Theatre's '' Jew Suess'', Svengali in ''

Trilby A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in UK, BritainBernhard Roetzel, Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. B ...

'', and ''

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is an 1886 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series ...

''. He also appeared in English-language Broadway productions. His English-language roles, included in the

Theatre Guild The Theatre Guild is a theatrical society founded in New York City in 1918 by Lawrence Langner, Philip Moeller, Helen Westley and Theresa Helburn. Langner's wife, Armina Marshall, then served as a co-director. It evolved out of the work of ...

's ''

American Dream The "American Dream" is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States: that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life. The phrase was popularized by James Truslow Adams during the ...

'', '' The Eternal Road'', and ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' () is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...

''. He headlined the 1935 Yiddish film '' Shir Hashirim'' (''Song of Songs''), which ran in the Union Square Acme Theatre. ''The New York Times'' described his performance as effective. He played in Yiddish road shows. In early 1922, his five-week engagement with the Yiddish Toronto National Company, which went through Buffalo's Teck Theatre, grossed what '' Variety'' described as exceptional for Yiddish theatre. The magazine described him as among "the surest money-getters on the Yiddish stage". In 1924, ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'' said Goldenberg to have "unusual talent" and adaptability in both comedy and tragedy. Goldenberg had been cast as

Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...

in the 1943 film ''

Mission to Moscow Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada * Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

'' but his scenes were edited out in the final release. Incidentally, Goldenberg had previously played Trotsky in a drama about the Russian Revolution 20 years prior.

Personal life

Goldenberg graduated from the Warsaw Conservatory and spoke about six languages. At some point, he managed a theater in New York's Irving Place. Goldenberg had a wife and two daughters. He died October 31, 1945, at the age of 61 in Brooklyn's Unity Hospital following a heart attack a week prior. The heart attack had occurred on stage during his performance of ''Apartment 7''.

References

Bibliography

* 1945 deaths Yiddish theatre performers {{US-theat-actor-1880s-stub