José Maurer
Encyclopedia
Jose Maurer was a stage and cinema actor starring mainly in the Yiddish theatre in Europe
, Argentina
and Israel
from the early 1920s.
, then a thriving Oil town in Galicia, Austria
and today part of the Ukraine
. Maurer was the son of the local cobbler, and known as an amateur violinist, actor and singer.
When the famous Vilnius Jewish Theatre (Vilna Troupe
), under the direction of Zygmund Turkow visited Boryslav in 1922, the 16 year old Yoshe was offered a minor role. Two weeks later, as the Theatre left, so did Yoshe, never to return to his home town. As a member of this famous Yiddish Theatre he toured Poland and Rumania until 1927, when he emigrated to Argentina.
In Buenos Aires
he became one of the leading actors in the Jewish Yiddish Theatre, playing along such renowned actors as Joseph Buloff, Maurice Schwartz
and Jacob Ben-Ami. He was regarded as a first class "character" (drama) actor and as a "tour de force" used to change leading roles, for example, playing with Ben Ami both parts of Man and Devil in Got, Mentsch Und Taivel, the famous Yiddish version of Faust
by Jacob Gordin, night after night. On the other hand, he had a gift for comedy and took part in many musical comedies.
In the late nineteen-forties, he was elected President of the Jewish Actors Guild in Argentina and served in this post for more than 20 years, until his emigration to Israel.
He was a notable co-star in 28 Argentine films, specializing in "foreign" accents and played the Spanish Argentine stage, among others, with Berta Singerman.
In 1963, he moved to Israel where he played the Yiddish stage and was elected there too as President of the Yiddish Actor's Guild until his death.
His lifelong wish was to die on stage and this he did. In 1968, shortly after the curtain went down, and still wearing makeup on his face, he had a stroke and died shortly afterwards, aged 62.
His collection of manuscript plays, including translations into Yiddish of modern Argentine drama, was donated to the Bar Ilan University and is now part of the Rena Costa Center for Yiddish Studies
.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
from the early 1920s.
Biography
He was born Yoshe Maurer Neumann in the town of BoryslavBoryslav
Boryslav is a city located on the Tysmenytsia River , in the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. The city is designated as a separate raion within the oblast....
, then a thriving Oil town in Galicia, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and today part of the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Maurer was the son of the local cobbler, and known as an amateur violinist, actor and singer.
When the famous Vilnius Jewish Theatre (Vilna Troupe
Vilna Troupe
The Vilna Troupe , also known as Fareyn Fun Yiddishe Dramatishe Artistn and later Dramă şi Comedie was an international and mostly Yiddish-speaking theatrical company, one of the most famous in the history of Yiddish theater...
), under the direction of Zygmund Turkow visited Boryslav in 1922, the 16 year old Yoshe was offered a minor role. Two weeks later, as the Theatre left, so did Yoshe, never to return to his home town. As a member of this famous Yiddish Theatre he toured Poland and Rumania until 1927, when he emigrated to Argentina.
In Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
he became one of the leading actors in the Jewish Yiddish Theatre, playing along such renowned actors as Joseph Buloff, Maurice Schwartz
Maurice Schwartz
Maurice Schwartz was a Russian-born film and theatre actor active in the United States. He was also a film director, film producer, theatrical producer, screenwriter and theatre director.-Theatre:...
and Jacob Ben-Ami. He was regarded as a first class "character" (drama) actor and as a "tour de force" used to change leading roles, for example, playing with Ben Ami both parts of Man and Devil in Got, Mentsch Und Taivel, the famous Yiddish version of Faust
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
by Jacob Gordin, night after night. On the other hand, he had a gift for comedy and took part in many musical comedies.
In the late nineteen-forties, he was elected President of the Jewish Actors Guild in Argentina and served in this post for more than 20 years, until his emigration to Israel.
He was a notable co-star in 28 Argentine films, specializing in "foreign" accents and played the Spanish Argentine stage, among others, with Berta Singerman.
In 1963, he moved to Israel where he played the Yiddish stage and was elected there too as President of the Yiddish Actor's Guild until his death.
His lifelong wish was to die on stage and this he did. In 1968, shortly after the curtain went down, and still wearing makeup on his face, he had a stroke and died shortly afterwards, aged 62.
His collection of manuscript plays, including translations into Yiddish of modern Argentine drama, was donated to the Bar Ilan University and is now part of the Rena Costa Center for Yiddish Studies
Rena Costa Center for Yiddish Studies
The Rena Costa Center for Yiddish Studies, a part of Bar-Ilan University, is dedicated to the academic study of Yiddish language and culture. The Center’s home is in the Faculty of Jewish Studies in the Bar-Ilan University campus in Ramat Gan, Israel....
.
Filmography
- 24 horas en la vida de una mujer24 Horas en la Vida de una Mujer24 Horas en la Vida de una Mujer is a 1944 Argentine film starring Amelia Bence....
(1944) - ApasionadamenteApasionadamenteApasionadamente is a 1944 Argentine romantic comedy film directed by Luis César Amadori and written by Enrique Vico Carré.-Cast:* Enrique Chaico* Ada Cornaro* Rafael Frontaura* Pedro López Lagar* José Maurer...
(1944) - La Verdadera victoriaLa Verdadera victoriaLa Verdadera victoria is a 1944 Argentine romantic comedy film directed by Carlos F. Borcosque and starring Pedro López Lagar. Music by Franz Schubert was used in the film together with compositions by Alejandro Gutiérrez del Barrio.-Cast:*Roberto Airaldi*Nélida Bilbao*Carlos Castro*Enrique...
(1944) - Madame Sans-Gêne (1945)
- Albéniz (1947)
- A sangre fríaA Sangre Fría'A sangre fría' is a 1947 Argentine murder thriller film directed by Daniel Tinayre and written by Luis Saslavsky.-Plot:...
(1947) (aka In Cold Blood) - María de los ÁngelesMaria de los AngelesMaria de los Angeles was a Venezuelan telenovela that was produced by and seen on Venezuela's Radio Caracas Televisión. Julio César Mármol came up with the idea for this telenovela. Its writers were Julio César Mármol, Mélida Mármol Olivares, Laura Bollonio, Manuel González, and Constantino...
(1948) - Tierra del fuego (1948)
- Captura recomendada (1950)
- PiantadinoPiantadinoPiantadino is a 1950 Argentine Spanish language comedy film directed by Francisco Múgica.The film is based on the cartoon character of the same name created by Adolfo Mazzone.-Comic strip character:...
(1950) - Vivir un instanteVivir un instanteVivir un instante is a 1951 Argentine film....
(1951) (aka Julia) - Camino al crimen (1951)
- Suburbio (1951)
- Payaso (1952) (aka The Clown)
- El Amor nunca muere (1955) (aka Love Never Dies)
- PecadoraPecadoraPecadora is a 1955 Argentinian film....
(1955) - Oro bajoOro bajoOro bajo is a 1956 Argentine film directed by Mario Soffici.-Cast:*Ariel Absalón*Ana Arneodo*Carmen Caballero*Gregorio Cicarelli*Eduardo Comellas*José De Angelis*Zulema Esperanza*Carlos Estrada*Josefa Goldar*Tito Grassi*Mónica Grey...
(1956) - Que me toquen las golondrinasQue me toquen las golondrinasQue me toquen las golondrinas is a 1957 Argentine film....
(1957) (aka La Despedida) - Angustia de un secreto (1959)
- El Dinero de DiosEl Dinero de DiosEl Dinero de Dios is a 1959 Argentine film....
(1959) - La ProcesiónLa ProcesiónLa Procesión is a 1960 Argentine film directed by Francis Lauric. It was entered into the 1960 Cannes Film Festival. - Cast :*Guillermo Brizuela Méndez *Héctor Calcaño *Rafael Carret *Carlos Enríquez *Gloria Ferrandiz *Santiago Gómez Cou...
(1960) - Héroes de hoyHéroes de hoyHéroes de hoy is a 1960 Argentine film....
(1960) - Yo quiero vivir contigoYo quiero vivir contigoYo quiero vivir contigo is a 1960 Argentine film....
(1960) (aka Ich möchte mit Dir leben (West Germany)) - Quinto año nacionalQuinto año nacionalQuinto año nacional is a 1961 Argentine film....
(1961) - Detrás de la mentira (1962)
- Mate CosidoMate CosidoMate Cosido is a 1962 Argentine film....
(1962) - Las RatasLas RatasLas Ratas is a 1963 Argentine film....
(1963) (aka The Rats) - Alias FlequilloAlias FlequilloAlias Flequillo is a 1963 black-and-white Argentine comedy film directed by Julio Saraceni and written by Abel Santacruz. The film starred José Marrone and Inés Moreno.-Cast:*José Marrone .... Atilio de Grossi, Origenes Buendia, Flequillo...
(1963) (aka La Pantera del Gatillo)