Leon Liebgold
Encyclopedia
Leon Liebgold was an actor
in the Yiddish theatre
and Holocaust survivor.
He is best known for his roles in the Yiddish films Tevye
and The Dybbuk
.
Aside from working in his youth as a vaudeville performer and actor on stages in Poland, Liebgold gained fame by acting in several Yiddish language films including Yidl Mitn Fidl
and The Dybbuk. After completing The Dybbuk, Liebgold and his wife, former co-star Lili Liliana, left Poland for the United States escaping the Holocaust. After serving in the United States Army as a sergeant during World War II
, Mr. Liegbold performed as a stage actor in Yiddish theaters in America for decades, including the Folksbiene
Theater. In the late 1970s, he once served as president of the Hebrew Actors' Union
in Manhattan, New York
.
Liebgold possessed both a resonant and fine melodic, cantorial-type voice which embellished both his speaking and singing on stage.
The name Liebgold literally translates from German
or Yiddish into "love gold."
In 1993, Leon Liebgold died at age 83 - surviving his wife by a few years. He is buried at Mount Hebron Cemetery
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
in the Yiddish theatre
Yiddish theatre
Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Central European Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic revues; melodrama; naturalist drama; expressionist and...
and Holocaust survivor.
He is best known for his roles in the Yiddish films Tevye
Tevye (film)
Tevye is an American film adaptation of Sholem Aleichem's story of the same name, also known as Tevya, Tevye der Milchiker, or Tevye the Milkman.-Production background:...
and The Dybbuk
The Dybbuk (film)
The Dybbuk is a 1937 Yiddish language Polish fantasy film drama directed by Michał Waszyński. It is based on the play The Dybbuk by S. Ansky....
.
Aside from working in his youth as a vaudeville performer and actor on stages in Poland, Liebgold gained fame by acting in several Yiddish language films including Yidl Mitn Fidl
Yidl Mitn Fidl
-History:After the success of Joseph in the Land of Egypt, a silent film dubbed into the Yiddish language by Joseph Green, met with success, he decided to create an entirely Yiddish film, and returned to his native Poland to do so...
and The Dybbuk. After completing The Dybbuk, Liebgold and his wife, former co-star Lili Liliana, left Poland for the United States escaping the Holocaust. After serving in the United States Army as a sergeant during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Mr. Liegbold performed as a stage actor in Yiddish theaters in America for decades, including the Folksbiene
Folksbiene
The National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene is a professional theater company in New York City which produces both Yiddish plays and plays translated into Yiddish, in a theater equipped with simultaneous superscript translation into English...
Theater. In the late 1970s, he once served as president of the Hebrew Actors' Union
Hebrew Actors' Union
The Hebrew Actors' Union , formed in 1899 as a craft union for actors in Yiddish theater in the United States , was the first actors' union in the United States. Until it was decertified by the umbrella organization of theatrical unions in October 2005, it remained as one of the seven branches of...
in Manhattan, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Liebgold possessed both a resonant and fine melodic, cantorial-type voice which embellished both his speaking and singing on stage.
The name Liebgold literally translates from German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
or Yiddish into "love gold."
In 1993, Leon Liebgold died at age 83 - surviving his wife by a few years. He is buried at Mount Hebron Cemetery
Mount Hebron Cemetery
Mount Hebron is a Jewish cemetery located in the Flushing neighborhood of New York City. It was founded in 1903 as the Jewish section of Cedar Grove Cemetery. It is noted for its Yiddish theater section....
.