Wolfe Barzell
(Eisenberg)
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Born in September 1900 in
Ozorkow, by Lodz, Poland. Grandson of the local rabbi R'
Alexander Ziskind Lipshits. After his father's death,
his mother married a Stashev rabbi R' Grobard (later
Rabbi hkhll in Toronto), and his family moved
over to Stashev, where he learned in cheders, with his
stepfather, and other courses privately with a teacher.
Very early he began to act with "amateurs" and performed
as "Uriel mazik" in "God, Man and Devil" and
"Trachtenberg" in "Chasia the Orphan".
During the First World War
B. went to Vienna, where he entered into a dramatic
school and became thereafter engaged to act in silent
films with the famous actor Eisenbach.
In 1926 he returned to
Poland, and with the family immigrated to Toronto,
Canada, and soon from there he traveled to New York,
where he studied in Mendl Elkin's dramatic school and
participated in "Unzer theatre" ("Day and Night", "Der
letster skh-hkhl" and "Shtekhik drot"), then in the same
theatre with Rudolf Schildkraut ("Bronx Express" and
"God of Vengeance"), and with Mark Schweid ("Toyt shtrof").
From there B. went over to the "Vilna Troupe" (149th
Street) with Buloff, and traveled to Hollywod, where he
became engaged to act in films, then in legitimate
English theatre ("Relations", with Eddy Clark), with
whom he toured with for a year across America and acted
later in the same play for four months in New York, a
year on Broadway in the play "Having a Wonderful Time",
in the "Group" Theatre (in the role of |
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"Papa Briquet" in
Andreyev's "Der vos krigt di petsh (He Who Gets
Slapped)"), and, with Ethel Barrymore in "Embezzled
Heavens" by Werfel.
In 1935 B. entered into
the group in Yiddish that acted under the pseudonym
"Tsu-lakh-es", and during the economic crisis, in
1936, in the "W. P. A." (as supervisor in the
Yiddish department), where he participated with
Bleich and Scooler in the Yiddish production of "Do
kon es nit geshen" by Sinclair Lewis, and in a
revue.
1938-39 -- B. became
manager, with Yehuda Bleich, Michael Rosenberg and
Dina Halpern of the "Second Avenue Theatre", and in
1939-41 of the "Hopkinson" Theatre. In the summer B.
used to participate in Yiddish, in the Farband's "Unzer
kemp", and in Camp "Boyberik". B. also participated
in the production of "A Stone for Danny Fisher" in
the National Theatre with Zero Mostel.
For the last number of
years, B. has lived most of the time in Los Angeles
and is a frequent guest on television, in English,
where he acts in prominent roles in the programs
"Playhouse 90", "Schlitz Playhouse", "Desilu
Playhouse", "Unjited States Steel Hour",
"Montgomery" and "Armstront".
B.'s brother, Meir
Eizenberg, was a professional prompter in Yiddish
theatres in Poland.
M. E. |
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