Tenen Holtz

American actor

Tenen Holtz
Holtz in International Crime (1938)
Born	Alex Elihu Tenenholtz (1887-02-17)February 17, 1887 Russian Empire
Died	July 1, 1971(1971-07-01) (aged 84) Los Angeles County, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1926–1961
Spouse	Ethel Fishman
Children	1
Relatives	Nelson Riddle (son-in-law)

Tenen Holtz (born Alex Elihu Tenenholtz; February 17, 1887 – July 1, 1971)^[1] was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 60 films between 1926 and 1961.

Biography

Holtz was born in Imperial Russia, and came to the United States when he was seven years old. While he was in elementary school, he began working, but he pursued studies in evening high school to improve his language abilities. Jacob Pavlovich Adler observed Holtz performing in a school production and not only gave him a permanent pass to Adler's playhouse but also allowed him to attend rehearsals.^[2]

His first appearance in amateur Yiddish theatre plays occurred in 1903 in the staged readings of the works of Yiddish author Sholom Aleichem.^{[citation needed]} In July 1926, he went to California "to see what all these pictures were about", he said.^[3] His film debut came in Upstage.^[3]

Holtz's final television appearance was as murder victim Otto Joseph in the 1964 Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Arrogant Arsonist". He died in Los Angeles County, California in 1971, aged 84.

Holtz married Ethel Fishman, and they had a daughter, Naomi, who married Nelson Riddle.^[1]

Selected filmography

Upstage (1926) as Sam Davis
Exit Smiling (1926) as Tod Powell
Long Pants (1927) as Minor Role (uncredited)
The Demi-Bride (1927) as Gaston
Frisco Sally Levy (1927) as Isaac Solomon Lapidowitz
The Trail of '98 (1928) as Mr. Bulkey
Detectives (1928) as Orloff
The Cardboard Lover (1928) as Argine
Old Gray Hoss (1928) as Man with Soot on Face (uncredited)
Bringing Up Father (1928) as Ginsberg Feitelbaum
Noisy Noises (1929) as Man practicing with fiddle
The Duke Steps Out (1929) as Jake, Duke's Manager
House of Horror (1929) as Brown
Three Live Ghosts (1929) as Crockery Man
Lilies of the Field (1930) as Paymaster
The Melody Man (1930) as Gustav
The Woman Racket (1930) as Ben
Caught Cheating (1931)
Three Girls Lost (1931) as Photographer (uncredited)
Faithless (1932) as Diner Proprietor (uncredited)
Whistling in the Dark (1933) as Herman Lefkovitz
Money Means Nothing (1934) as Mr. Silverman
British Agent (1934) as Lenin
Cipher Bureau (1938) as Simon Herrick
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1962) (Season 7 Episode 20: "The Test") as Sol Dankers
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1963) (Season 1 Episode 32: "Death of a Cop") as Druggist

References

^ ^a ^b "Naomi Riddle papers, 1900-1989". Arizona Archives Online. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
^ "Noted Yiddish Actor in 98'". Los Angeles Evening Post. May 29, 1928. p. 5. Retrieved April 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Mr. Bulky changed in character". Los Angeles Times. June 3, 1928. p. 11. Retrieved April 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.