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Nicholas Saunders
Photo: Theatre World 1969-1970
Born	Nikita Soussanin (1914-06-02)June 2, 1914 Kyiv, Russian Empire
Died	August 6, 2006(2006-08-06) (aged 92) Los Angeles, California
Occupation(s)	Film and television actor
Children	2 including, Lanna Saunders
Parent(s)	Nicholas Soussanin and Olga Baclanova

Nikita Soussanin (June 2, 1914 – August 6, 2006) was a Russian–American film, television, theatre actor, theatre translator and stage manager.

Life and career

Saunders was born in Kyiv, Russian Empire to Russian parents Nicholas, an actor and Olga, an actress. He was raised in Hollywood, California.

Saunders began his career in 1938, appearing in the Broadway play The Bridal Crown, playing the pastor.

Later in his career, Saunders appeared and starred in other Broadway plays, including Lady in the Dark, playing Liza's father; A Highland Fling, playing Sandy MacGill; Happily Ever After, stage-managing and playing Stubbs; Marriage is for Single People, playing Reginald Hecuba; The Magnificent Yankee, playing Mason; The Fifth Season, stage-managing; A Call on Kuprin, playing Mr. Kendall and guard at Yalta; Take Her, She's Mine, playing the principal, Mr. Whitmyer, Frank Michaelson, and Mr. Hibbetts; The Passion of Josef D., language consultant and playing Sukhanov, Orjonikidze, and ensemble; Scenes and Revelations, playing Mr. Karonk; and Zoya's Apartment, translating the play with Frank Dwyer.

Saunders started his television career in 1947, appearing in Kraft Television Theatre. He also was a Russian radio announcer on Voice for America, in the same year. In 1950, Saunders played Sergeant Ross in the television series Martin Kane, Private Eye from 1950 to 1952. He also played Captain J. Barker in The Phil Silvers Show.

In 1990, Saunders retired. He won a Los Angeles Drama Critic's Award, which he shared with his writing partner Frank Dwyer, in 2005.

Death

Saunders died in August 2006 of lung cancer at his home in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 92.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

1. ^ Lentz, Harris (April 24, 2007). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2006. McFarland. p. 327. ISBN 9780786429332 – via Google Books.
2. ^ "Nicholas Saunders, 92; TV and Stage Actor, Translated Plays From Russian Into English". Los Angeles Times. October 17, 2006. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
3. ^ "Nicholas Saunders". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
4. Dietz, Dan (February 2, 2015). The Complete Book of 1940s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 153. ISBN 9781442245280 – via Google Books.
5. ^ "Nicholas Saunders". Playbill. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
6. Leonard, William (1983). Broadway Bound: A Guide to Shows that Died Aborning. Scarecrow Press. p. 297. ISBN 9780810816527 – via Google Books.
7. "A Call on Kuprin Broadway Original Cast". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
8. "The Theater: Chayefsky's 'Passion of Josef D.'; Author Directs Drama at the Barrymore; Stalin Is Portrayed by Peter Falk". The New York Times. February 12, 1964. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
9. Rich, Frank (June 26, 1981). "The Stage: 'Scenes and Revelations'". The New York Times. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
10. Rich, Frank (May 11, 1990). "Review/Theater; Marooned in Moscow After the Revolution". The New York Times. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
11. Rosin, Gene (November 1, 2010). Sparks of Liberty: An Insider's Memoir of Radio Liberty. Penn State Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-0271038636 – via Google Books.
12. Willis, Hodges, John, Ben (June 1, 2009). Theatre World 2006–2007 – The Most Complete Record of the American Theatre. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 417. ISBN 978-1557837288 – via Google Books.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

• Nicholas Saunders at IMDb
• Nicholas Saunders at the Internet Broadway Database
• Nicholas Saunders at the TCM Movie Database
• Rotten Tomatoes profile

• 1914 births
• 2006 deaths
• Deaths from lung cancer in California
• Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States
• American male stage actors
• American male television actors
• American male film actors
• 20th-century American male actors
• Ukrainian male stage actors
• Ukrainian male television actors
• Ukrainian male film actors
• 20th-century Ukrainian male actors
• Stage managers
• American theatre people