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Vladimir Sokoloff
Владимир Соколов
Vladimir Sokoloff in Scarlet Street (1945)
Born	Vladimir Aleksandrovich Sokoloff (1889-12-26)December 26, 1889 Moscow, Russian Empire
Died	February 15, 1962(1962-02-15) (aged 72) West Hollywood, California, U.S.
Other names	Wladimir Sokoloff Waldemar Sokoloff Wladimir Sokolow
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1926–1962
Spouse	Elizabeth Alexanderoff ​ ​(m. 1922; died 1948)​

Vladimir Aleksandrovich Sokoloff (Russian: Влади́мир Алекса́ндрович Соколо́в; December 26, 1889 – February 15, 1962) was a Russian actor of stage and screen. After studying theatre in Moscow, he began his professional film career in Germany and France during the Silent era, before emigrating to the United States in the 1930s. He appeared in over 100 films and television series, often playing supporting characters of various nationalities and ethnicities.

Early life and education

Sokoloff was born in Moscow, Russian Empire. He was raised bilingual, speaking both Russian and German. He studied theatre in Moscow, first at the Moscow State University and later at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts, graduating in 1913. At one point a pupil of Constantin Stanislavski, he would later reject Method acting (as well as all other acting theories).

Career

Upon graduation, he joined the Moscow Art Theatre as an actor and assistant director. Later in the decade, he joined the Kamerny Theatre. In the early 1923, he toured with his troupe in Germany, where he met theatre director and producer Max Reinhardt, who invited him to stay in Berlin. He appeared in numerous stage productions, and began acting in German and Austrian films, including The Love of Jeanne Ney (1927), The Ship of Lost Souls (1929), Farewell (1930), and Darling of the Gods (1930).

With the rise of Nazism, the Jewish Sokoloff moved first to Paris in 1932, where he continued to act on stage and screen. In 1937, he emigrated to the United States. Although he spoke very little English at the time of his arrival, his first stage role there was a lead in Georg Büchner's play Danton's Death, under the direction of Orson Welles.

That same year, he had his English-language breakthrough starring in fellow expat William Dieterle's The Life of Emile Zola, portraying Paul Cézanne. He appeared in a number of Broadway plays from 1937 to 1950. He also quickly found work in American films, playing characters of a wide variety of nationalities (he himself once estimated 35), for example, Filipino (Back to Bataan), French (Passage to Marseille), Greek (Mr. Lucky), Arab (Road to Morocco), Romanian (I Was a Teenage Werewolf), and Chinese (Macao). Among his better known parts are the Spanish guerrilla Anselmo in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) and the Mexican Old Man in The Magnificent Seven (1960).

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he also appeared on a number of television series, including three episodes of CBS's The Twilight Zone ("Dust", "The Gift" and "The Mirror"). On January 1, 1961, Sokoloff guest-starred as "Old Stefano", a wise shepherd, in the ABC/Warner Brothers western series Lawman, with John Russell and Peter Brown. He also appeared in one episode of The Untouchables entitled "Troubleshooter".

His final roles were in Escape from Zahrain and Taras Bulba, both of which starred Yul Brynner. Both films were released posthumously.

Death

After a long career, he died of a stroke in 1962 in Hollywood, California, aged 72.

Partial stage credits

Filmography

Television credits

References

1. ^ "Vladimir Sokoloff, 71, Character Actor, Dies". Modesto Bee. Associated Press. 16 February 1962 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Erskine Johnson (20 April 1960). "Hollywood Glances!". Miami (Oklahoma) Daily News-Record – via Newspapers.com.
3. Finler, Joel (August 2014). "The remarkable story of the Jewish film-makers in Germany during the early sound years, 1929-33". AJR Journal.
4. Vladimir Sokoloff at the Internet Broadway Database
5. "Jederman - 1927 Broadway Tickets, News, Info, Photos, Videos". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
6. "Jederman Broadway @ Century Theatre - Tickets and Discounts". Playbill. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
7. "Danton's Tod - 1927 Broadway Tickets, News, Info, Photos, Videos". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
8. "Danton's Tod Broadway @ Century Theatre - Tickets and Discounts". Playbill. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
9. "Peripherie - 1928 Broadway Tickets, News, Info, Photos, Videos". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
10. "Peripherie Broadway @ Cosmopolitan Theatre - Tickets and Discounts". Playbill. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
11. "Danton's Death". Internet Broadway Database.
12. "Danton's Death". npg.si.edu. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
13. "The Flowers of Virtue - 1942 Broadway Tickets, News, Info, Photos, Videos". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
14. "The Flowers of Virtue Broadway @ Royale Theatre - Tickets and Discounts". Playbill. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
15. "Crime and Punishment - 1947 Broadway Tickets, News, Info, Photos, Videos". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
16. "Crime and Punishment Broadway @ National Theatre - Tickets and Discounts". Playbill. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
17. "The Madwoman of Chaillot - 1948 Broadway Tickets, News, Info, Photos, Videos". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
18. "The Madwoman of Chaillot Broadway @ Belasco Theatre - Tickets and Discounts". Playbill. Retrieved 25 January 2020.

External links

• Vladimir Sokoloff at IMDb 
• Vladimir Sokoloff at the Internet Broadway Database
• Vladimir Sokoloff at AllMovie
• Vladimir Sokoloff at Find a Grave

• 1889 births
• 1962 deaths
• American people of Russian-Jewish descent
• Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
• Jewish American male actors
• Male actors from Los Angeles
• Male actors from Moscow
• Russian male film actors
• Russian male silent film actors
• Russian male stage actors
• White Russian emigrants to Germany
• White Russian emigrants to the United States
• 20th-century American male actors
• 20th-century Russian male actors