Jacob Adler
| Jacob Pavlovich Adler | |
|---|---|
Adler in 1920
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| Born |
Yankev P. Adler February 12, 1855 Odessa, Russian Empire |
| Died | April 1, 1926 (aged 71) New York City, New York, US |
| Other names | Jacob P. Adler |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1878–1924 |
| Spouse(s) |
Sonya Oberlander (1880–1886) Dinah Shtettin (1887–?) Sara Adler (1891–1926; his death) |
Jacob Pavlovich Adler (born Yankev P. Adler; February 12, 1855 – April 1, 1926) was a Jewish actor and star of Yiddish theater, first in Odessa, and later in London and in New York City's Yiddish Theater District.
Nicknamed "nesher hagodol", ("the Great Eagle", Adler being the Yiddish for "eagle"), he achieved his first theatrical success in Odessa, but his career there was rapidly cut short when Yiddish theater was banned in Russia in 1883. He became a star in Yiddish theater in London, and in 1889, on his second voyage to the United States, he settled in New York City. Adler soon started a company of his own, ushering in a new, more serious Yiddish theater, most notably by recruiting the Yiddish theater's first realistic playwright, Jacob Gordin. Adler scored a great triumph in the title role of Gordin's Der Yiddisher King Lear (The Jewish King Lear), set in 19th-century Russia, which along with his portrayal of Shakespeare's Shylock would form the core of the persona he defined as the "Grand Jew".
Nearly all his family went into theater; probably the most famous was his daughter Stella, who taught method acting to, among others, Marlon Brando.
Adler was born in Odessa, Russian Empire (now Ukraine). Adler's father Feivel (Pavel) Abramovitch Adler was a (rather unsuccessful) grain merchant. His mother, née Hessye Halperin, was a tall, beautiful woman, originally from a wealthy family in Berdichev. She became estranged from her family after divorcing her first husband (and leaving behind a son) to marry Adler's father. The marriage to a divorcée cost Feivel Adler (and therefore Jacob Adler) his status as a Kohen (priest). His paternal grandfather lived with them for some eight years; he was a pious man, and the family was much more observant of Jewish religious practices during the time he lived with them. However, according to Adler, the real patriarch of the family was his wealthy uncle Aaron "Arke" Trachtenberg, who would later be the model for his portrayal of roles such as Gordin's Jewish King Lear.
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