Full Name Morris Maaskov Name Maurice Moscovitch Spouse Rose Moscovitch Grandchildren Toby R. Madison | Years active 1899–1940 Role Theatre actor Children Noel Madison | |
Born November 23, 1871 ( 1871-11-23 ) Odessa, former Russian Empire - today Ukraine Died June 18, 1940, Los Angeles, California, United States Movies The Great Dictator, Love Affair, Make Way for Tomorrow, Susannah of the Mounties, The Great Commandment Similar People Roland Totheroh, Leo McCarey, Noel Madison, Charlie Chaplin, William A Seiter | ||
Maurice Moscovitch (November 23, 1871 – June 18, 1940) was a Russian-born Jewish American theatre actor who appeared in films such as The Great Dictator.
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Life and career
Maurice Moscovitch was born in the former Russian Empire in Odessa. He emigrated to the USA not later than 1897 and performed for decades in the Yiddish theatre in New York and appeared in two 1930 Broadway plays. In the last four years of his life, Moscovitch played supporting roles in 14 films. With his distinctive accent, he mostly portrayed wise, friendly, often Jewish old men. He played a shopkeeper in the highly praised Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) and the art dealer Maurice Cobert in Love Affair with Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer.
His last film was: Charlie Chaplin's Hitler-satire The Great Dictator, in which he played Chaplin's character's friendly Jewish neighbour, Mr. Jaeckel, who flees into exile to his brother.
Maurice Moskovitch died at the age of 68, following surgery. At the time of his death, he was playing the role of a dancing master in Dance, Girl, Dance. His role had to be quickly rewritten for actress Maria Ouspenskaya. He is buried with his wife Ruth (1872–1944) at the Beth Olam Cemetery in Hollywood.
Moscovitch's son Noel Madison (1897-1975) was also a character actor.