Benjamin Zuskin
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Benjamin Zuskin (1899- August, 12, 1952) was a Jewish actor in Moscow State Jewish Theater and director. Zuskin had a title of the People's actor of the RSFSR. He was a lauriate of the Stalin's Award in 1946.
Biography
He was born in the town of Zeimelis in Lithuania in 1899, a son of a tailor. He learned at a cheder. Zuskin was admitted into a real college in 1911. In 1915 Jews were transmitted to inner cities of Russia from wartime regions, his family was sent to Penza where Benjamin kept on his studies and took roles at a local theatre. In 1920 he became a student of Sverdlovsk Geological Institute, but in 1921 asked for transmission to Moscow Geological Institute.Theatre Life
He joined Moscow State Jewish Theater in 1921. In the same year Zuskin together with Solomon Mikhoels set on the stage a play "Shalom Aleikheim's Party". In 1922 he play a major role in "Witch" of Goldfaden A..His Accomplishments
Going in accordance with A.Granovsky's system of organic interrelation of a word and gesture, plastics and rhythm of movements, grotesque pointedness of game and ironical dispassionateness from an set image were enriched by Zuskin's psychological motivation of general feature of a role, the naturalness of scenic behaviour generated impression of temperamental improvisation. Zuskin's characters features were light humor and romanticism which gave additional tints to a contoversial life of Jewish hamlet or shtetl. His roles showed to audience a quarry of talented people among their routine activities.Zuskin was a partner of Mikhoels until the latter's suspicious death in car accident in Minsk, 1948. He became a Moscow State Jewish Theater artistic director in 1948. Since 1935 he was also teaching at the actors' studio at Moscow State Jewish Theater. His most famous role was that of the Fool in King Lear with Solomon Mikhoels in the title role.
Zuskin was a featured actor of Soviet Jewish movies. His filmgarphy includes:
- A Man from a Shtetl «Человек из местечка», 1930.
- Happinesshunters «Искатели счастья», 1936.
- Unsubdued «Непокоренные», 1945.
Execution
As a prominent member of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee, he was arrested at a hospital while being treated for nervous exhaustion and later executed on Stalin's orders on August 12, 1952.External links
- [Photos of Zuskin].
- [Entry on Zuskin in Russian]
- Zuskina-Perelman, Alla. Puteshestvie Veniamina : razmyshlenia o zhizni, tvorchestve i sudbe evreĭskogo aktera Veniamina Zuskina. Published Moskva : Mosty kultury ; Ierusalim : Gesharim, 2002
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