Mitzi Hajos (April 27, 1889 – June 1, 1970), sometimes written as Mizzi Hajos, was a Hungarian-born American stage performer, specializing in comic and musical roles.

Early life

Magdalena "Mitzi" Hajos was born in 1889 (some sources give 1891, and Hajos herself gave various dates), near

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, Hungary.

Career

As a young teenager she performed in music hall shows in Europe. At age 20, she moved to the United States at the invitation of

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

, to appear in ''Barnyard Romeo'', a show she had performed in Vienna. From 1914 to 1925, she worked exclusively for opera producer

Henry Wilson Savage Henry Wilson Savage (March 21, 1859 – November 29, 1927) was an American theatrical manager. Biography Henry W. Savage was born March 21, 1859, in New Durham, New Hampshire. He graduated from Harvard in 1880. He became president of the Henry W. ...

. She was often described as "tiny" and "diminutive", and often played children or characters pretending to be children. A reviewer in the ''New York Times'' approved, saying "she makes such an adorable boy, too." Because her surname was difficult for American audiences, she went by the single name "Mitzi" in programs and publicity materials, at the peak of her career. Pom-pom (1916) 1

Broadway shows she appeared in included '' La Belle Paree'' (1911), ''Her Little Highness'' (1913), ''

Sari A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO * bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO * gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std ...

'' (1914, 1930), ''Pom-pom'' (1916), ''Head over Heels'' (1918), ''Lady Billy'' (1920-1921), ''The Magic Ring'' (1923), ''Naughty Riquette'' (1926), ''The Madcap'' (1928), '' You Can't Take It With You'' (1936-1938), ''Mr. Big'' (1941), and '' Cafe Crown'' (1942). She also toured the United States with several shows. In 1916, she was named vice president of Sunbeam Motion Picture Corporation. She endorsed Mason & Hamlin Pianos in a 1919 advertisement. The child actress

Mitzi Green Mitzi Green (born Elizabeth Keno; October 22, 1920 – May 24, 1969) was an American child actress for Paramount and RKO, in the early "talkies" era. She then acted on Broadway and in other stage works, as well as in films and on television ...

was given her stage name after Mitzi Hajos in the 1920s. Hajos was drawn at least twice by Broadway illustrator Al Hirschfeld. In midlife, when roles became scarce and her husband was ill, Hajos worked as a secretary for

The Shubert Organization The Shubert Organization is a theatrical producing organization and a major owner of theatres based in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded by the three Shubert brothers in the late 19th century. They steadily expanded, owning many theaters ...

Personal life

Mitzi Hajos was married to her frequent co-star Boyd Marshall from 1920 until his death in 1950. By that marriage she became an American citizen."Mitzi Hajos Weds Leading Man and Becomes American"
''New York Herald'' (May 22, 1920): 9. via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

She died in 1970, in Connecticut, aged 81 years. Her remains were buried in her husband's family's plot in

Port Clinton, Ohio Port Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Ottawa County, located at the mouth of the Portage River on Lake Erie, about 44 miles east of Toledo. The population was 6,056 at the 2010 census. The city has been nicknamed the "Walleye Capit ...

References

External links

Mitzi Hajos listing
at IBDB *
Two audio recordings of Mitzi Hajos singing
in 1916, at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

, National Jukebox {{DEFAULTSORT:Hajos, Mitzi 1889 births 1970 deaths American stage actresses Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the United States