Ossip Iliych Runitsch ( rus, Осип Ильич Рунич, p=ˈosʲɪp ɨˈlʲjitɕ rʊˈnʲitɕ; born Osip Fradkin, 18896 April 1947) was a Russian Empire

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

actor, producer and stage director. He was one of the biggest stars of Russian

silent cinema A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, whe ...

and one of the first iconic figures of Russian cinematograph. In 1915-1919 he starred in some successful silent films of that time as '' Molchi, grust... molchi'' and ''Posledneiye tango'' with other film stars such as

Vera Kholodnaya Vera Vasilyevna Kholodnaya ( Levchenko; russian: link=no, Вера Васильевна Холодная; uk, link=no, Віра Василівна Холодна; 5 August 1893 – 16 February 1919) was an actress of Russian Empire cinema. She w ...

Vitold Polonsky Vitold Alfonsovich Polonsky (Russian: Витольд Альфонсович Полонский; 1879 – 5 January 1919) was a Russian silent film actor. Biography The son of a nobleman, Polonsky took drama courses in the Moscow theatre schoo ...

and

Pyotr Chardynin Pyotr Ivanovich Chardynin (russian: Пётр Иванович Чардынин) ( – 14 August 1934) was a Russian and Soviet film director, screenwriter and actor. One of the pioneers of the film industry in the Russian Empire, Chardynin direc ...

. Runitsch was a long time admirer of his co-star Kholodnaya and after her death in 1919 during

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

, he fled

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and left for

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

where he took part in a number of films. Later, he moved to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

where he starred together with

Emil Jannings Emil Jannings (born Theodor Friedrich Emil Janenz, 23 July 1884 – 2 January 1950) was a Swiss born German actor, popular in the 1920s in Hollywood. He was the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor for his roles in '' The La ...

and other famous

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

actors. In 1925 he married Nina Pavlishcheva, a courtier

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

dancer. By the late 1930s, he was living in

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

, where he played in the troupe of Russian Drama Theatre. Apparently, when he realised that the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

was inevitable, he accepted an invitation to tour

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

from his local

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

friends. He stayed in South Africa and became a founder of one of the first professional theatre companies in a country. He also produced operas for the State Theatre in the mid 1940s. Ossip Runitch in Posledneye Tango

Filmography

* Война и Мир (Voyna i mir) (1915) as Nikolai Rostov * Песнь торжествующей любви (Pesn torzhestvuyushchey lyubvi) (1915) * Обожженные крылья (Obozhzhenniye krylya) (1915) * Истерзанные души (Isterzannye dushi) (1917) as Ingenieur Karin * Человек-зверь (Chelovek - zver) (1917) * Живой труп (Zhivoy trup) (1918) * Женщина,которая изобрела любовь (Zhenshchina, kotoraya izobrela lyubov) (1918) * Молчи, грусть... молчи... ( Molchi, grust... molchi) (1918) as Zaritskii, a barrister * Последнее танго (Posledneiye tango) (1918) as Joe * Die Bestie im Menschen (1920) as Jacques Lantier * L'orchidea fatale (1920) * Lord Bluff (1920) * La catena (1920) * L'automobile errante (1921) * ''

Danton Georges Jacques Danton (; 26 October 1759 – 5 April 1794) was a French lawyer and a leading figure in the French Revolution. He became a deputy to the Paris Commune, presided in the Cordeliers district, and visited the Jacobin club. In August ...

'' (1921) as Desmoulins * '' Playing with Fire'' (1921) * Dubrowsky, der Räuber Ataman (1921) * ''

The Infernal Power ''The Infernal Power'' (German: ''Die höllische Macht'') is a 1922 German silent film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Thea Kasten, Emil Lind and Ossip Runitsch. The film is now a lost film, and virtually nothing is known of its plot or ...

'' (1922) * Marie Antoinette - Das Leben einer Königin (1922) * Psicha, die Tänzerin Katherina (1923) * ''

The Doll Maker of Kiang-Ning ''The Doll Maker of Kiang-Ning'' (german: Der Puppenmacher von Kiang-Ning) is a 1923 German silent fantasy film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Werner Krauss, Lia Eibenschütz, and Ossip Runitsch. A doll maker in China crafts a puppet ...

'' (1923) * Düstere Schatten, strahlendes Glück (1924) as F. C. Morland * Frühlingsfluten (1924) * ''

Prater The Prater () is a large public park in Leopoldstadt, Vienna, Austria. The Wurstelprater, an amusement park that is often simply called "Prater", lies in one corner of the Wiener Prater and includes the Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel. Name The n ...

'' (1924) as Graf Rynon * '' The Golden Calf'' (1925) as Leibgardist *''

Diary of a Coquette ''Diary of a Coquette'' (German:''Tagebuch einer Kokotte'') is a 1929 German silent drama film directed by Constantin J. David and starring Fee Malten, Ernst Stahl-Nachbaur and Alfred Döderlein.Bock & Bergfelder p.258 Cast * Fee Malten as ...

'' (1929) as Hoteldirektor Lambert * Sensation im Wintergarten (1929) as Zirkusdirektor * Das Donkosakenlied (1930) as Basmanoff

References

External links

*
Им восторгались двинчанки (in Russian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Runitsch, Ossip 1889 births 1947 deaths Male actors from the Russian Empire Russian male silent film actors South African people of Russian-Jewish descent White Russian emigrants to Germany White Russian emigrants to Italy

Filmography

See also

References

External links