Georges Metaxa

George-Radu Metaxa (11 September 1899 – 8 December 1950) was a Romanian-born American singer, film & stage actor. He was known for his crooning high baritone voice and often portrayed genteel antagonists.

Life and career Metaxa was born in Bucharest, Romania, to Nicholas Metaxa and Emilie Theophilatos. He worked as a civil servant, becoming principal private secretary to the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture before emigrating to London in 1926 to pursue a career in musical comedy.

He first began his showbusiness career recording songs, the first being the Romanian folk song "Mandrulita" in 1927. After engaging with Charles B. Cochran, his first stage billing was in John Hastings Turner's 1929 musical revue Wake Up and Dream. Metaxa was then cast in Noël Coward's operetta Bitter Sweet. He continued to record songs in London until 1931, finishing with Ray Noble's "Goodnight Sweetheart" before moving to New York with the Bitter Sweet touring company. In April 1934, Metaxa and Stafford were involved in an automobile accident in Miami, which killed Stafford and gravely injured Metaxa. He later married Byrnece Macfadden Muckerman (the daughter of American publisher and bodybuilder Bernarr Macfadden) in 1946.

Towards the end of his life, Metaxa's health declined to such a point he had to turn down roles, notably, the leading role in South Pacific that was being shown in London. Metaxa died suddenly of a heart attack 8 December 1950 at a hotel in Monroe, Louisiana, as he and his wife were on their way to their home in Beverly Hills after returning from a seven-month-long trip around Europe.

Selected performances

Film Year Title Role Soundtrack 1931 Secrets of a Secretary Frank D'Agnoll 1931 The House That Shadows Built Frank D'Agnoll Compilation film released by Paramount Pictures to commemorate the studio's 20th anniversary 1933 Kissing Time (Short film) Lieutenant Juan Segovia Performed on the tracks Let's Drink and All My Life I've Waited (For Someone Like You) 1936 Swing Time Ricky Romero Performed on the tracks The Way You Look Tonight and A Fine Romance 1936 Sheik to Sheik (Short film) Lieutenant Georges Performed on the tracks The Song of the Sand and What Makes the Night So Beautiful? 1940 The Doctor Takes a Wife Jean Rovere 1941 Paris Calling Waiter 1943 Background to Danger L.V. Bastaki (uncredited) 1943 Submarine Base Nazi Agent Anton Kroll 1943 Hi Diddle Diddle Tony Spinelli 1943 West Side Kid Dr. Kenton 1944 The Mask of Dimitrios Hans Werner 1945 Scotland Yard Investigator Henri

Stage Year Title Role Notes 1929-1930 Bitter Sweet Carl Linden 1931-1932 The Cat and the Fiddle Victor Florescu 395 Performances 1933 Twenty-five Dollars an Hour Claude de Rozay 1934-1935 Revenge with Music Carlos 158 performances