Theodore Kosloff

Theodore Kosloff (born Fyodor Mikhailovich Kozlov; ; January 22, 1882 – November 22, 1956) was a Russian-born ballet dancer, choreographer, actor, and teacher who became a prominent figure. Trained in the traditions of Imperial Russian ballet, he emigrated to the United States in the early 20th century and achieved success on the vaudeville stage, where he led his own touring company, the Imperial Russian Ballet.

Kosloff later transitioned into motion pictures, appearing in and contributing to several films directed by Cecil B. DeMille, for whom he also served as a dance and movement specialist. He was influential as a teacher and mentor to a number of performers and designers, most notably his lover Natacha Rambova, who worked closely with him before becoming a significant creative figure in silent era cinema.

Biography

Early life and training Born in Moscow on November 22, 1882, Kosloff began studying dance at the age of eight and made his first public appearance ten years later. His training at Moscow's Imperial Theater followed the rigorous apprenticeship system of Russian ballet, requiring years of intensive study. Alongside dance, he studied music and painting on a daily basis; several of his artworks were exhibited in Moscow and St. Petersburg. After La Saison Russe, Kosloff choreographed several London revues and maintained close ties with impresario Morris Gest, who played a key role in advancing his career. In 1914, Gest presented a "pantomime ballet," He, He, and She, choreographed by Kosloff at the Princess Theatre in London. Critics noted the exotic appeal and theatrical ambition of the production, viewing it as an early attempt to introduce Russian ballet spectacle to American popular audiences, though less refined than contemporary European ballet companies. That year, while touring Italy, Kosloff’s daughter Irina contracted meningitis, surviving but left permanently disabled. The pre-season announcement promised Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina and Boris Godunov, Rimsky-Korsakov's Sadko and The Tsar's Bride, Anton Rubinstein's Demon, Alexander Borodin's Prince Igor and Mikhail Glinka's Ruslan and Lyudmila.

Gest later brought Kosloff to New York in 1915, where Kosloff staged ballets for the operetta Maid in America and choreographed all the dances for The Peasant Girl. When Rambova's mother, Winifred de Wolfe, discovered the relationship, she demanded her daughter return home and sought to have Kosloff deported on statutory rape charges.

Rambova's mother tried to end her daughter's relationship with Kosloff by withholding $2,637 owed for dance lessons and gowns, prompting Kosloff to sue her in April 1916. She offered payment on the condition that he cease contact with Rambova and subsequently attempted to have him arrested and deported on statutory rape charges. In response, Kosloff devised a plan for Rambova cross into Canada and sail to England, where she stayed with his wife in Bournemouth under the guise of serving as a governess to his disabled daughter while the matter was contested. Kosloff denied abducting Rambova and pleaded not guilty to the charges. At the same time, the Kosloff School of Dance—established at Trinity Auditorium in Los Angeles by Kosloff, Rambova, and Fredova—received a large number of applications for enrollment. Among the students who began classes that summer was 14-year-old Agnes de Mille, whom Kosloff admitted free of charge as a courtesy to her uncle, Cecil B. DeMille, and Flower Hujer.

During his transition into film work, Kosloff relied heavily on the design work of his assistant and Rambova, who conducted extensive historical research and produced costume and set designs that Kosloff submitted to DeMille as his own. Then she began working on Nazimova's film Aphrodite. When Kosloff asked Rambova to present the sketches herself, Nazimova approved the designs and requested revisions, which Rambova did on the spot. He traveled to New York City in February of that year, where he saw his brother and fellow dancer Alexis Kosloff and met with representatives of the Liberal party of Kazan. Fearing the resistance of the Conservative party, Kosloff turned down the offer, saying: "I could be Khan, but it is doubtful for how long. And I decided I would rather be a live motion-picture actor than a dead king!"

Kosloff's career as a film actor spanned the 1920s and Kosloff often appeared as the leading man opposite such well renowned actresses as Nita Naldi, Gloria Swanson, Bebe Daniels and Anna Q. Nilsson. With his dark hair and complexion, the ballet dancer was often cast in more exotic roles, often as a "Latin lover" type, Eastern European prince or noble, or Arabic sheik. Kosloff's acting career often relied heavily on DeMille procuring roles for him in his films. Indeed, the majority of Kosloff's film roles are in DeMille directed films.

Kosloff's acting career came to an end with the advent of sound film. Studio executives were reluctant to cast him in roles because of his pronounced Russian accent. His last substantial on-screen role was a dance role playing "Electricity" clad in a Futurist costume in the Zeppelin dance scene of De Mille's MGM movie-musical flop Madam Satan. Kosloff's last film role was an uncredited role as a dance instructor in the 1937 Gregory La Cava directed Stage Door, opposite Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn and Adolphe Menjou.

After retiring from acting, Kosloff continued to work as a choreographer and opened a successful ballet schools in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Dallas. He also taught summer courses in Houston.

In August 1934, Kosloff's estranged wife, Maria "Alexandria" Baldina, filed for divorce. In her complaint, she alleged that Kosloff surrounded himself with female secretaries, some of whom he brought into his home to live. Baldwin was granted a divorce in January 1935; the court approved a property settlement providing her with $100 per month for her invalid daughter.

He later worked with 12-year-old Anya Linden (born Ann Eltenton), and encouraged her to change her name. Since 1917, he was a consultant for motion picture producers like Cecil B. DeMille, and one of the last movies he was involved with was, up until his death The Ten Commandments.

Death On Thanksgiving morning, November 22, 1956, Theodore Kosloff was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital where he died at the age of 74. The mortuary report indicated he had one survivor, Alexis Kosloff of Woodstock, New York. A court-approved settlement ultimately divided the estate among several heirs, including two of his sisters living in Russia, who were awarded a combined 12½ percent share, as Soviet law prevented American residents from inheriting Russian property. The settlement also granted 6½ percent to Kosloff's former wife, Alexandra Baldina, who had claimed additional rights following their divorce. A nephew, Alexis Kosloff Jr., received one-quarter of the estate, while the remainder went to Eva Russo, a teacher at Kosloff's Hollywood ballet school, with portions allocated to Winifred Edwards (also known as Vera Fredova) and Flower Wilkinson Hujer.

Legacy For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Theodore Kosloff was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 1617 Vine Street, in Hollywood, California.

Partial filmography

The Woman God Forgot (1917) - Guatemoco The Tree of Knowledge (1920) - Adam Why Change Your Wife? (1920) - Radinoff The City of Masks (1920) - Bosky The Prince Chap (1920) - Yadder Something to Think About (1920) - Clown Forbidden Fruit (1921) - Pietro Giuseppe The Affairs of Anatol (1921) - Mr. Nazzer Singh - Hindu Hypnotist Fool's Paradise (1921) - John Roderiguez The Lane That Had No Turning (1922) - Louis Racine The Green Temptation (1922) - Gaspard The Dictator (1922) - Carlos Rivas To Have and to Hold (1922) - Lord Carnal Law of the Lawless (1923) - Sender Children of Jazz (1923) - Richard Forestall Hollywood (1923) - Theodore Kosloff Adam's Rib (1923) - Jaromir XIII - Deposed King of Morania Don't Call It Love (1923) - Luigi Busini Triumph (1924) - Varinoff Feet of Clay (1924) - Bendick The Golden Bed (1925) - Marquis de San Pilar New Lives for Old (1925) - De Montinbard Beggar on Horseback (1925) - Prince in Pantomime The Volga Boatman (1926) - Stefan, A Blacksmith The Little Adventuress (1927) - Antonio Russo The King of Kings (1927) - Malchus - Captain of the High Priest's Guards Woman Wise (1928) - Abdul Mustapha Madam Satan (1930) - Electricity Stage Door (1937) - Dance Instructor (uncredited) (final film role)