Jennie Moscowitz (– July 26, 1953) was an American actress who was known for portraying Jewish mothers and was "equally well known on the English and Yiddish stages".[1]
Moscowitz was born in Iași, Romania. Her father was a tutor at court, and she attended the Conservatoire de Declamation in Iași, the only Jewish student there at that time.[2] She was the oldest of four children.
Moscowitz debuted on stage in Iași when she was 13 years old, portraying Nanine in a production of Camille, a command performance for Romania's king and queen.[3] It starred Sarah Bernhardt, "who took such a liking to the girl that she guided her professionally for the next five years."
Moscowitz came to the United States as part of a troupe assembled by two Russian impresarios. She acted in supporting roles with the Jewish Art Theatre and learned English while doing so, thus gaining access to English-speaking roles. Her Broadway debut was in The Melting Pot, and her "first notable success on the English-speaking stage" was in The Auctioneer, in which she acted for six seasons.[4] For another six seasons she portrayed Mrs. Potash in Potash and Perlmutter on Broadway and around the United States. She acted two more years in Partners Again, a sequel to Potash and Perlmutter. Moscowitz's other Broadway credits included The Treasure, Partners Again), Kosher Kitty Kelly, The Song Writer, The Wooden Soldier, Excursion, and Counsellor-at-Law.[5]
Explaining her success in the theater, Moscowitz said, "If I tried to act, I wouldn't be worth a nickel to a producer. It's because I behave like myself, like a real Jewish mother -- and that's what I am in private life -- that the people like me." Her sons tried to dissuade her from performing in a revival of the play Counsellor-at-Law, which came during her 60th year on stage. They relented after she told them, "I love it. I want to do it. It's my life."[6]
On radio, Moscowitz starred in the serials The Awakening[7] and My Boy[8] and was active as a dialectician.
Jennie and Max Moscowitz married in 1888.[9] He operated the Eldorado, the first Jewish variety theater in New York City, and after they married he managed her career for many years.[10] They had two sons[11] and a daughter.[12]
He died in 1947. She died on July 26, 1953, in a home for the aged in the Bronx, New York City, aged 85.[13]
The Jennie Moscowitz papers are housed at the New York Public Library. The collection includes correspondence, personal papers, and scripts related to her career and her private life.[14]