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Leo Fuchs
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<h2 id="early-life">Early life</h2> <p>Fuchs was born into a Yiddish theatrical family: his father, <a href="/facts/Yakov_Fuchs/5R05mVMz">Yakov Fuchs</a>, was a character actor; his mother, Róża Fuchs (<a href="/facts/Ruzha_Fuchs/yhBYjLzl">Ruzha Fuchs</a>),<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> was "a leading lady of the musical theatre who perished in the Holocaust of the 1940s,"<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> shot dead by Nazi Germans.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> He began acting (in Polish) when he was five years old, and was praised when he performed at the Warsaw cabaret <i>Qui Pro Quo</i> when he was 17.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="career">Career</h2> <p>His American debut was at the Second Avenue Theater in the <a href="/facts/Yiddish_Theater_District/nREGSsqF">Yiddish Theater District</a> in <i>Lucky Boy</i> with <a href="/facts/Moishe_Oysher/lYUeMAnH">Moishe Oysher</a> in 1929.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> He moved to New York City in 1935.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> In his prime, he was known as "The <a href="/facts/Yiddish/VfmsR6pW">Yiddish</a> <a href="/facts/Fred_Astaire/BX0hAvft">Fred Astaire</a>",<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> appearing both on Broadway and in film. In 1936, he married fellow actor Mirele Gruber and toured with her through Poland for a year. In 1937, he made two movies, the short <i><a href="/facts/I_Want_to_Be_a_Boarder/74XNvYrB">I Want to Be a Boarder</a></i> (in which he sang his famous song <i>Trouble</i>) and <i>I Want to Be a Mother</i> with <a href="/facts/Yetta_Zwerling/v1oGV30b">Yetta Zwerling</a>. In 1940, he starred in <i>Amerikaner Shadkhen</i> (<a href="/facts/American_Matchmaker/RVAptXpN">American Matchmaker</a>).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> He divorced in 1941<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> and later married Rebecca Richman. </p><p>Starting in the 1960s, Fuchs performed in English-language plays and television,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> as well as <a href="/facts/Cinema_of_the_United_States/1HpkUBfd">Hollywood films</a>, including <i><a href="/facts/The_Story_of_Ruth/1bld6pLR">The Story of Ruth</a></i> (1960).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> Two of his best-known roles were in <i><a href="/facts/The_Frisco_Kid/d2JbwCal">The Frisco Kid</a></i> (1979), in which he played with <a href="/facts/Gene_Wilder/PBrs4p8H">Gene Wilder</a>, and as Hymie Krichinsky in the film <i><a href="/facts/Avalon_(1990_film)/AhYD0oAQ">Avalon</a></i> (1990).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> He died in Los Angeles in 1994.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="filmography">Filmography</h2> <h3>Movies</h3> <table><tbody><tr><th>Year</th><th>Title</th><th>Role</th><th>Notes</th></tr><tr><td>1937</td><td><i>I Want to Be a Mother</i></td><td>Khaim Bok</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1940</td><td><i>Americaner Shadchen</i></td><td>Nat Silver / Uncle Shya</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1941</td><td><i>Mazel Tov Yidden</i></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1950</td><td><i>Monticello, Here We Come</i></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1960</td><td><i><a href="/facts/The_Story_of_Ruth/1bld6pLR">The Story of Ruth</a></i></td><td>Sochin</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1972</td><td><i><a href="/facts/Awake_and_Sing/0EPI67ef">Awake and Sing</a></i></td><td>Jacob</td><td>PBS - TV</td></tr><tr><td>1979</td><td><i><a href="/facts/The_Frisco_Kid/d2JbwCal">The Frisco Kid</a></i></td><td>Chief Rabbi</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1990</td><td><i><a href="/facts/Avalon_(1990_film)/AhYD0oAQ">Avalon</a></i></td><td>Hymie Krichinsky</td><td>(final film role)</td></tr></tbody></table> <h3>Television</h3> <table><tbody><tr><th>Year</th><th>Title</th><th>Role</th><th>Notes</th></tr><tr><td>1961</td><td><i><a href="/facts/The_Tab_Hunter_Show/Cjzfsbl9">The Tab Hunter Show</a></i></td><td>Pandro Tremaine</td><td>Episode "The Movie Set" (alternate title "A Star Is Born")</td></tr><tr><td>1962</td><td><i><a href="/facts/Wagon_Train/WX5w6hIY">Wagon Train</a></i></td><td>Mr. Levy</td><td>Episode "The Levy-McGowan Story"</td></tr><tr><td>1963</td><td><i><a href="/facts/Mister_Ed/qyW0971J">Mister Ed</a></i></td><td>Mr. Rasmussen</td><td>Episode "Patter of Little Hooves"</td></tr><tr><td>1970</td><td><i><a href="/facts/Green_Acres/69PlwnHI">Green Acres</a></i></td><td>Uncle Fedor</td><td>Episode "Uncle Fedor"</td></tr><tr><td>1972</td><td><i><a href="/facts/Sanford_and_Son/7f7MxRBz">Sanford and Son</a></i></td><td>Herman Goldstein</td><td>Episode “The Shootout”</td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="bibliography">Bibliography</h2> <ul><li>Friedman, Jonathan C. <i>Rainbow Jews: Jewish and Gay Identity in the Performing Arts.</i> Plymouth, UK: Lexington, 2007.</li> <li>Lugowski, David. "'Pintele' Queer: The Performance of Jewish Male Heterosexuality in Yiddish American Cinema of the Great Depression." In Griffin, Sean. <i>Hetero: Queering Representations of Straightness.</i> Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2009. 53–70.</li> <li>Schechter, Joel. <i>Messiahs of 1933: How American Yiddish Theatre Survived Adversity through Satire.</i> Philadelphia, PA: Temple UP, 2008.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0297249/">Leo Fuchs</a> at <a href="/facts/IMDb_(identifier)/uWrqVYVy">IMDb</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7051761">Leo Fuchs</a> at <a href="/facts/Find_a_Grave/oRU854B1">Find a Grave</a></li> <li>There are several Leo Fuchs songs on NYU's Yiddish Theater archive: <ul><li><a href="https://archive.nyu.edu/handle/2451/59727">Hopalong Knish</a></li> <li><a href="https://archive.nyu.edu/handle/2451/59719">You Gotta Cut Off His Head</a></li> <li><a href="https://archive.nyu.edu/handle/2451/59722">The Yiddisher Chinaman</a></li></ul></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Mendelovitch, Bernard (January 18, 1995). "Leo Fuchs" (obituary). The Independent. independent.co.uk. Retrieved November 10, 2018. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries-leo-fuchs-1568528.html" target="_blank">https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries-leo-fuchs-1568528.html</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Leo Fuchs papers, Guide to the YIVO Archives. YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. yivoarchives.org. Retrieved October 31, 2018. <a href="http://www.yivoarchives.org/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=33717&q=leo+fuchs" target="_blank">http://www.yivoarchives.org/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=33717&q=leo+fuchs</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Schechter (2008), p. 180. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=UNYdvZk2sMAC&pg=PA180" target="_blank">https://books.google.com/books?id=UNYdvZk2sMAC&pg=PA180</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Zalmen Zylbercweig, Leksikon fun Yidishn teater, Book five, 4053 <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Save the Music bio: Leo Fuchs". Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2015. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131208070720/http://savethemusic.com/bin/archives.cgi?q=bio&id=Leo%2BFuchs" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20131208070720/http://savethemusic.com/bin/archives.cgi?q=bio&id=Leo%2BFuchs</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Yonas Turkow, Farloshene shtern, book 2, p 83–87 <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Schechter (2008), p. 180. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=UNYdvZk2sMAC&pg=PA180" target="_blank">https://books.google.com/books?id=UNYdvZk2sMAC&pg=PA180</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Leo Fuchs: Born Laybl Springer in Lemberg Archived 2011-08-10 at the Wayback Machine. Caraid O'Brien, 2nd Avenue site. Retrieved May 26, 2015. <a href="http://2ndave.nyu.edu/bitstream/handle/123456789/13778/26.html;jsessionid=515671EC1E55A0C8AAF3FCDEE315FD30?sequence=1" target="_blank">http://2ndave.nyu.edu/bitstream/handle/123456789/13778/26.html;jsessionid=515671EC1E55A0C8AAF3FCDEE315FD30?sequence=1</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Leo Fuchs papers, Guide to the YIVO Archives. YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. yivoarchives.org. Retrieved October 31, 2018. <a href="http://www.yivoarchives.org/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=33717&q=leo+fuchs" target="_blank">http://www.yivoarchives.org/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=33717&q=leo+fuchs</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Lugowski, p. 63. <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Friedman, p. 36. <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Leo Fuchs bio at IMDb. Retrieved May 26, 2015. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0297249/" target="_blank">https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0297249/</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Leo Fuchs: Born Laybl Springer in Lemberg Archived 2011-08-10 at the Wayback Machine. Caraid O'Brien, 2nd Avenue site. Retrieved May 26, 2015. <a href="http://2ndave.nyu.edu/bitstream/handle/123456789/13778/26.html;jsessionid=515671EC1E55A0C8AAF3FCDEE315FD30?sequence=1" target="_blank">http://2ndave.nyu.edu/bitstream/handle/123456789/13778/26.html;jsessionid=515671EC1E55A0C8AAF3FCDEE315FD30?sequence=1</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Leo Fuchs papers, Guide to the YIVO Archives. YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. yivoarchives.org. Retrieved October 31, 2018. <a href="http://www.yivoarchives.org/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=33717&q=leo+fuchs" target="_blank">http://www.yivoarchives.org/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=33717&q=leo+fuchs</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Mendelovitch, Bernard (January 18, 1995). "Leo Fuchs" (obituary). The Independent. independent.co.uk. Retrieved November 10, 2018. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries-leo-fuchs-1568528.html" target="_blank">https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries-leo-fuchs-1568528.html</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Schechter (2008), p. 180. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=UNYdvZk2sMAC&pg=PA180" target="_blank">https://books.google.com/books?id=UNYdvZk2sMAC&pg=PA180</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>Mendelovitch, Bernard (January 18, 1995). "Leo Fuchs" (obituary). The Independent. independent.co.uk. Retrieved November 10, 2018. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries-leo-fuchs-1568528.html" target="_blank">https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaries-leo-fuchs-1568528.html</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>Leo Fuchs papers, Guide to the YIVO Archives. YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. yivoarchives.org. Retrieved October 31, 2018. <a href="http://www.yivoarchives.org/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=33717&q=leo+fuchs" target="_blank">http://www.yivoarchives.org/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=33717&q=leo+fuchs</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>