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Friedrich Zelnik, whose birth name was changed to Frederic Zelnik became a significant player in the German silent film industry. Producer, director, and actor Zelnik was from Austria; he had a lasting impression on the business, especially with his 1920s and 1930s success making period operetta films.
Biography
Friedrich Zelnik was born on May 17, 1885. Friedrich was born into a Jewish family In Czernowitz, which is now in Ukraine and was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Zelnik began his acting career at theaters throughout Europe after graduating from university in Vienna. These venues included Nürnberg, Aachen, Worms, Prague, and finally Berlin. Among the notable venues he appeared at were Komödienhaus, Berliner Theater, and Theater a der Königsgrätzer Straße.
Friedrich Zelnik began his career in film in 1914 as an actor and then went on to produce and direct motion pictures. He kept making appearances in movies helmed by other people despite taking on more and more jobs behind the camera. Zelnik was instrumental in helping Polish ballet dancer Lya Mara become a movie actress after they got married in 1918. In 1920, they founded Zelnik-Mara-Film GmbH, a film production firm together.
Popular operetta-style costume pictures, such as “The Blue Danube,” “The Bohemian Dancer,” “Dancing Vienna,” and “Marietta Dances Today,” were made by the Zelnik-Mara-Film under Zelnik’s leadership. Zelnik and Lya Mara enjoyed great success in Germany because of these movies, which also won praise from critics throughout the globe. Zelnik worked alongside outstanding silent film artists in Germany, including production designer André Andrejew and cameraman Frederik Fuglsang.
Zelnik demonstrated his inventiveness when sound cinema came into being by becoming the first filmmaker in Europe to postsynchronize a motion picture. For “The Crimson Circle” (1929), he used the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film technique. He traveled to Hollywood, California, in 1930, then returned to Germany to helm the audio adaptation of his earlier hit film, “The Bohemian Dancer.”
The rise of Hitler in 1933 led Zelnik and Lya Mara to leave Germany for London. Despite the challenges posed by political upheavals, Zelnik continued his directing and producing endeavors in Great Britain and The Netherlands. In a symbolic move, he legally changed his name to Frederic Zelnik and embraced British citizenship.
Friedrich Zelnik Parents
There is limited information about Friedrich Zelnik parents. He was born into a Jewish family.
Friedrich Zelnik Age, Height, Weight, Birthdate
Age | 65 years old (at the time of his death) |
Height | N/A |
Weight | N/A |
Birthdate | May 17, 1885 |
Friedrich Zelnik Wife/Girlfriend
Friedrich Zelnik married Lya Mara in 1918.
Friedrich Zelnik Children
He had no child at the time of his death.
Friedrich Zelnik Net Worth
At the time of his death, there was no information about his net worth.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_Zelnik
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0954673/
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