Oskar Seliaru
Oskar Seliaru | |
|---|---|
| Born | Oskar Leenart Schelbach June 18, 1906 Rakvere, Estonia |
| Died | June 14, 1978 (aged 71) |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery (Lakewood Township, New Jersey) |
| Nationality | Estonian |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, director, and puppeteer |
| Spouse | Lo Tui |
Oskar Leenart Seliaru (born Oskar Leenart Schelbach;[1][2] June 18, 1906 – June 14, 1978 New York) was an Estonian actor, director, and puppeteer.[3][4]
Early life and education
[edit]Oskar Seliaru was born in Rakvere, Estonia,[5] the son of Jüri Schelbach (later Seliaru, 1875–1944)[6][7] and Marie Schelbach (later Seliaru, née Vilu, 1875–?). He attended at Rakvere High School, and he participated in the Estonian War of Independence as a schoolboy. In his youth he was also engaged in journalism and was an athlete (shooting and equestrianism).
Career
[edit]Seliaru started performing on the stage in 1926 in the Rakvere Actors' Circle,[3] and he was an actor at the Drama Theater from 1936 to 1944, where he directed a puppet troupe and a was a puppet technician.
In 1944, he fled to Germany. He founded the puppet troupe Sel's Marionettes (Estonian: Seli marionetid) there,[3] and he performed from 1945 to 1950 with his own puppet plays, including See oli unenägu (It Was a Dream) and Seitse ühe hoobiga (Seven in One Blow).[5] He relocated to New York in 1950[4] and directed and acted at the New York Estonian Theater.[5]
Family
[edit]Seliaru became engaged to the Estonian actress, director, and costume designer Lo Tui in February 1937,[8] and they were married in Tallinn on May 1, 1937.[9] Oskar Seliaru erroneously sought to have Lo Tui declared legally dead in 1951 because he believed that she had been killed during the Soviet re-occupation of the Baltic states in 1944.[9][10]
References
[edit]- ^ "Sügiskiri Tallinast". Virumaa Teataja. No. 114. October 7, 1936. p. 2. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "'Ebahaige'. Draama studio teatri ettekandel". Virumaa Teataja. No. 141. December 9, 1936. p. 5. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Oskar Seliaru. 25 aastat laval". Meie Kodu. Sydney, NSW. February 7, 1952. p. 2. Retrieved November 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Thead, Paul (April 25, 1951). "Estonians Eager to Work with Marionettes". The Daily Record. Long Branch, NJ. p. 9. Retrieved November 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Oskar Seliaru papers". University of Minnesota Libraries. University of Minnesota. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "Jüri Seliaru". Virumaa Teataja. No. 91. August 15, 1944. p. 6. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "Jüri Seliaru". Eesti Sõna. No. 192. August 19, 1944. p. 3. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "Kihlatud". Uudisleht. No. 41. February 27, 1937. p. 3. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ a b "Superior Court of New Jersey, Monmouth County, Chancery Division Docket no. in the Matter of the Estate of Loreida Tui Seliaru, Deceased". The Daily Register. Red Bank, NJ. June 14, 1951. p. 52. Retrieved November 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Local DP Begins Unusual Case". The Daily Register. Red Bank, NJ. May 17, 1951. p. 34. Retrieved November 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
