Famous Like Me > Actress > K > Miliza Korjus
Profile of Miliza Korjus
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| Name: |
Miliza Korjus |
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| Date of Birth: |
18th August 1909 |
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| Place of Birth: |
Warsaw, Poland |
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| Profession: |
Actress |
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From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia
Miliza Korjus (18 August 1909 - 26 August 1980) was an Eastern European singer and actress. Her father was an officer in the Imperial Russian army and chief of staff to the Minister of War of Estonia. Her mother was descended from Lithuanian-Polish nobility. Miliza was born in Warsaw, but during World War I her parents were separated, and she moved with her mother and siblings to Kiev, where she studied music.
While a teenager, Miliza toured the Soviet Union with the Dumka Chorus. In 1927, while performing in Leningrad, she escaped across the border into Estonia, where she was reunited with her father. She began touring the Baltic countries and Germany, and began performing with the Berlin State Opera in 1933. Film producer Irving Thalberg heard her recordings and signed her to a ten year film contract, sight unseen.
Korjus's first Hollywood film was The Great Waltz, an anti-Nazi musical. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role.
Korjus was scheduled to star in a film version of the novel Sandor Rozsa in 1940, but an automobile accident caused her leg to be crushed, and, although she avoided potential amputation, she required extensive recuperation, causing the film to be delayed. By 1941 she had healed well enough to begin a tour of South America. During her tour, the United States became involved in World War II, and, having experienced war in Europe in her youth, she decided to stay in Mexico for the duration. While living there, she made a Spanish language film, CaballerÃa del imperio.
In 1944 she returned to the United States, where she performed at Carnegie Hall. She toured the country for several more years, eventually settling in Los Angeles, California, where she married in 1952, retiring from film and touring, prefering to concentrate on making records.
Her daughter Melissa Wells became the US Ambassador in Estonia.
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