Theodore Kosloff

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Born Fedor Mikhailovich Koslov on Jan. 22, 1882 in Moscow, Russian Federation

Died Nov. 22, 1956 in Los Angeles, CA

A ballet dancer by trade, Theodore Kosloff went on to star in a string of films by Cecil B. DeMille, an executive credited with producing the first full-length film in a 1914 effort entitled "The Squaw Man."

He had first gained wide notice in 1909, when Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes debuted in France and redefined dance for the 20th century. Toiling for le tout Paris in front of the hot footlights of the Theatre du Chatelet were ballet superstars Vaslav Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova — artists whose names resonate around the world.

Among this galaxy of luminaries, however, Kosloff, then a 27-year-old powerhouse known as Fedor Mikhailovich Koslov, was destined to achieve his fame in Los Angeles, although today he is virtually unknown.

Kosloff worked primarily in DeMille-produced films and relied heavily on his ability to produce roles for him. His film career ended with the advent of sound pictures, as producers were reluctant to cast him because of his thick Russian accent.

Outside his regular acting duties, Kosloff choreographed or had cameos in several films.

After his acting career, Kosloff continued to choreograph and teach dance. He opened a ballet school in Los Angeles in his later years.

Kosloff died of natural causes at the age of 74 on Nov. 22, 1956.

— Debra Levine in the Los Angeles Times April 5, 2009

Two thoughts about Theodore Kosloff

“

I studied with Kosloff from the time I was about 10-1/2 or 11 until my widowed mother and I moved north from Burbank to Fresno, CA. Mom met Kosloff's (ex-wife, I think) at work at the Burbank Dept. of Employment. She had gotten Ruth St. Denis to take me as a student, but it was too expensive and too far from home.

She asked Kosloff's wife if she could get me into classes with her ex. She did, especially since he was rehearsing Les Sylphides for the Hollywood Bowl and I looked like I was 14 or 16 instead of 11! I knew almost nothing about Kosloff's film career until fairly recently.

He was a hard task-master and carried a bamboo "cane" with slits between the joints in the bamboo. He either pounded the cane on the wooden floor or struck us with it if knees were not locked in place or shoulders were raised an unacceptable amount. About 2-3 hours of ballet, toe, and character instructions three times a week, plus 6 hours/week rehearsing Les Sylphides for the the Hollywood Bowl...

There were both significant benefits and some scary risks in studying with Kosloff. The risks: Neither Old Russian ballet masters nor physicians knew much about the human body back then! So Kosloff gets most of the credit for ruining my young feet--he never looked at my bare feet and didn't understand (or maybe care) that I had feet that should never have been in toe shoes. En pointe, the only things supporting me were my big toes! Street shoe size... 7; Kosloff class shoe size... 5-1/2.

He sincerely believed that if we got really hot, dehydrated, and exhausted during classes and/or rehearsals, we would die of heart attacks if we drank even a single sip of water! And we were watched!

On the positive side (although I didn't appreciate it at the time), when we moved north to Fresno and found a new ballet teacher, after just a couple of sessions with "Melita," she examined my feet, then invited me to take over her adult beginner classes. But she warned me that even when I taught toe classes, I would not teach them en pointe!

I taught ballet for quite a few years and never, ever had to pay for the classes I took!

Theodore Kosloff pretty much scared the living daylights out of me ( I was very young) but his rigid training allowed me to teach and to continue to study ballet for free. It was kind of a love/hate relationship, from which I benefited greatly.

All in all, my time with Kosloff was a good experience, most of which I'll treasure forever. I remember the studio above the bowling alley-on Vermont, I think; sprinkling water on the dry, dusty wooden floors; not-too-private dressing rooms; hard work and painful feet; and dinner out with mom after classes and rehearsals! It was all worth it!

” — Sunny, November 17, 2013 at 9:06 a.m.

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