The actor and artist, Martin Kosleck was born in Barkotzen, Pommern, Germany. He was of Russian heritage and came into the world as Nikolai Yoschkin. With a strong desire to become an actor he applied with success to study under the great Max Reinhardt in Germany. For six years he performed in plays and musical revues in both Germany and England, even performing with the young Marlene Dietrich. He immigrated to the United States in the early 1930's. Arriving in Hollywood he became just another struggling actor. Fortunately being very skilled at oil painting he was able to make a living at painting portraits. In 1935 he was invited by the Los Angeles Museum to do a one man show of his paintings. The show featured portraits of Marlene Dietrich, Jean Harlow, Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford and other fine pieces of his work. He received great reviews,including one in Time Magazine. He landed his first opportunity to act at the Pasadena Playhouse in a production of the Brothers Karamazov. His big break came in 1939 when the director Anatole Litvak cast him in "Confessions of a Nazi Spy". Universal Studios impressed with his performance put him in several of their horror films of that era. From that point on he became typecast. For the rest of his career he played roles that represented some of the nastiest of characters. A far cry from his Shakespearean training in Germany. He remained a character actor until 1980 having appeared in 80 films. Many of his paintings hang in museums and in the homes of private collectors. He had been married to the late Eleonora Von Mendelssohn who committed suicide in 1951.
The actor and artist, Martin Kosleck was born in Barkotzen, Pommern, Germany. He was of Russian heritage and came into the world as Nikolai Yoschkin. With a strong desire to become an actor he applied with success to study under the great Max Reinhardt in Germany. For six years he performed in plays and musical revues in both Germany and England, even performing with the young Marlene Dietrich. He immigrated to the United States in the early 1930's. Arriving in Hollywood he became just another struggling actor. Fortunately being very skilled at oil painting he was able to make a living at painting portraits. In 1935 he was invited by the Los Angeles Museum to do a one man show of his paintings. The show featured portraits of Marlene Dietrich, Jean Harlow, Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford and other fine pieces of his work. He received great reviews,including one in Time Magazine. He landed his first opportunity to act at the Pasadena Playhouse in a production of the Brothers Karamazov. His big break came in 1939 when the director Anatole Litvak cast him in "Confessions of a Nazi Spy". Universal Studios impressed with his performance put him in several of their horror films of that era. From that point on he became typecast. For the rest of his career he played roles that represented some of the nastiest of characters. A far cry from his Shakespearean training in Germany. He remained a character actor until 1980 having appeared in 80 films. Many of his paintings hang in museums and in the homes of private collectors. He had been married to the late Eleonora Von Mendelssohn who committed suicide in 1951.
