DIED
December 14, 1960

RECENT CREDITS
The Big Gamble (FILM)  Sep. 1, 1961
Once More, with Feeling (FILM)  Feb. 1, 1960
Exodus (FILM)  Jan. 1, 1960
Oscar Wilde (FILM)  Jan. 1, 1959
The Sun Also Rises (FILM)  Sep. 1, 1957

BIOGRAPHY
Born in Russia during the last days of the Romanoffs, Gregory Ratoff studied law at the University of St. Petersburg and acting and directing at the St. Petersburg Dramatic School. After service in the Czar's army (if....
Born in Russia during the last days of the Romanoffs, Gregory Ratoff studied law at the University of St. Petersburg and acting and directing at the St. Petersburg Dramatic School. After service in the Czar's army (if his "official" birthdate is to be believed, he must have been a teenager at the time), Ratoff performed with the Moscow Art Theatre. Fleeing his homeland during the Bolshevik revolution, Ratoff resettled in France. It was while he was performing in the 1922 Paris production Revue Russe that Ratoff was brought to the U.S. by Broadway impresario Lee Shubert. After nearly a decade in Shubert productions and Yiddish Theatre presentations, Ratoff made his talking picture bow in RKO's Symphony of Six Million (1932). Though occasionally seen as a villain, Ratoff's most frequent screen characterization was a stereotypical fractured-English theatrical or movie producer, spouting out expletives like "stupendous" and "colossal" in a Borscht-thick accent. While it was professionally expedient for Ratoff to perpetuate the myth that he habitually mangled the English language, the actor could be as articulate as the next fellow when he chose to be -- especially when directing films. Beginning with the 1936 potboiler Sins of the Man, Ratoff became one of Hollywood's busiest directors, tackling everything from delicate romances like Intermezzo (1939) to garish musicals like Carnival in Costa Rica (1947). Ratoff seemed to have lost his touch with his 1956 "vanity" production Abdullah's Harem, but he was back on target with his next (and last) directorial assignment, Oscar Wilde (1960). Gregory Ratoff was married to Stansilavskian actress Eugene Leontovich.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide


Rovi Data Solutions, Inc.
- Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Data Solutions © 2009 Rovi Data Solutions, Inc.




Advertisement

Recently Worked With...

The Big Gamble
Released: Sep. 1, 1961

Exodus
Released: Dec. 15, 1960

Once More, with Feeling
Released: Feb. 1, 1960

Oscar Wilde
Released: Jan. 1, 1959

The Sun Also Rises
Released: Aug. 23, 1957


Fan Sites

Gregory Ratoff Fansites

No fan sites available. Create the first!
Are you the #1 Gregory Ratoff Fan? Sign Up To Create A Website Here.



Top 5 Celebrities

Naomi Watts
September 28, 1968
Shoreham, England

Channing Tatum at the Los Angeles Premiere of 'Sugar'. Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood, CA. 03-18-09
April 26, 1980
Cullman, AL

Rachel McAdams at the premiere of 'The Time Traveler's Wife' - New York, NY - 08/12/09
October 07, 1976
London, Ontario, Canada

Angelina Jolie at the Orange British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) 2009 - Arrivals.  London, England - 02/08/09
June 04, 1975
Los Angeles, CA

Zooey Deschanel
January 17, 1980
Los Angeles, CA



Whats on Hollywood.com

Actors 302,663

Photos 442,572

Videos 12,399

Fan Pages 128,061

Reviews 2,425

Trailers 4,963

TV 129,006

Movies 269,365




Isn't It Time You Went Hollywood ®
©1999-2012 Hollywood.com, LLC