Meier Tzelniker (1 January 1894 – 8 October 1980)^[1] was a Yiddish-speaking actor^[2] born in Hotin County, Romania.^[3] He appeared mainly in Yiddish theatre, but was sometimes a character actor in English-language plays and films, such as It Always Rains On Sunday (1947) and Expresso Bongo (1959).^[4][5]

Biography

Meier Tzelniker was born in Hotin-Bessarabia, Romania, the son of a yeast manufacturer. Meier was a boy chorister in a synagogue when he got his first stage role in Yiddish theatre, and toured eastern Europe with a Yiddish theatre company.

Selected filmography

• Mr. Emmanuel (1944) - Mr. Silver
• It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) - Solly, his father
• Last Holiday (1950) - Baltin
• Venetian Bird (1952) - Mayor of Mirave
• The Teckman Mystery (1954) - John Rice
• Make Me an Offer (1954) - Wendl
• The Woman for Joe (1955) - Sol Goldstein
• The Extra Day (1956) - Lou Skeat
• Stars in Your Eyes (1956) - Maxie Jago
• The Long Haul (1957) - Nat Fine
• A Night to Remember (1958) - Mr. Isador Straus
• Expresso Bongo (1959) - Mayer
• Jungle Street (1960) - Mr. Rose
• Let's Get Married (1960) - Schutzberger
• A Circle of Deception (1960) - Barman
• His and Hers (1961) - Felix McGregor
• The 25th Hour (1967) - Abramovici
• The Sorcerers (1967) - The Jewish Baker
• The Killing of Sister George (1968) - Mr. Katz