Serge Temoff: Silent film actor, dance instructor to the stars
Sergei Vassily “Serge” Temoff was born on November 11, 1901 in Harbin, China. Serge seemed destined for greatness with his natural talent for ballet, if not for his somewhat fascinating background prior to coming to the United States as a refugee. Located in the northeastern most region of China Heilongjiang, the city of Harbin has been an Eastern European-Chinese center of trade since the nineteenth century. Russian Orthodox churches dot the landscape, combined with traditional northern Chinese influences. Once part of imperial Manchuria, Harbin was in fact built by Russians, many who worked on the Chinese Eastern Railway. Serge’s parents were Basil and Ruphina Temoff, who moved to Tomsk, Russia during Serge’s childhood years. Serge also had two brothers who went missing during the Civil War in Siberia which took place from 1918 to 1920. His father, who had investments in mines and fur trading, lost it all during this time period. Serge was a soldier of the White Army under Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak in 1920, but deserted, and was pursued relentlessly by his comrades across Siberia.
Serge headed directly back to Harbin for safety, away from Kolchak’s reach. Since he decided to make ballet his career, he promoted a Russian opera company in this city, and later on established company branches in South Korea and Japan.
In 1925 Serge traveled to America and performed with a Russian ballet troupe. Selected by Samuel Goldwyn to be a ballet trainer for the upcoming film “The Devil Dancer” (1927), Serge also won a role, for his ethnic Eastern European looks and dance resume impressed Goldwyn enough to play the role of Beppo in this now lost silent film. Even a press kit for “The Devil Dancer” touted Serge Temoff as being another “Goldwyn find” even though the young Russian immigrant wound up appearing in only five silent films, plus two synchronized sound films. One of the reasons for his film career ending abruptly was due to his thick Russian accent.
In 1928 Serge appeared in the Tom Tyler silent film “Tyrant of Red Gulch”, also a lost film. Serge played an important role as a good Russian battling a bad Russian, Ivan Petrovitch, played by Harry Woods. That year, Serge appeared in Tolstoy’s “The Living Corpse” at the Pasadena Community playhouse.
During the early 1930’s Serge also continued performing live with both local ballet companies, plus companies on the east coast. Significantly, he performed with the Russian Opera Company, New York Metropolitan Opera Company, Ballet Russ de Monte Carlo, American Ballet and was a choreographer and trainer to Hollywood stars who required some degree of ballet training for a film role.
Serge also took pride in introducing the world of ballet to youngsters. In 1931, he was a guest in “The Enchanted Princess” hosted by the Xenia Yacovleff School of Dance at the South Pasadena, California Junior High school. In this performance, Serge played the role of the Prince, relying heavily upon pantomime in ballet. Serge even directed ballets intended for children’s entertainment at events such as birthdays. One notable one was “Puss in Boots”, performed at the Palo Alto Community Center in Palo Alto, California. Serge made his debut in “Lakmé” at the NY Metropolitan Opera House in 1936. In 1944, Serge choreographed and directed the Polovetz dances in the Russian opera “Prince Igor” performed at the San Francisco Opera House. Among the Hollywood stars Serge trained were: Marion Davies, Gilda Gray, and Loretta Young.
By 1959 Serge had his own ballet school in San Francisco. He was instructor to Tania Orlova, who opened her own Russian Ballet school in San Rafael in the early 1970’s.
Serge kept busy through the 1960’s and 1970’s, primarily as ballet director and choreographer in performances like the Rimsky-Korsakoff ballet “Ivan Korolevich”, held at the Russian Center in San Francisco. Serge was married to Vera Andrew, who had many years of ballet training but preferred to work in dance costumes and set design.
Not much is known about Serge’s later years. Still a resident of California, he lived to the ripe old age of 93 before dying on September 1, 1995 in Rancho Cordova, California.
Image Credit: Zindbar.
