Natasha Lytess

 ( 1911 Births ) 

Natasha Lytess (16 May 1911, Berlin, Germany – 12 May 1963) was an actress, writer and drama coach.

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Life Born Natalia Postmann and also known as Liesl Massary and Tala Forman, she had studied with the director Max Reinhardt and appeared in the repertory theater. She is said to have had a relationship with the writer Leonhard Frank, who is also said to be the father of her daughter Barbara, born in 1943.

When the Nazism came to power, and in light of her Jewish heritage,

she moved to the United States and settled in Los Angeles. She had hoped for a great stage career, but her accent and purportedly unfeminine appearance limited the roles she could play.

Among her acting credits were appearances in Comrade X (1940), Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942), and The House on Telegraph Hill (1951). Her performance in Once Upon a Honeymoon drew praise from New York Times critic Bosley Crowther, who said she "shines with clear and poignant brilliance in a brief part as a Jewish chambermaid."

In her career as a drama coach, her students included Mamie Van Doren,

Virginia Leith,

Don Harron (2026). 9781459705524, Dundurn. . ISBN 9781459705524

and Ann Savage (who reputedly got her stage name after a particularly "savage" argument with Lytess).

(2009). 9780786443536, McFarland. . ISBN 9780786443536

Lytess is best known for her partnership with actress Marilyn Monroe from 1948 to 1956. During her time as a drama coach for Columbia Pictures, Lytess was shown Monroe's screen test and convinced Harry Cohn to hire Monroe for a six-month contract. Lytess appeared on What's My Line on September 12, 1954 as Marilyn Monroe's dramatic coach. Her occupation was guessed by Bennett Cerf in the free guess given the panel before the game began because he recognized her face. Lytess coached Marilyn through more than 20 films before their partnership began to deteriorate. Lytess is rumored to have had more than professional feelings toward Monroe which developed, according to Monroe and other actresses that studied under Lytess, into an overbearing obsession. In 1956, Monroe sent Lytess a telegram saying that she did not require Natasha's services anymore, and the partnership ended after more than seven years.

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Death Lytess died of cancer in 1963.

J. Randy Taraborrelli (2026). 9780446580823, Grand Central Publishing. . ISBN 9780446580823

She was portrayed by Viveca Lindfors in , Lindsay Crouse in Norma Jean & Marilyn, and by Embeth Davidtz in The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe.

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Filmography

episode: "Curfew at Midnight"

uncredited

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Bibliography

• Donald Spoto (2026). 9780815411833, Cooper Square Press. . ISBN 9780815411833

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External links

• Natasha Lytess on What's My Line (1954)

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