Bozyk, Reizl (1914–1993)
Bozyk, Reizl (1914–1993)
Yiddish actress. Name variations: Reizel. Born in Poland in 1914; died at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York on September 30, 1993; married Max Bozyk (a Yiddish actor; died 1970).
Reizl Bozyk began acting in Poland at the age of five or six, performing first with her parents and then with her future husband Max Bozyk. The couple fled the Nazis in 1939, traveling first to Argentina and in 1941 to New York City. For 30 years, they worked together on New York's Yiddish stage, starring in one play or revue after another, until Max died in Reizl's arms after a performance at New York's Town Hall in 1970. Reizl Bozyk received top billing for more than 60 years. She appeared in hundreds of productions as a comedian, and later as the typical mother-in-law who often stole the show. In 1988, at age 74, she undertook her first English-language role, the matchmaking grandmother in Joan Micklin Silver 's "Crossing Delancey."