Snitz Edwards

Snitz Edwards (January 1, 1868 (some sources state 1862) – May 1, 1937) was a notable character actor of the early years of the silent film era into the 1930s.

Background and career on the stage

Born Edward Neumann into a Jewish household on New Year's Day, 1868 in Budapest, Hungary (then, part of the Austro-Hungarian empire), Edwards emigrated to the United States and became a very successful Broadway stage actor during the early twentieth century. His first show was the musical comedy Little Red Riding Hood which opened on January 8, 1900. Edwards often appeared in the first decade of the twentieth-century on the Broadway stage in productions for such prominent stage directors as Arthur Hammerstein and Charles Frohman. He also traveled with touring companies across the United States and in South America. On one trip, the company manager absconded with the box office receipts, leaving Snitz and the rest of the marooned troupers to find their way across Panama to catch a steam ship back to New York. In later years, Snitz told of touring cow towns in the American West, where boarding houses had signs saying Jews, Indians and Irish were acceptable, but not actors.

Moving to films

Edwards transitioned to films rather easily and was quickly lauded as a talented character actor. With his expressive and "homely" face, he was considered by many directors to be well-suited to light, comedic roles and often played characters written as a comic foil opposite...
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