Marika Aba
Marika Aba (November 12, 1929, Budapest, Hungary — November 12, 1972) was an American dancer and journalist.
Born Marika Wolff, her father was an engineer who disappeared while working in Turkey at the outbreak of World War II. After the war, during the Soviet occupation of Hungary, she and her mother, Georgina Maros, escaped to Austria by swimming across a river at night. Having trained as a ballerina in Austria, she was a prima ballerina in Rome when she landed the role of the "Assyrian Dancer at Nero's banquet" in the 1951 movie Quo Vadis.[1] After this role, she and her mother moved to Sherman Oaks, California.
In 1952, she appeared as the flower girl in the MGM musical film Lovely to Look At. In 1961, she appeared as a contestant on the TV quiz show, You Bet Your Life, hosted by Groucho Marx. She was escorted on stage by Harpo Marx.[2][3]
After her brief film career she became a journalist, writing for the Los Angeles Times about the arts.[4] She returned to Italy and focused her reporting on the Italian movie industry. Film critic Charles Champlin noted the "ebullience and wit" of her writing.[5]
Death
At the time of her death, Aba was publicity director for Verona Film, and production and publicity liaison for Paramount Pictures and Cinema International Corporation. She died in Paris, France on her 43rd birthday following what was described as "a long illness". Her funeral and burial were in Rome.[6]
Family
Aba was the second wife of Norman Nathan Semler.[7] The couple had one child, a son named Gary. Aba was survived by her mother and her son, both in California.[5]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Quo Vadis | Assyrian Dancer at Nero's Banquet | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Lovely to Look At | Flower Girl | Uncredited, (final film role) |
References
- ^ Richard Lindsay (June 19, 2015). Hollywood Biblical Epics: Camp Spectacle and Queer Style from the Silent Era to the Modern Day: Camp Spectacle and Queer Style from the Silent Era to the Modern Day. Praeger. p. 74. ISBN 9781440837531. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- ^ "Marika Aba". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- ^ "Harpo meets Groucho on "You Bet Your Life"". Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- ^ Axel Madsen (March 17, 2015). John Houston: A Biography. Open Road Media. ISBN 9781504008587. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- ^ a b Charles Champlin (November 14, 1972). "Marika Aba Dies After Long Illness". newspapers.com. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Marika Aba Dies". Motion Picture Daily. 1972. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- ^ "Norman Nathan Semler". Geni. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
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- 1929 births
- 1972 deaths
- Journalists from California
- Hungarian emigrants to the United States
- 20th-century American dancers
- Los Angeles Times people
- Hungarian expatriates in Austria
- Hungarian expatriates in Italy
- 20th-century American journalists
- Burials in Italy
- American expatriates in Austria
- American expatriates in Italy
- Dance biography stubs