Aleksandr Lemberg

Biography

Aleksandr Lemberg was a Russian-Jewish cinematographer and film actor active in Moscow, Russia and in Riga, Latvia. He was born Aleksandr Grigorievich Lemberg on October 22, 1898, in Russia. His father, Grigori Moiseevich Lemberg, was a photographer and cinematographer of early silent cinema. Young Aleksandr Lemberg made his debut at age 18, in 1916, as his father's assistant. During the Russian Civil War of 1917 - 1922, Aleksandr Lemberg made documentaries that later became part of Fortress on the Volga (1942) and also worked in other early Soviet films. During 1919-1920 Aleksandr Lemberg was cinematographer with "agitpokhod" and "agitpoezd." From 1918 to 1924 he was officially assigned to make documentaries about Vladimir Lenin, including Lenin's public appearances on the Red Square, his work in Kremlin, and his funeral in Moscow. At that time Lemberg joined the group "kinokov" organized by Dziga Vertov. In 1926 he made his first (and only) feature film, Mashinist Ukhtomskiy (1926). However, in 1938 - 1941 he became a photographer for the Exhibition of People's Achievements in Moscow. During the Second World War, he was photo-correspondent with the Red Army. After 1946 he returned as photographer for the Exhibition of People's Achievements in Moscow. In the 1960s, Lemberg played supporting roles in several Soviet films. He died on June 9, 1974, in Moscow, Russia.