Balieff was known for his feigned lack of English on stage. His monologues and introductions were delivered in a mix of Russian, French, and English language and slang coupled with much gesticulation. However, in private his English was better than that of his stage persona. His company toured Europe and South Africa, appearing in major capital cities. He was married to Helena Komisarjevska, a member of one of his theatrical companies. In 1927 he was featured on the cover of Time magazine. In 1934 Balieff created a new Chauve-Souris production, which proved to be his last theatrical venture. The fall of that year marked his final stage appearance: Continental Varieties, a revue at the Helen Hayes Theatre, which featured Lucienne Boyer. He also appeared in the Ben Hecht-Charles MacArthur film, Once in a Blue Moon (1935). Death and funeral Balieff died of a kidney ailment on 3 September 1936, aged 63, at the Park West Hospital on West 76th Street in Manhattan. His funeral was held at the Russian Orthodox Church of Christ the Savior on Madison Avenue. Members of the Russian Opera Company sang and nearly 1,000 people attended the service, including members of the Russian nobility. Balieff is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Maspeth, Queens, New York. His caricature was drawn by Alex Gard for the famed Sardi's Restaurant, where well-known performers often congregated during the Broadway season, and where many well-known stage actors' caricatures hang. The signed drawing is now housed in the Billy Rose Theatre Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. References Sources The New York Times, "The Last Laugh Out of Russia", January 15, 1922 Time Magazine, "New Revue in Manhattan", August 23, 1943 1870s births 1936 deaths People from Erzurum Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to the Russian Empire Armenian people from the Russian Empire Male actors from the Russian Empire Theatre directors from the Russian Empire Vaudeville performers White Russian emigrants to the United States Deaths from kidney disease Ethnic Armenian male actors