Sascha Brastoff at work in his Beverly Hills ceramics design studio c. 1950.
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BIOGRAPHY
Sascha Brastoff, potter, metal sculptor, painter, and jewelry designer was born Samuel Brostofsky in
Cleveland, Ohio on October 23, 1918. He attended Glenville High School in Cleveland where
he took drama classes. At age 17 he began
studying dance and later performed for several seasons with the Cleveland
Ballet. Impressed with his artistic abilities, his art teachers formed a small private scholarship to
enable him to attend the Western Reserve University School of Art in Cleveland. In 1940,
Sascha moved to New York City joining the Clay Club and in 1941 he held a one-man show selling out
of his terra cotta “whimsies” with pieces purchased by
the Whitney Museum, the Syracuse Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In 1942 he joined the U.S. Army Air Force and was assigned to the Special Services Events Division
where he designed costumes and scenery for events staged to entertain the troops.
It was at this time that Sascha developed his G.I. Carmen Miranda character,
a wildly popular stage impersonation of the real Carmen Miranda,
"I don't like zis boy. He looks more like me zan me".
He joined the Contact Caravan road show touring Europe and quickly became well known for this comic interpretation.
Using his military entertainment fame as a spring board he moved to Hollywood, California after his discharge where in 1944
he signed a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox as a designer and entertainer.
In 1944 Sascha starred in the film version of Moss Hart's "Winged Victory" re-enacting his former military stage performance.
In 1946 he collaborated as her costumer with his inspiration, Carmen Miranda, in the film "If I'm Lucky" .
They became close friends and remained so until her untimely death in 1955.
In 1947 he opened his first ceramic plant in Los Angeles selling hand-painted ceramics.
In 1952, with backing from Winthrop Rockefeller, Brastoff opened a brand new factory in Los Angeles.
It was destroyed by fire six months later and in 1953 Brastoff opened a new 35,000-square foot
factory and showroom that eventually employed more than 100 people.
Additional Biographic Information