Renato Monti was born as Leo Balagur to a middle class family in Medzhybizh, Ukraine in 1898. His father was a lawyer. In 1920 he moved to Lviv and worked a series of jobs, before emigrating to Vienna and embarking on a theatrical career in 1922. After landing several roles, including some smaller parts under the direction of Max Reinhardt at the Theater in der Josefstadt, Balagur emigrated to Berlin and continued working on the stage, and in addition, on the screen. In 1933 he was prohibited by Nazi law from working as an actor due to his Jewish ethnicity. After years of unemployment, he secured backing from a member of the Warburg family to travel to Italy for vocal studies in 1937. Then in 1938, the German government forbade the transfer of money to persons abroad, and Balagur was forced to emigrate to the United States. Upon emigration he changed his name to Renato Monti. Monti found work as a freelance cantor and lived in New York City. He died in 1979.
From the guide to the Renato Monti Collection, 1920-1963, (Leo Baeck Institute Archives)
