Naomi Riddle papers

Naomi Riddle, née Tenenholtz, was the younger of two daughters born to Alex Tenenholtz and Ethel Fishman on March 8, 1921, in the state of New York. Her parents, both of Jewish descent, emigrated from the western Russian town of Volkovitch to New York around the year 1900. Her father, Alex Elihu Tenenholtz (February 17, 1887 - July 1, 1971), took up acting around 1906 in the Yiddish Theatre on New York city's lower east side. Alex Tenenholtz, whose stage name was Tenen Holtz, quickly rose to fame with his work in New York repertory theatre. In the mid 1920's, Tenen Holtz moved his family to Hollywood after beginning to take minor roles in silent films. His credits include at least 46 motion pictures from 1926 to 1939. A sampling of some of his roles, credited and uncredited, include: (1926), (1928), (1934), and (1939).

Alex's work in the theatre gave Naomi an incredible exposure to the stage and to the business which surrounded it. As a result, Naomi cultivated an appreciation for the performing arts which would play a powerful role in her life. She would go not only to see her father's performances, but to dozens of other productions in and around the Los Angeles area. After graduating from Los Angeles Fairfax High School in 1938, Naomi would spend some years working at Douglas Aircraft and then as a fashion model. During her years as a fashion model in the mid 1940's, Naomi met Dan Otto, a Los Angeles Art Center School instructor. They dated seriously for a couple of years.

In 1954 it is reported that Naomi met Nelson Riddle while working on the television show . He would later hire her as his full-time secretary in or around 1958. During the mid 1960's when Nelson's marriage to Doreen Riddle began to falter, Naomi became a comfort and good friend to Nelson. On April 11, 1970, Naomi married Nelson Riddle in Los Angeles. On October 6, 1985, Nelson passed away from liver and heart problems. Naomi died on 1998 leaving her and her husband's estates to the University of Arizona.