Lives in the Yiddish Theatre
SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE Yiddish THEATRE
aS DESCRIBED IN zALMEN zYLBERCWEIG'S "lEKSIKON FUN YIDISHN TEATER"

1931-1969
 

Max Friedlander
 

Born 10 October, 1894 in Brest-Litovsk (Brisk), Russia. 

His father was a merchant. 

He studied with various teachers and then in a “cheder metukan” (improved cheder) with Eliahu Sinai, and in a commercial school. He also participated in Russian amateur performances. 

In 1912 he came to America on his own, and after some traveling about, settled at a childhood friend’s house in Milwaukee where he became one of the founders of the local Yiddish drama club and a prompter at its first performance.

Later he settled in Chicago, became a professional prompter, first with Philip Weisenfreund (Muni’s father), then with Adolph Gertner.

 In 1924 he arrived in New York, where he was immediately accepted into the Yiddish Actors Union and soon became its executive secretary. Since then he has worked as prompter in the important Yiddish theatres, and in later years especially with Maurice Schwartz.

F. wrote the plays “Farshlosenen lipen”  and “Mentshen veln reydn", and on Fridays he used to publish a theatre column in Chicago’s “Courier”.

 

Friedlander’s son, Eddie. who became a doctor, appeared on the Yiddish stage as a child and then as a young man.

In 1934 F. traveled to South America representing a succession of Yiddish guest actors from North America, and from 1934-40, he brought the following actors to Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil: Jennie Goldstein, Fraydele Oysher, Sylvia Fishman, Hymie Prizant and Aaron Lebedeff.

F. was many times a member of the Yiddish Actors Union Executive Committee and was one of the founders of “Mir Chicago” and “Artists and Friends”, as well as a board member of the Yiddish Theatrical Alliance, a committee member of “The Lexicon of Yiddish Theatre”, and Secretary-Treasurer of the Yiddish Actors Union.

F. married actress Sylvia Fishman.

 

Sh. E.


 

 

 

 


 

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Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the  "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 3, page 2275.
 

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