B. was born on 12 April 1886 in Kovno, Lithuania. His father was a Ger. His mother was from the distinguished Berkowitz family . His father passed away when B. was young, and he became educated by his mother. He learned in a cheder, later in a Russian school, then he attended the evening courses given by the Russian arts academy. He also learned music and took a course in a dramatic school.

At the age of sixteen he came to America, and here he entered into the "Fraye yidishe folksbine", and he participated in the offering of Ibsen's "Folks feynt", Pshibishevski's "Glik" and "Gest" et al.

B. worked as a cartoonist in "Kunds" and in other periodical publications, and he was a close friend of the Adler family.

Professionally B. began to act by accident when in the Second Avenue Theatre an actor had taken ill, and ever since then he is has become accustomed to acting professionally from time to time.

In 1920 B. acted together with Jacob P., Sara, Frances and Stella Adler for a season in London's Pavilion Theatre, then by himself he went over to theatre directing, then he acted for two seasons in Paris with Blumental, then returning to America and traveling around for a season in Yiddish and Russian theatre with