F. was born in 1894 in Brzshezin, near Lodz, Poland. His father was a cantor. From childhood he sang with his father and other cantors, and when he developed a baritone voice, he traveled with the chorus and the troupe of Spivakovski-Fiszon that performed in Lodz. Later on he acted in episodic roles.

After being compensated as a volunteer in the Russian military, he came to America on 25 December 1904. For a certain time he participated successfully in a Russian quintet on the English vaudeville stage. But it held him back from the Yiddish theatre, and in 1905 he began to act in Yiddish vaudeville, and with the troupes of Tanzman and Sukhman, later with Aged, People's Music Hall and in other vaudeville theatres.

He also at a certain time was the "chairman" of the Executives of Local 5 (Vaudeville Actor's Union).

In 1909 he crossed over to legitimate Yiddish theatre, at first with Elias Glickman in Chicago, then with Littman in Toronto, with Elving in Newark, and in Philadelphia with Tanzman, in Boston with Goldenburg, and in Montreal with Schildkraut (eighteen weeks). Later on he acted for two seasons with Isidore Lillian in Williamsburg's Lyric Theatre, a season with Leon Blank (every Sunday in Detroit's opera house and during other evenings across the province), two seasons with Glickman in Chicago, three seasons with Littman in Detroit, and three seasons in Cleveland.