G. was born on 1 May 1871 in Zhitomir, Ukraine. His father was a merchant of diamonds and footwear. He learned most of the time at home, both Yiddish topics and other topics. He had from childhood excelled with singing and dance, and later he participated in Russian amateur productions.

Due to the fact that Yidl Goldfaden had acted with his father, and he often used him to read various plays, Glickman had the opportunity to acquaint himself with the then Yiddish repertory and had learned himself all of Goldfaden's plays in oysveynik.

In 1887 G. went abroad, a short time in Berlin, where he worked with cigarettes, and then he traveled to London, where he became an understudy in Smit's Princes Club, and when he filled out a role in 'Nye be, nye me", he received at last a role because he could oyf oysvinik the play. Since then, Adler often gave him roles. After the "fire", G. traveled to America, but first after may difficulties he successfully became an understudy in the Roumanian Opera House. After that, as he acquainted himself with the Hershman family; he traveled to Troy, New York State, where he organized productions with that family. They acted in the Goldfaden repertoire, and G. participated in those productions. Soon thereafter G. organized a troupe which was one of the first to perform Yiddish theatre in he American province.