G. was born on 6 February 1876 in Iasi, Rumania. His parents were in business. He finished a four-class gymnasium.

On 24 June 1892 he left home with a troupe of actors under the direction of A. Rozenblum, with whom he began to act in small roles. After acting for two years in the theatre, he became a member in a vaudeville troupe. From there he went over to Rozenberg's troupe, in which he was the only one who was able to read Yiddish, and therefore he became the prompter for the troupe. Thus it is he was out of acting and was now a prompter.

G. traveled with various troupes across Europe and in 1902 he came to America. Here he went into the Actors Union as a finance secretary and manager, and eight times he was elected as president of the Yiddish Actors Union in America, six times continuously.

Since September 1926 G. was manager of the National Theatre in New York, and he remained at the same time the president of the Actors Union.

For five years G. was vice-president of the "Associated Actors and Artists of America", and one of the founders of the Theatrical Alliance.

G. is the husband of Rose Greenfield, the daughter of the deceased director and actor Treitler.