Rick Grossman, V8

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

Rick Grossman
[Grayson]

Born on 5 June 1948 in New York City. His parents were the Yiddish actors Irving Grossman and Dinah Goldberg. His grandparents were also actors in the Yiddish theatre. His paternal grandfather was Samuel B. Grossman, who besides being an actor, was also a playwright and director. His paternal grandmother, Fannie Grossman, was a Yiddish actress. Irving's oldest sister, G.'s aunt, Helen, appeared in Yiddish theatre as an actress and later went on to perform on the Broadway stage in the original cast of "Abie's Irish Rose."

G. was raised in New York City and attended the High School of the Performing Arts and graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Drama.

When he was two years old his parents took him on stage to take a bow with them, at the end of one of their club date acts. G.'s first actual stage appearance was at the Second Avenue Theatre in William Siegel's and Joseph Rumshinsky's "Vinsht mir mazel-tov (Wish Me Luck) " in October 1954 in the role "Stevie."

He next appeared at the National Theatre in Menachem Rubin's? and Sholem Secunda's "Oy iz dus a velt (It's a Funny World)" with his parents, Irving Jacobson and Mae Schoenfeld, Julius Adler and Henrietta Jacobson, and Miriam Kressyn and Seymour Rechtzeit, in October 1956.

Between 1956 and 1960 G. also toured in various Yiddish-language shows with his parents in Montreal, Miami Beach and Philadelphia. Then, around 1963-4, G. toured with his mother Dinah Goldberg and Molly Picon in the national tour of the Broadway musical, "Milk and Honey." In 1965 G. appeared with Max Perlman, Jacob Jacobs, Miriam Kressyn and Leon Liebgold in "Hello Charlie."

G. also appeared with his parents in Yiddish vaudeville, from cir 1955 to 1960, at the National Theatre in New York City, as well as at the Parkway Theatre in Brooklyn and the Cameo Theatre in Miami Beach.

G. studied acting in Stella Adler's school from 1963 until 1970. Then in the mid- to late sixties, G. was part of the national tours of "Enter Laughing" and "Come Blow Your Horn," both starring Menasha Skulnik. Later G. studied and acted in productions at the Pasadena Playhouse in California. After this time, G. interrupted his professional acting career and entered into the business world, spending twenty-five years in the optical industry. G. then resumed his career in the theatre. From the eighties on, he was involved in many regional English-language productions as an actor and director, and he served as resident director at Long Island's Airport Playhouse from 1981 to 1993.

In 2011, G. returned to the professional acting world, starring in the Off-Broadway production of "Harry & Eddie: The Birth of Israel." Then he went on to perform Off-Broadway in the following original English-language plays: "The Manufacturer's Daughter," "Feldman & Sons," as well as in a revival of Odet's "Awake and Sing." Then he co-starred with John Davidson in "Man of La Mancha" at Ocean Professional Theatre in Barnegat, New Jersey in 2012. He further appeared in that company's production of "Titanic: The Musical," "Gypsy," "Cats," and Cole Porter's "Anything Goes." Most recently he was seen as "Sancho" in the 2014 national tour of "Man of La Mancha."

G. is a member of the Actors' Equity Association, the Yiddish Theatrical Alliance, and the Yiddish Artists and Friends' Actors' Club.

M. E.

This is Rick Grossman's sole biography within the "Lexicon," which appears in its new Volume 8, which appears online.