L. was born in April 1908 in Zdunska Wola, Poland. His father was the actor Leyzer Zhelazo, his mother the actress Esther Glazer-Volska (later - Lipovski). At age five he was adopted by the Yiddish theatre director Nakhum Lipovski. Between 1916 and 1918 he learned in the Vilna Hebrew gymnasium, where he also participated in the student performance of "Khnh ishbet bnyh"; later he studied piano-playing.

In 1920 he traveled together with his parents to Kovno, where he acted from time to time in small roles in his father's troupes. Here he also became the main introducer of "Maccabee" and was the director of amateur productions. In Kovno L. also completed a Russian gymnasium.

In 1923 he returned to Vilna and became the head of a group of "Hashomer Hatzair", then for a short time acted in Yiddish, directed a Russian production and worked as an assistant procurer for the building of the Yiddish folks theatre in Vilna.

Now L. toured as a professional "fat comic" with a provincial troupe, acting afterwards with M. Lipman in the Vilna folks theatre, later with Clara Young and with Morris Liampe. For a short time L. worked as a bookkeeper and a lumber entrepreneur.

In May of 1929 L. joined the Vilna Troupe (Krakow), then he acted again in fat roles with Fishl Kanapov in Vilna and later was appointed by the theatre directorate as a business manager in Zaslavskyis troupe.