Born on 29 August 1909 in Riga, Lettland (Latvia), to balebatishe parents. He learned in a msukn cheder; later he completed the "Yiddish primary school" in Riga.

As a youngster of six, he sang with Cantor Rozovsky, and in the local choral school, later he sang in Yiddish theatre (children's roles), and "made theatre" in homes.

At age seventeen he entered into the dramatic studio with the "Peretz Club" et al, of the Russian performers Zhikhareva, and at the same time acted in local non-stable Yiddish theatre.

With the founding of Riga's "Neyer yidisher teater", P. became a professional actor and has acted since then under the direction and leadership of Tal and Veysbeyn, Y. Stein, Julius Adler, Menakhem Rubin et al, then a season in "musical comedy" et al by Shlomo Kutner.

1928-1931 -- acted in Kovno; 1932 -- returned to Riga; 1933-1934 -- in Kovno's "Yidish Meutim Theatre", later -- five months, together with his wife Gita Galina, guest-starring in Vienna's "Reklam Theatre" (director Goldflis) and the head of the troupe, across Czechoslovakia, acting a season in London (under the direction of Fanny Blumenthal), also visiting the cities of Liverpool, Leeds, Glasgow, Manchester, acting for a year in Paris (directors Lachtiger, Lazar and Lustik) and Belgium (director Mendelevitsh), and guest-starring later in Warsaw's "Skala Theatre", then in a