Born on 14 July 1891 in New York, America. Father -- a tailor. He learned in a cheder, completing an elementary school and two years of high school. He was a member in an English dramatic club and for twelve years acted in English vaudeville under the name "Storn". As to his entrance into Yiddish theatre, as the supervisor of stand-ins in the Windsor Theatre. Then he directed with a Yiddish amateur group across New York and the provinces. 

In 1917 he married actress Nina Hertsog and together with her (1917-18) acted across the American province in the play "Peg's Bad Boy (Pegs shlekht zundl)". 1919 -- managed the provincial troupe of Sara Adler, and in 1921-23 managed and acted in a provincial troupe in the play "Der goylem (The Golem)" by David Meyerowitz, and "Yenta oyf brodvay (Yenta on Broadway)" by Willy Fine. Later he acted in vaudeville in the Empire Theatre in Brooklyn, and in 1926 legitimate theatre in the Monument National Theatre in Montreal, Canada. 1928 -- directed with a Yiddish vaudeville troupe in New York's Lipzin Theatre, 1929 -- Yiddish vaudeville in the Bronx's McKinley Square Theatre.

In 1930 Sh. made a tour across Europe, together with his wife and their daughter Ida, and acted with local troupes in Vienna (Karl Theatre), Budapest, Bucharest, Stanislawow, Czernowitz, and across many Galician provincial cities. He returned from Europe, and Sh. in 1932 was manager and regisseur of vaudeville in New York's Second Avenue Theatre. In 1933-1938 -- manager of a movie house in the "Fifth Avenue Theatre", New York.