M. was born in 1893 in Viezhkovtse, near Horodenka, Eastern Galicia. Already as a child of six G. was employed at the bakery that his father had opened up in Horodenka, from where his entire family had come from.

At the age of twelve G. went to Zoletshiki, where he worked as a baker. Here he saw Ukrainian acting and Yiddish troupes for the first time. The play made such an impact on him that he decided to become an actor. He traveled to Lemberg, entered into the local dramatic circle of the Yiddish Socialist section, afterwards migrating to Berlin and, after having many difficulties, [underwent=durkhmakhndik] also due to the stage career an operator on foot(?), he was taken into the actors school of Reinhardt's "German Theatre". Working further for his profession, G. now was a student in Reinhardt's school, and he had the opportunity to act the the greatest German actors: Bassermann, Moise, Schildkraut, Wegener et al, but G.'s [tsit] all to the Yiddish theatre, he spent his free evenings with the small Yiddish troupe (Leresko and wife; Klug and wife; Mestel et al.), with whom he acted then (1913) in Berlin.

During the World War G. served as an under officer in the Austrian army, fell into Italian captivity, and after escaping from there, acted for a short time in Vienna until he became engaged in the Munich shoyshpil house. From there he went over to