Berta Gersten born Berta Gerstenman (1894 – September 10, 1972) was an American actor in

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

theater and later in Broadway productions. She took a major role in ''

The Benny Goodman Story Dick Winslow ''The Benny Goodman Story'' is a biographical film starring Steve Allen and Donna Reed, directed by Valentine Davies, and released by Universal-International in 1956. The film was intended as a follow-up to Universal's 1954 hit '' Th ...

'' film in 1954.

Life

Gersten was born in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

in 1894 or maybe 1896. Her family moved to New York in 1899 where her father, Avrom Gerstenman, was a translator and her mother, Meshe (née Kopps) was a dressmaker. Her acting debut happened because her mother was working for an actor who needed a child for a production. In 1918 she was recruited by Maurice Schwartz's

Yiddish Art Theatre The Yiddish Art Theatre was a New York Yiddish theatre company of the 20th century. History The organization was founded in 1918 by actor and impresario Maurice Schwartz, to present serious Yiddish drama and works from world literature in Yiddis ...

troup performing notable Yiddish works and dramatic classics like Chekhov Ibsen and Shakespeare in Yiddish. Stayed with the theatre for 25 years frequently in leading roles with Jacob Ben-Ami. Berta Gersten with the Yiddish Art Theatre troupe in London 1935

Berta Gersten with the Yiddish Art Theatre troupe in London 1935

A film adaptation of the play Mirele Efros was made in the United States in 1939. It was directed by

Josef Berne Josef Berne (January 19, 1904 – December 19, 1964) was a Russian-born American writer, film director and producer. Berne was born Josef Berstein on January 19, 1904, in Kyiv, Russia (now Ukraine). He also wrote and directed Yiddish langu ...

with Gersten in the title role and Ruth Elbaum as Shaindl. It was made in

with English subtitles.Mirele Efros
. National Center for Jewish Film. jewishfilm.org. Retrieved 2017-04-14. Gersten acted in Yiddish plays, but in 1954 she took a role in an English-speaking play "The World of Sholom Aleichem" on Broadway. She was known for acting in the theatre, but she played Benny's mother in the 1956 film

. This was her only Hollywood film appearance. Other significant Broadway productions of ''

The Flowering Peach ''The Flowering Peach'' is a 1954 dramatic play by American playwright Clifford Odets with music by Alan Hovhaness. The plot is a modern take on the Bible stories of Noah and Noah's Ark. It was the last original play by Odets produced in his li ...

'' (1955), '' A Majority of One'' (1959), and '' Sophie'' (1963) included Gersten in the cast. Her lasting acting role was in ''My Father's Court'' in 1971.

Death and legacy

Gersten died in hospital in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

aged 78. Gersten is included in the 1971 work Notable American Women, 1607–1950; A Biographical Dictionary.

References

External links

Mirele Efros at IMDB
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gersten, Berta 1890s births 1972 deaths Year of birth uncertain Yiddish theatre in the United States