Maurice Schwartz

Actor, producer, and screenwriter Maurice Schwartz was born in Sudlekov, Galicia, and came to the United States in 1901. Fascinated by acting, he toured the United States and in 1918 founded the Yiddish Art Theatre in New York City, along with a school for acting. The Yiddish Art Theatre, for which he served as producer and director, existed for forty years and produced more than 150 plays, including classics from other languages. Schwartz also directed and starred in two Yiddish films, Uncle Moses (1932) and Tevye (1939).