The Great Adler: Jacob Adler (1855 - 1926)
From Kafka's Diaries: 'The great Adler' from New York, the most famous Yiddish actor, who is a millionaire, for whom Gordin wrote Der Wilde Mensch and whom Lowy in Karlsbad had asked not to come to the performance because he didn't have the courage to act in his presence on their poorly equipped stage. *** Jacob Pavlovich Adler (born Yankev P. Adler ; [ 1 ] February 12, 1855 – April 1, 1926) [ 2 ] was a Jewish actor and star of Yiddish theater , first in Odessa , and later in London and in New York City's Yiddish Theater District . [ 2 ] Nicknamed " nesher hagodl ", [ 3 ] [ 4 ] (" the Great Eagle "), Adler being the Yiddish for "eagle", [ 2 ] [ 4 ] he achieved his first theatrical success in Odessa , but his career there was rapidly cut short when Yiddish theater was banned in Russia in 1883. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] He became a star in Yiddish theater in London, and in 1889, on his second voyage to the United States, he settl...