Lucy Gehrman

Lucy Gehrman was born in 1889, a native of Warsaw, Poland.

She began in the Yiddish theatre in Poland, touring the provinces in soubrette roles with her husband, Misha Gehrman. She later switched to character and dramatic roles and is today remembered as being a quintessential player of mother roles, thanks in particular to her part as “Dobrish Berdichevski” in the 1949 Yiddish film, “A brivele der mamen,” or, “A Letter to Mother.”  Lucy also appeared in the 1950 Yiddish film, “God, Man and Devil.”

For six seasons beginning in 1914, Lucy played in Philadelphia’s Arch Street Theatre. She then crossed over in the early 1920s to Maurice Schwartz’s Yiddish Art Theatre, where she began to play dramatic roles for several seasons.

When Misha became a Yiddish theatre manager, Lucy received main roles and acted with her husband for several seasons in Toronto and Cleveland, then two seasons in Brooklyn, New York, at the Hopkinson Theatre, beginning in 1925, where she appeared as a soubrette in a role that was written especially for her.

During the 1927-28 season she played in Chicago, and then guest starred as she toured America.

She returned to New York the next season and appeared in the People’s Theatre, and the following season she acted in Brooklyn’s Rolland Theatre. beginning in 1929.

Lucy continued to act in many of the Yiddish theatres, both in New York City and in other American cities through the early to mid 1950s.