Michael Burstein ( he, מייק בורשטיין; born July 1, 1945) is an Israeli-American actor known onstage as Mike Burstyn. He was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to the late Yiddish-language actors, Pesach Burstein and

Lillian Lux Lillian Lux (June 20, 1918 – June 11, 2005) was an American singer, author, songwriter and actress in Yiddish theater and Yiddish vaudeville in the United States, Israel, and other Yiddish speaking communities in the diaspora. Biography Lilli ...

. His first cousin was Borsch Belt comedian, Jay Lester. Mike began performing on stage at

Yiddish theater Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Central European Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic re ...

s from childhood, in musicals and melodramas produced by his father, Pesach Burstein, especially as part of the Four Bursteins. (Mike and his twin sister were billed as ''Motele'' and ''Zisele'') in standard Pesach Burstein productions like A Khasene in Shtetl (''A Wedding in the Village'').What a Life! The Autobiography of Pesach'ke Burstein, Yiddish Matinee Idol; By Pesach'ke Burstein with Lillian Lux Burstein; Syracuse University Press, 2003 () He headed out on his own after reaching adulthood, in a bid to reach audiences bigger than the

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 ...

stage. He has performed on television in the United States, Israel, and the Netherlands. He has performed on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, the

, and on the Israeli stage. He had his own show, ''De Mike Burstyn Show'' (1978–1981). He was cast as the lead in

Israel Becker Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

's '' The Flying Matchmaker'', an Israeli film. In 1981, he took part in the Israeli heats of the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

with the song "Sviv kol ha'olam". The song was placed sixth. Among his most noted roles in Yiddish theater was the part in his father's production of

Itzik Manger Itzik Manger (30 May 1901, Czernowitz, then Austrian-Hungarian Empire – 21 February 1969, Gedera, Israel; yi, איציק מאַנגער) was a prominent Yiddish poet and playwright, a self-proclaimed folk bard, visionary, and 'master tailor ...

's ''

Songs of the Megillah A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

'' (the longest running Yiddish production to date in Israel, released on Broadway as ''Megilla of Itzik Manger''). Burstyn appeared on Broadway in ''

Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He wa ...

'', where he succeeded

Jim Dale Jim Dale (born James Smith; 15 August 1935) is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In Britis ...

in the title role. He was nominated for

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. F ...

s for his performance as Mayer in '' The Rothschilds''

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

in 1990 and in

On Second Avenue ''On Second Avenue'' is a Yiddish American musical theatre production which looks back at the heyday of Yiddish Theater, especially in the Yiddish Theater District in Manhattan's East Village on Second Avenue. The original 1987 production open ...

in 2005. In 2009, he starred in the title role of the stage adaption by

Joseph Bologna Joseph Bologna (December 30, 1934 – August 13, 2017) was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter notable for his roles in the comedy films ''My Favorite Year'', ''Blame It on Rio'' and '' Transylvania 6-5000''. Life and career Bolo ...

's ''Lansky''.

Personal life

Burstyn holds dual

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

citizenship. '' The Komediant'' is a documentary recounting the lives and careers of the Burstein family.'' The Komediant'', New Yorker Video, New York, 1999

References

External links

Official websiteOriginal official website

Mike Burstyn & Friends

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Videos
Mike Burstyn

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, and Fort Pierce. FAU belongs to the 12-c ...

Recorded Sound Archives pages * * *
GoldenLand Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burstyn, Mike 1945 births American male film actors 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors American male television actors American people of Polish-Jewish descent American emigrants to Israel Israeli male film actors 20th-century Israeli male singers Israeli male musical theatre actors Israeli male stage actors Israeli male television actors Jewish American male actors Living people Male actors from New York City Yiddish-language singers Yiddish theatre performers