The Obie Award-winning actress Mina Bern, who, over her long stage and film career, performed in five languages, and appeared on four continents, died after a recent illness on Sunday, January 10, 2010. She was rumored to be in her late 90's since she had become accustomed to claiming 90 as her age several years ago.
Her last stage appearance was in May of 2005, when Bern, who was known as the Grande Dame of the Yiddish Theatre in New York, performed in her one-woman stage memoir, "
Mina Bern: A Life on the Stage, A Personal Memoir Told in Song and Story" at the JCC in Manhattan, under the auspices of The National Yiddish Theatre - Folksbiene.
Bern first gained stardom as an actress and singer in Lodz, in her native Poland. After being relocated to a displaced persons camp in Uganda, Africa after WWII, Bern made her mark in Israel at the time of its founding, and then relocated to New York in 1949 where she appeared on Broadway in "Let's Sing Yiddish," and again in "Those Were the Days." Her other major stage credits include "Light, Lively and Yiddish;" "Sing, Israel, Sing;" and in the long- running Los Angeles production of "Let's Sing Yiddish." Her film credits include "Avalon;" "Crossing Delancey;" "Little Odessa;" "I'm Not Rappaport;" "Celebrity;" "It Could Happen to You" and "Flawless" with Robert DeNiro.
Mina Bern won an Obie Award in the 1998-1999 season for her performance in The Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre's production of "Sweet Dreams." The following year, Bern appeared in The Folksbiene's highly acclaimed production of "An American Family," earning affectionate raves as a feisty aunt. She was a stand-out in The Folksbiene's highly praised Yiddish world premiere of
Isaac Bashevis Singer's "Yentl" in 2002, which starred
Eleanor Reissa in the title role.
Mina Bern received a lifetime achievement award from Governor George E. Pataki at a celebration of Jewish Heritage at Hunter College in 2002.
For many years she traveled the world, touring cities in Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, Israel and the United States. For 25 years she traveled with her late husband
Ben Bonus, under the auspices of The Workmen's Circle, bringing Yiddish to audiences across the country.
Bern served as vice president of the Hebrew Actors' Union and co-vice president (with
Shifra Lerer) of the Yiddish Artists and Friends Actors' Club, a fraternal organization originally founded by
Paul Muni.
