Milton Berle

Milton Berle — comedian with roots in the Russian Empire

Milton Berle was an American comedian and actor known as Mr. Television — the host of Texaco Star Theatre (1948-1956) whose popularity was so immense it was credited with driving TV set sales across America. He was the first major star of American television and one of the last great Borscht Belt comedians.

Tracing the roots — Jewish

Born Mendel Berlinger in New York in 1908 to parents who had emigrated from Russia, Berle grew up in the Jewish immigrant world of Harlem and the Borscht Belt. His mother Sarah was his most devoted champion and accompanied him to virtually every performance for decades. The immigrant Jewish comedy tradition — broad, physical, warm, desperately funny — runs through everything he did.

A career defined by ambition