Mike Burstyn

Mike Burstyn is one of the world's most popular Jewish entertainers.

Born in New York to a famed family of actors, Mike first walked out on stage at the age of three, stole the show from his father and hasn't looked back since. He has enjoyed a unique international career entertaining audiences on stage, screen and television, in nightclubs and on concert stages throughout the world. "The Komediant," a documentary about Mike and his family, won the 1999 Israeli Oscar and is currently being distributed throughout the USA.

Mike just completed a sold-out concert tour of Israel celebrating his 50th Anniversary in Show Business. He recently co-starred with Valerie Harper in the National tour of "The Tale Of The Allergist's Wife". Prior to that he starred in a National tour garnering rave reviews as Al Jolson in the musical "Jolson." He won an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination starring as Mike Todd in the Broadway musical "Ain't Broadway Grand" and a Drama Desk Award nomination for his portrayal of Mayer Rothschild in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway revival of "The Rothschilds." Mike starred on Broadway as P.T. Barnum in the Tony Award winning musical "Barnum" (a role he recreated in the Dutch language production in The Netherlands). Other Broadway credits include "The Megilla" and "Inquest," in which he was hissed and booed eight times a week as Roy Cohn.

Off-Broadway Mike acted as host-narrator for the 92 nd Street Y's famous "Lyrics & Lyricists" series, inaugurated City Center's popular Encores series in "Fiorello" and starred in "The Fishkin Touch," in Murray Schisgal's "Circus Life" and in the revival of Neil Simon's "The Prisoner of Second Avenue."

His regional credits include acclaimed portrayals of Tevye in "Fiddler On The Roof"; as Nathan Detroit in "Guys & Dolls" with Vic Damone; "1040," a new musical by Jerry Bock ("Fiddler On The Roof") and Jerry Sterner ("Other People's Money") at the University of Houston; as Kurt Weill in "Berlin To Broadway" at the Coconut Grove Playhouse (Carbonell Award Nomination); "Hatikva", his tribute to Israel's 50th Anniversary, and the national tour of the Broadway musical "Those Were The Days." Recent U.S. TV appearances include "As The World Turns," "The Cosby Mysteries," "Law & Order" and HBO's "Dog Watch" with Sam Elliot and Paul Sorvino.

Mike won two Israeli "Oscars" for his screen portrayal of Kuni Leml, a kind of Israeli Forrest Gump. He also hosted and starred in his own TV variety show in Holland, "The Mike Burstyn Show", rated among the ten most popular shows in The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Among the many guest artists to make their Dutch television debuts on the show were Mike's friends Ben Vereen and Chita Rivera, who recommended him to the producers of "Barnum." Since then he has divided his time between the US, Holland and Israel.

Among his numerous achievements, Mike had the honor of performing before President Reagan, Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, the Presidents and Prime Ministers of Israel; starred in a Royal Variety Show at London's famed Paladium; and as a soldier in the Israel Defence Forces entertained the troops both in peacetime and during three wars, hosting and performing with Danny Kaye on his month-long tour of army bases and hospitals following the Six Day War. He is fluent in and has performed in eight languages.

Mike has been honored through the years with numerous artistic, cultural and humanitarian awards. He is an honorary board member of Gilda's Club, a Trustee of the American Friends of the Hebrew University and served as Honorary President of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Israel.

Mike was recently nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his starring role in 'On Second Avenue', produced by the Folksbiene Yiddish Theater in New York City. Without a doubt, Mike Burstyn is one of Israel's all-time most popular international stars.

More info on www.mikeburstyn.com