Gertrude Berg

Her two children were Cherney Berg (1922-2003) and Harriet (1926-2003).

Gertrude was born in New York City and her father owned a summer resort hotel. While in her teens, she wrote dialogues about her father and grandfather and recited them to guests at the hotel. This was the beginning of her writing which eventually led her to write "The Goldbergs". She married British-born Lewis Berg who was a chemical engineer and they moved to Louisiana where they lived on a sugar plantation for several years. Eventually they moved back to new York in the same neighborhood where Gertrude grew up. Gertrude returned to college in late 20's. During this time a friend took her to a radio network executive for whom she read one of her scripts. He liked it so much, he said he would put the show on the radio as a series if she would play the leading role. It premiered in 1929 and lasted till 1946 with over 5000 scripts.

Getrude Berg's "The Goldbergs" (on NBC and CBS from 1931 to 1950) was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1989.

In 1952, Gertrude and hes husband adopted two war orphans who resided in Europe with foster families. They were a 10 year old Italian boy and a 12 year old French girl.

Won Broadway's 1959 Tony Award as Best Actress (Dramatic) for "A Majority of One."

Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald S. Smith, pg. 44-45. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387

Profiled in book "Funny Ladies" by Stephen Silverman. [1999]