bertha kalich (also spelled "kalish", born beylke kalakh; 17 may 1874 – 18 april 1939) was a jewish american actress. though she was well-established as an entertainer in eastern europe, she is best remembered as one of the several "larger-than-life" figures that dominated new york stages during the "golden age" of american yiddish theatre during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. historians estimate that, during her career, kalich performed more than 125 different roles in seven different languages.