Born in
Odessa, his family emigrated to the United States in about 1880 or 1881. In New York, Goldin attended public school and was interested in theatre. In about 1895, he started as actor in small roles in theatres on the US eastcoast. In the early 1900s, he started acting in films in New York and for two years for Essanay in
Chicago. 1912 he started directing films, plenty of them already treating Jewish topics. After
World War I, in 1919, he moved to
London and
Prague, where he directed some movies. In 1921 he came to
Vienna, where he directed at least four feature films, including
Ost und West (“East and West”) in 1923, starring the famous Yiddish actress
Molly Picon. Also in Vienna, he married the young actress of the
Freie Jüdische Volksbühne (Independent Jewish Theatre)
Betty Gärtner in November 1924. In 1925 he moved back to New York. Brought to Hollywood in 1926, Goldin produced
Yiskor with
Maurice Schwartz before becoming a director for independent producers the following year. However, while under contract for
A-B Studios, his film
On the Mountains was considered a commercial and artistic failure nearly resulting in the bankruptcy of the studio. After filming
East Side Sadie in 1929, starring his wife, he returned east to produce Yiddish "talkies" until the 1930s although he would take a three-year absence from filmmaking until directing his last film ''The Cantor's Son'' in 1937. Becoming ill while on location in
Easton, Pennsylvania, Goldin died of a heart ailment while at
French Hospital in
New York City, New York on the night of September 19, 1937. ==Filmography==