Born into a Jewish family in Philadelphia,[2] Pincus toured the United States as a member of Edward Askew Sothern's theatre troupe.
[1] He also appeared on Broadway, making his debut as Henry Clay Rustler in Leander Richardson's Anselma at the Madison Square Theatre in 1885.
In Philadelphia he commissioned the building of the Winter Circus at the corner of Broad and Cherry Streets.
[1] In conjunction with William J. Thompson he established two theaters in Wilmington, Delaware.
[2] His most notable invention was a pumping mechanism for gas which he patented on March 23, 1880.