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.[3] As an impresario he established several theaters. 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.[1] He also managed several theatres in Philadelphia during his lifetime.[2]
In addition to his work in the theatre, Pincus was an inventor.[2] His most notable invention was a pumping mechanism for gas which he patented on March 23, 1880.[4] An 1898 report from the American Gas Light Association reported that 236, 622 homes were using this device.[5]