Nehemiah Persoff
American actor and painter (1919–2022)
Nehemiah Persoff (August 2, 1919 – April 5, 2022) was an American actor and painter. He appeared in more than 200 television series, films, and theatre productions, and also performed as a voice artist in a career spanning 55 years.[1]
His first acting role was as an extra in The Naked City (1948). Persoff is best known for roles as Leo in The Harder They Fall (1956), as Little Bonaparte in Some Like It Hot (1959), as Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik in The Untouchables (1959–1963), as Rebbe Mendel in Yentl (1983), and as the voice of Papa Mousekewitz in the animated film An American Tail (1986) and its sequels. He also made appearances on episodes of The Twilight Zone , Gilligan's Island , Hawaii Five-O , Adam-12 , and Law & Order .
Early life and education
Persoff was born to Shmuel Persoff and Puah Holman, both Palestinian Jews , in the city of Jerusalem in 1919.[2] [3] [4] [5] His father Shmuel, who was a silversmith, jeweler, and art teacher, decided that there were better prospects for him and his family in the United States and initially emigrated on his own. In 1929, Shmuel had become financially secure in New York City and sponsored the immigration of his wife and three sons (Boaz, Avraham, and Nehemiah himself) and two daughters (Tamar and Geula).[6] At first, the family lived in an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn , before eventually moving to The Bronx .[2] Persoff's parents later returned to Israel .[6]
Military service
Persoff attended the Hebrew Technical Institute in New York City, graduating as a certified electrician in 1937.[7] In 1942, he was drafted into the United States Army and served for the remainder of World War II ; he was assigned to the Special Services for entertainment.[8] After he completed his military service, he took up an electrician's job as a subway signal maintenance worker in New York City.[2]
Career
Persoff began to pursue his acting career in New York theatre. In 1947, he was accepted into the Actors Studio and was one of the 26 members of the beginners' class taught by Elia Kazan , along with Martin Balsam , Julie Harris , Kim Hunter , Cloris Leachman , and James Whitmore .[2] He began his acting career in 1948.[9] [10]
His first role was an uncredited bit part in the film noir The Naked City (1948).[11]
Among his early film roles was as the taxi driver during Marlon Brando 's "I coulda been a contender" scene in On the Waterfront (1954);[2] Leo the accountant in The Harder They Fall (1956), with Humphrey Bogart and Rod Steiger ;[2] and the gangster boss Little Bonaparte (a parody of Rico/Little Caesar ) in Billy Wilder 's film Some Like It Hot (1959),[12] and he appeared again with Steiger in Al Capone (also 1959).[2] He also appeared in supporting roles in films such as The Comancheros (1961)[13] and The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965).[14]
Persoff, alongside Dean Stockwell and Andrew Bloch, appeared as Darius the Great's wicked Babylonian administrators in the 1978 Greatest Heroes of the Bible episode Daniel in the Lions' Den .[15]
In the film Yentl (1983), Persoff portrayed the father of Barbra Streisand 's character.[16] He appeared in the comedy film Twins (1988)[17] and in the American Tail animated-film series as Papa Mousekewitz.[18] His last movie was 4 Faces (1999), the last film to be directed by Ted Post .[19]
His acting career included many appearances in television series, including six episodes of The Untouchables , three episodes of which he appeared as Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik (regarded by many as his signature role),[20] and Gilligan's Island as the title character in the episode "The Little Dictator" (the favorite episode of the show's creator Sherwood Schwartz ).[21] Persoff appeared on the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Most Toys " and was the oldest living male actor to appear in a Star Trek production at the time of his death.[22]
Retirement and memoir
Persoff retired from acting in 2003 and pursued painting, specializing in watercolors.[23]
His memoir, The Many Faces of Nehemiah , was published by The Autumn Road Company in July 2021.[24] [16]
Personal life
In 1951, Persoff married Thia Persov, who had served as a nurse with the Palmach , the elite fighting force of the Haganah , during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War .[2] She died of cancer in 2021. The couple had four children: Jeffrey, Dan, Perry, and Dahlia.[2]
Death
On April 5, 2022, at the age of 102, Persoff died of heart failure at a rehabilitation facility in San Luis Obispo, California .[1] [2]
Filmography
Film
Television
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1949
Actors Studio
Unknown
1953
Suspense
Unknown
1953–1954
You Are There
Captain de Sandoval
Goodyear Television Playhouse
Papa / Joe Marco
1953–1955
The Philco Television Playhouse
Various
1954–1955
The Stranger
Unknown
1954–1956
Armstrong Circle Theatre
The Man / Jeff Gardell
1955
The Man Behind the Badge
Unknown
Appointment with Adventure
Various
I Spy
Phineas
1955–1957
Producers' Showcase
Various
1955–1958
The United States Steel Hour
Various
1956
Playwrights '56
Adam
The Kaiser Aluminum Hour
Leonard Brill
1956–1957
Kraft Television Theatre
Mr. Arnothy
1957
The Alcoa Hour
Willie Hauptmann
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Ralph Collins
Season 3 Episode 4: "Heart of Gold"
1957-1960
Playhouse 90
Various
1958
Climax!
Lieutenant Cal Nourse
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Jules Dreise
Shirley Temple's Storybook
Ali Baba
1959
The Third Man
Sandor Varnezki
Five Fingers
Hildalgo
Mr. Lucky
El Presidente
The Twilight Zone
Carl Lanser
Episode: "Judgment Night "[14]
1959–1962
The Untouchables
Various
6 episodes
1959–1963
Naked City
Various
1960
Startime
Prior Andry
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Jeff Jensen
Season 5 Episode 17: "The Cure"
Moment of Fear
Unknown
The Witness
Charles Becker
1961
Thriller
Lieutenant Jim Wagner
Wagon Train
Tiburcio Mendez
Route 66
Jack / Vladis Dvorovoi
Bus Stop
Dr. Emil Kroger
1962
The Dick Powell Show
El Valiente
King of Diamonds
Frank Goby
The New Breed
Louis Morley
Frontier Circus
Paco Durando
1963
Sam Benedict
Vernon Hill
1963–1964
Rawhide
Michob / Domingo
1964–1965
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Alverian / Martin Vesper
Burke's Law
Various
1965
Mr. Novak
Henry Selkirk
For the People
Stephen Wiseman
Seaway
Montagna
Gilligan's Island
Pancho Hernando Gonzalez Enriques Rodriguez
Episode: "The Little Dictator"
Ben Casey
Don Ferando
Convoy
Dimitri Federenko
A Man Called Shenandoah
Father Rodriguez
1965–1968
The Wild Wild West
Major Hazard
Episode: "The Night of the Underground Terror"
1965–1975
Gunsmoke [2]
Various
1966
The Legend of Jesse James
El Carnicero
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Dobbs
Honey West
Faustini - Bogus Mystic
The Trials of O'Brien
Georgi
The Big Valley
General Vicente Ruiz
Episode: "Legend of A General, Part 1 & 2"
Jericho
Paul Marchand
The Time Tunnel [2]
Professor Anton Biraki
1966–1967
I Spy
Roop / Coly Collisi
1966–1969
Mission: Impossible
Various
1967
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Valandros
Off to See the Wizard
El Primero
The Danny Thomas Hour
Lew Beckman
Maya
Lansing, the Pilot
1968
Tarzan
Chembe Kunji
CBS Playhouse
Dr. Salazar
The Name of the Game
Ambassador
1968–1972
The Wonderful World of Disney
Artie Moreno / Captain Malcione
1968–1979
Hawaii Five-O [2]
Various
Episode: "Deathwatch"
1969
It Takes a Thief
Harry Lavender
Corwin
Unknown
The Flying Nun
Alonzo Baldazon
The Bill Cosby Show
Mr. Byron
Land of the Giants
Titus
1969–1972
The Mod Squad
Various
1969–1975
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Various
1970
Cutter's Trail
Santillo
TV movie
Dan August
Leo Cussoni
The High Chaparral
Homero José
1970–1973
Love, American Style
Carl Colbert / Mr. Stone
Insight
Bishop Palmera / Mr. Gennaro
1971
The Chicago Teddy Bears
Morris
1972
Adam-12
Angelo Covelli
Cool Million
Karinakis
Mannix
Anton Wojeska
The Streets of San Francisco
'Papa' Kampacalas
1973
Search
Emmett Brugman
Purple Playhouse
Dr. Van Helsing
Dr. Simon Locke
Mr. John Warren
1973–1977
McCloud
Tereshkov / Perry Cicero
1974
McMillan & Wife
Clementa Habib
The Stranger Within
Dr. Edward Klein
TV movie
The Missiles of October [17]
Andrei Gromyko
TV movie
1974–1979
Police Story
Dr. Burke / Fabrizzio
1975
The Invisible Man
Dr. Leon Barnard
Ellery Queen
Dr. Mustafa Haddid
1976
Columbo
Jesse Jerome
Episode: "Now You See Him"
Baretta
Vittorio Luzianno
1977
The Six Million Dollar Man
Major Popov
Wonder Woman
Professor Moreno
Rich Man, Poor Man Book II
Charles Dietrich
Hunter
Sheik Farakbi
Quincy, M.E.
Matt Dorsey
Charlie's Angels
Anton
Police Woman
Como
1978
Logan's Run
Asa
Little House on the Prairie
Mr. Olaf Lindstrom
Episode: "The Stranger "
High Hopes
Dr. Aaron Herzog
The Bionic Woman
Dr. Philip Jennings
Richie Brockelman, Private Eye
Saul Girardi
Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women
Charles Frohman
TV movie
Sword of Justice
Carlos
Vega$
The Sheikh
The Word
Abbot Petropolous
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
Vladimir
1978–1980
Fantasy Island
Andreas / Horst Von Stern
1978–1981
Barney Miller [51]
Carl Simms / Yacov Berger
3 episodes
1979
Delta House
Mayor DePasto
Supertrain
Max
Battlestar Galactica
Eastern Alliance Leader
The Rebels
Baron Von Steuben
The French Atlantic Affair
Colonel Schreiner
1980
B.A.D. Cats
Unknown
Matt and Jenny
Barnabas Bletcher
The Littlest Hobo
Lukash
F.D.R.: The Last Year
Joseph Stalin
TV movie
Condominium
Conlaw
1983
This Is the Life
Unknown
Sadat
Leonid Brezhnev
1984
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Brobich
1985
Magnum, P.I.
Rabbi Asher Solomon
Hotel
Nicholas Petrovsky
1986
The Facts of Life
Sam
Highway to Heaven
Deputy Premier Andrey Malinoff
1987
Adderly
Unknown
J.J. Starbuck
Patul Batulik
1988
American Playhouse
Marcus Hoff
1989
MacGyver
Sam Bolinski
1990
L.A. Law
Rabbi Isadore Glickman
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Toff
Episode: "The Most Toys "
Hunter
Harold Goodman
Murder, She Wrote
Constantin Stavros
1992
Doogie Howser, M.D.
Max Wernick
1993
Reasonable Doubts
Klaus Reichel
Law & Order
David Steinmetz
1995
Chicago Hope
Rabbi Ben Taubler
1996
Tracey Takes On...
Grandfather
2003
Angels in America
Rabbi
Episode: "Millennium Approaches: Bad News"; uncredited
See also
References
^ a b c Evans, Greg (April 6, 2022). "Nehemiah Persoff Dies: Prolific Actor Of 'Yentl', 'The Twilight Zone', 'Gunsmoke' & Many More Was 102" . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 6, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Berger, Joseph (April 6, 2022). "Nehemiah Persoff, Actor With a Familiar Face (and Voice), Dies at 102" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on April 6, 2022.
^ International Television & Video Almanac (2007), pg. 366
^ This former Hollywood movie star living in Cambria just celebrated his 100th birthday
^ Schoenberg, Randy (March 12, 2015). "Nehemiah Persoff" . GENi. Retrieved April 9, 2022 .
^ a b Persov-Persoff, Thia (December 3, 2014). "Shmuel Persov" . GENi. Retrieved April 9, 2022 .
^ "Hebrew Technical Institute Graduation Program" . December 6, 2011 – via Flickr.
^ Tugend, Tom (October 5, 2021). "Jewish character actor Nehemiah Persoff looks back at ups and downs of his first 102 years" . Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved February 15, 2022 .
^ Shadrak, Herbert (March 26, 2010). "Nehemiah Persoff: From Jerusalem to Hollywood – and Beyond" . Cinema Retro. Retrieved May 10, 2014 .
^ Staggs, Sam (2005). When Blanche Met Brando: The Scandalous Story of "A Streetcar Named Desire" . St. Martin's Press. p. 43. ISBN 9780312321642 . Retrieved March 19, 2019 .
^ a b Seibold, Witney (April 6, 2022). "Nehemiah Persoff, Character Actor Known For Yentl, The Twilight Zone, Some Like It Hot, Dies At 102" . Slash Film . Retrieved April 7, 2022 .
^ Jeffrey Meyers: The Genius and the Goddess: Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe. University of Illinois Press, 2010, ISBN 978-0-252-03544-9 , p. 193.
^ a b Saltzman, Barbara (January 21, 1994). "Star Talk Enriches 'The Comancheros' " . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ a b c d e Evans, Greg (April 6, 2022). "Nehemiah Persoff Dies: Prolific Actor Of 'Yentl', 'The Twilight Zone', 'Gunsmoke' & Many More Was 102" . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "The Story of Daniel and the Lion (1978)" . Archived from the original on July 27, 2021.
^ a b "Nehemiah Persoff, one of Hollywood's busiest actors, dies at 102" . Washington Post . April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022 .
^ a b c d e f Dagan, Carmel (April 6, 2022). "Nehemiah Persoff, Actor in 'Yentl,' 'Some Like It Hot,' Dies at 102" . Variety . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ a b Adams, Abigail (April 6, 2022). "Some Like It Hot, Gunsmoke and An American Tail Actor Nehemiah Persoff Dead at 102" . Yahoo! News . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ a b Israel, David (April 6, 2022). "Character Actor Nehemiah Persoff Dead at 102, Played in On the Waterfront, Gunsmoke, Yentl" . Jewish Press . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "Exclusive! Interview with acclaimed actor nehemiah persoff - Cinema Retro" . cinemaretro.com .
^ Cantor, Paul A. (July 15, 2011). "What 'Gilligan's Island' creator Sherwood Schwartz was saying about democracy" . The Washington Post .
^ Spelling, Ian (April 7, 2022). "Oldest Living Male 'Star Trek' Actor Dies at 102" . heavy.com . Heavy Inc. Retrieved April 12, 2022 .
^ "Nehemiah Persoff retired from screen to canvas" . Senior Voice . Retrieved June 12, 2017 .
^ "At 102, SLO County actor and painter Nehemiah Persoff adds a new title — author" . San Luis Obispo Tribune . Retrieved September 4, 2021 .
^ "The Wrong Man (1956) -- Booked for a Holdup" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "Street of Sinners (1957)" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ Nason, Richard W. (June 26, 1958). "This Angry Age" . The New York Times . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "The Badlanders" . TV Guide . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ Weiler, A. H. (February 12, 1959). " 'Never Steal Anything Small' on View" . The New York Times . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "Day of the Outlaw" . Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "A Global Affair" . Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "Fate Is the Hunter" . TV Guide . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "Too Many Thieves (1966)" . British Film Institute . Archived from the original on December 3, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "The Money Jungle" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "Il giorno della civetta (The Day of the Owl)" . Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .[permanent dead link ]
^ a b D'Angelo, Bob (April 6, 2022). "Nehemiah Persoff, actor in 'Some Like It Hot,' 'Yentl,' dead at 102" . WFTV-9 ABC . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "Panic in the City" . Variety . January 1, 1968. Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1968)" . British Film Institute . Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ a b Barnes, Mike (April 6, 2022). "Nehemiah Persoff, Actor in 'Some Like It Hot,' 'On the Waterfront' and 'Yentl,' Dies at 102" . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "Mrs. Pollifax-Spy" . TV Guide . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ Lapin, Andrew (April 7, 2022). "Nehemiah Persoff, Jewish character actor with more than 200 roles, dies at 102" . Jewish Telegraphic Agency . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "Lapin 360 (1972)" . British Film Institute . Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "Deadly Harvest" . TV Guide . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "In Search of Historic Jesus (1979)" . British Film Institute . Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ Rosin, James (April 22, 2008). "Nehemiah Persoff" . Films of the Golden Age . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "O'Hara's Wife" . TV Guide . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)" . British Film Institute . Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ Zad, Martie (May 10, 1992). " 'Fievel Goes West' " . Washington Post . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island" . Barnes & Noble . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster" . Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "The Ghost" . British Film Institute . Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
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