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 in the city of Jerusalem in 1919.[2][3][4][5] His father, Shmuel, was a silversmith, jeweler, and art teacher born in Chernihiv, Russian Empire (now Ukraine).[6] His mother, Puah, was a Palestinian Jew. His father decided that there were better prospects for him and his family in the United States and in 1923 immigrated on his own. By 1929, he 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).[7] At first, the family lived in an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, before eventually moving to The Bronx.[2] The family spoke Yiddish and Hebrew at home.[8] Persoff's parents later returned to Israel.[7]
Filmography[]
Film[]
Year | Title | Role | Director(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1948 | The Naked City[9] | Smiling Man Departing Subway | Jules Dassin |
1971 | Red Sky at Morning[10] | Amadeo Montoya | James Goldstone |
1986 | An American Tail[11] | Papa Mousekewitz (voice) | Don Bluth |
1988 | The Last Temptation of Christ[12] | Rabbi | Martin Scorsese |
Twins[13] | Mitchell Traven | Ivan Reitman | |
1991 | An American Tail: Fievel Goes West[14] | Papa Mousekewitz (voice) | Phil NibbelinkSimon Wells |
1998 | An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island[15] | Larry Latham |
Television[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1977 | Quincy, M.E. | Matt Dorsey | |
1985 | Magnum, P.I. | Rabbi Asher Solomon | |
1990 | Murder, She Wrote | Constantin Stavros | |
1993 | Law & Order | David Steinmetz |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Berger, Joseph (April 6, 2022). "Nehemiah Persoff, Actor With a Familiar Face (and Voice), Dies at 102".
- ↑ 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 on April 9, 2022.
- ↑ New York, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1882–1944
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Persov-Persoff, Thia (December 3, 2014). "Shmuel Persov".. GENi. Retrieved on April 9, 2022.
- ↑ 1930 United States census
- ↑ "Nehemiah Persoff, Character Actor Known For Yentl, The Twilight Zone, Some Like It Hot, Dies At 102". Slash Film (April 6, 2022).
- ↑ "Nehemiah Persoff, Jewish character actor with more than 200 roles, dies at 102". Jewish Telegraphic Agency (April 7, 2022).
- ↑ "Some Like It Hot, Gunsmoke and An American Tail Actor Nehemiah Persoff Dead at 102". Yahoo! News (April 6, 2022).
- ↑ "The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)". (en) British Film Institute.
- ↑ "Nehemiah Persoff, Actor in 'Yentl,' 'Some Like It Hot,' Dies at 102". Variety (April 6, 2022).
- ↑ "'Fievel Goes West'" (May 10, 1992).
- ↑ "An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island". (en) Barnes & Noble.