Nehemiah Persoff
Nehemiah Persoff | |
---|---|
Persoff in 1960 | |
Born | |
Died | April 5, 2022 | (aged 102)
Education | Actors Studio[1] |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1948–2003 |
Spouse |
Thia Persov
(m. 1951; died 2021) |
Children | 4 |
Signature | |
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Nehemiah Persoff (August 2, 1919 – April 5, 2022) was an American character 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] beginning after his service in the United States Army during World War II.
Persoff got his first part as an extra in The Naked City (1948). He 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 tv series (1959-63), 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.
Biography[edit]
Early life and training[edit]
Persoff was born in Jerusalem in what became Mandatory Palestine, on August 2, 1919, to Puah (née Holman, 1887–1963) and Shmuel Persoff (1885–1961).[2][3][4][5] His father, who was a silversmith, jeweler, and art teacher, decided that there were better prospects in the United States and initially emigrated on his own. It was another six years before he was financially secure and was able in 1929 to bring over his wife, three sons, Boaz, Avraham, and Nehemiah, and two daughters, Tamar and Geula (Julia).[6] At first the family lived in an apartment in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, before eventually moving to the Bronx.[2] His parents later returned to Israel.[6]
Persoff attended the Hebrew Technical Institute, graduating in 1937.[7] With the electrician training that he had received at the Institute, after his military service he gained a job as a subway signal maintenance worker.[2]
Army service[edit]
Persoff was drafted by the U.S. Army in early 1942 and served during World War II until 1945. He was assigned to an acting company to entertain troops around the world.[8]
Acting career[edit]
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 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[edit]
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 and death[edit]
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] Before his death, he lived in Cambria, California.[citation needed]
Persoff died on April 5, 2022, at the age of 102 of heart failure at a rehabilitation facility in San Luis Obispo, California.[1][2]
Selected filmography[edit]
Film and television[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ 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 s 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)".
- ^ 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. 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.
- ^ 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. 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. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ "Deadly Harvest". TV Guide. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ "The Ghost". British Film Institute. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ "In Search of Historic Jesus (1979)". British Film Institute. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ "Middle Age". British Film Institute. 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. 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.
External links[edit]

- Nehemiah Persoff at IMDb
- Nehemiah Persoff at the Internet Broadway Database
- Nehemiah Persoff Paintings
- Nehemiah Persoff discography at Discogs
- 1919 births
- 2022 deaths
- American people of Palestinian-Jewish descent
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- American male painters
- United States Army personnel of World War II
- 20th-century American painters
- 21st-century American painters
- 21st-century American male artists
- Painters from New York City
- Military personnel from New York City
- Mandatory Palestine emigrants to the United States
- Electricians
- Jews in Mandatory Palestine
- Jewish American male actors
- Jewish painters
- Male actors from Jerusalem
- United States Army soldiers
- Western (genre) television actors
- American centenarians
- Men centenarians
- 21st-century American Jews
- Deaths from congestive heart failure
- 20th-century American male artists