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Nehemiah Persoff

Actor

Nehemiah Persoff

Born August 2, 1919 in Jerusalem, Palestine MandateDied April 5, 202268 films

Nehemiah Persoff was an American film and television actor. Persoff emigrated with his family from Palestine to the United States in 1929. He began to take an interest in acting in the 1940s, and after serving in the Army during World War II, he began to pursue his acting career in the New York Theater. In 1947, he was accepted into the Actor's Studio and eventually began appearing in films.

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His film credits include: On the Waterfront, Some Like It Hot, Al Capone, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Voyage of the Damned, The Comancheros, Yentl (portraying Barbra Streisand's character's father), Twins and the American Tail (animated-film series) (voiced, "Papa Mousekewitz").

Persoff appeared in such television series as, Five Fingers ("The Moment of Truth"), The Big Valley ("Legend of a General", Parts I & II, episode), The Twilight Zone ("Judgment Night" episode), Alfred Hitchcock Presents ("Heart of Gold" episode), The Untouchables, Naked City, The Legend of Jesse James, Gunsmoke, The Wild Wild West, Hawaii Five-O, Ellery Queen ("The Adventure of the Pharaoh's Curse" episode), Mission: Impossible (3 episodes), Adam-12 ("Vendetta" episode), Charlie's Angels, Hunter, Columbo, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Magnum, P.I., Law & Order and Chicago Hope.

In the mid-1980s, Persoff began to pursue painting, specializing in watercolour. This was at a time when health problems forced him to decrease his acting workload.

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The best way into Nehemiah Persoff's work
Some Like It Hot posterFirst watchSome Like It Hot19598.1as Little BonaparteIn Prohibition-era Chicago, musicians Joe and Jerry witness a mob hit, and flee the state in an all-female band disguised as Josephine and Daphne, but further complications set in.View film

Essential films

Ranked by acclaim and reach
On the Waterfront poster7.8On the Waterfront1954The Last Temptation of Christ poster7.2The Last Temptation of Christ1988An American Tail poster6.8An American Tail1986Twins poster6.1Twins1988The Wrong Man poster7.1The Wrong Man1956An American Tail: Fievel Goes West poster6.3An American Tail: Fievel Goes West1991Yentl poster6.7Yentl1983The Harder They Fall poster7.2The Harder They Fall1956

Filmography

68 films as actor
  1. 20014 Faces
  2. 1999An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night MonsterPapa Mousekewitz (voice)
  3. 1998An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan IslandPapa Mousekewitz (voice)
  4. 1991An American Tail: Fievel Goes WestPapa Mousekewitz (voice)
  5. 1988TwinsMitchell Traven
  6. 1988The Last Temptation of ChristRabbi
  7. 1986An American TailPapa Mousekewitz (voice)
  8. 1983YentlRebbe Mendel
  9. 1982O'Hara's WifeDr. Fischer
  10. 1982St. HelensMr. Ellison
  11. 1980Turnover SmithAshmed Amad
  12. 1980The Henderson MonsterProf. Leo Tedeschi
  13. 1980F.D.R.: The Last YearJosef Stalin
  14. 1979A Cry for JusticeDr. Burke
  15. 1978Daniel in the Lions' DenMalimar
  16. 1978A Double Life
  17. 1978Ziegfeld: The Man and His WomenCharles Frohman
  18. 1978Killing StoneEarl Stone
  19. 1978The Making of a President
  20. 1977Deadly HarvestMort Logan
  21. 1976Voyage of the DamnedHerr Hauser
  22. 1976Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy IncidentRudenko
  23. 1975Psychic KillerDoctor Gubner
  24. 1975EricDr. Duchesnes
  25. 1974The Stranger WithinDr. Edward Klein
  26. 1974The Sex SymbolNick Fortis
  27. 1973DraculaDr. Van Helsing
  28. 1972Lieutenant Schuster's WifeChampagne Joe Carroll
  29. 1972Lapin 360
  30. 1972Michael O'Hara the FourthArtie Moreno
  31. 1971Red Sky at MorningAmadeo Montoya
  32. 1971Mrs. Pollifax — SpyBerisha
  33. 1970The People Next DoorDr. Salazar
  34. 1970Cutter's TrailSantillo
  35. 1969The Girl Who Knew Too MuchLieutenant Crawford
  36. 1968Escape to MindanaoCapt. Kramer
  37. 1968The Treasure of San Bosco ReefCaptain Malcione
  38. 1968Panic in the CityAugust Best
  39. 1968The PowerCarl Melnicker
  40. 1968The Day of the OwlPizzuco
  41. 1967The Money JungleLt. Dow Reeves
  42. 1966The Dangerous Days of Kiowa JonesSkoda
  43. 1966Too Many ThievesGeorgi
  44. 1965The Greatest Story Ever ToldShemiah
  45. 1964Fate Is the HunterBen Sawyer
  46. 1964A Global AffairUnder Secretary Segura
  47. 1963The HookCapt. Van Ryn
  48. 1961The ComancherosGraile
  49. 1961The Big ShowBruno Everard
  50. 1959The Killers of MussoliniBenito Mussolini
  51. 1959Day of the OutlawDan, Starret's Foreman
  52. 1959Al CaponeJohnny Torrio
  53. 1959Some Like It HotLittle Bonaparte
  54. 1959Green MansionsDon Panta
  55. 1959For Whom the Bell TollsPablo
  56. 1959Never Steal Anything SmallPinelli
  57. 1958The BadlandersVincente (The Powder Monkey)
  58. 1957This Angry AgeAlbert Legros
  59. 1957The Death of ManoleteCamera
  60. 1957Street of SinnersLeon
  61. 1957Men in WarSgt. Lewis
  62. 1957MayerlingPolice Officer
  63. 1956The Wrong ManGene Conforti
  64. 1956The Wild PartyKicks Johnson
  65. 1956The Harder They FallLeo
  66. 1955The ThiefD'Arnault-Olivier
  67. 1954On the WaterfrontCab Driver (uncredited)
  68. 1953MartyThe Critic