# Nehemiah Persoff

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.
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. His father, Shmuel, was a silversmith, jeweler, and art teacher born in Chernihiv, Russian Empire (now Ukraine). 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). At first, the family lived in an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, before eventually moving to The Bronx. The family spoke Yiddish and Hebrew at home. Persoff's parents later returned to Israel.

### Military service

Persoff attended the Hebrew Technical Institute in New York City, graduating as a certified electrician in 1937. 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. After he completed his military service, he took up an electrician's job as a subway signal maintenance worker in New York City.

## 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. He began his acting career in 1948.
His first role was an uncredited bit part in the film noir The Naked City (1948).
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); Leo the accountant in The Harder They Fall (1956), with Humphrey Bogart and Rod Steiger; and the gangster boss Little Bonaparte (a parody of Rico/Little Caesar) in Billy Wilder's film Some Like It Hot (1959), and he appeared again with Steiger in Al Capone (also 1959). He also appeared in supporting roles in films such as The Comancheros (1961) and The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965).
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.
In the film Yentl (1983), Persoff portrayed the father of Barbra Streisand's character. He appeared in the comedy film Twins (1988) and in the American Tail animated-film series as Papa Mousekewitz. His last movie was 4 Faces (1999), the last film to be directed by Ted Post.
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), and Gilligan's Island as the title character in the episode "The Little Dictator" (the favorite episode of the show's creator Sherwood Schwartz). 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.

### Retirement and memoir

Persoff retired from acting in 2003 and pursued painting, specializing in watercolors.
His memoir, The Many Faces of Nehemiah, was published by The Autumn Road Company in July 2021.

## 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. She died of cancer in 2021. The couple had four children: Jeffrey, Dan, Perry, and Dahlia.

## Death

On April 5, 2022, at the age of 102, Persoff died of heart failure at a rehabilitation facility in San Luis Obispo, California.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Director(s) |
| 1948 | The Naked City | Smiling Man Departing Subway | Jules Dassin |
| 1954 | On the Waterfront | Cab Driver | Elia Kazan |
| 1956 | The Harder They Fall | Leo | Mark Robson |
| 1956 | The Wrong Man | Gene Conforti | Alfred Hitchcock |
| 1956 | The Wild Party | Kicks Johnson | Harry Horner |
| 1957 | Men in War | SFC Nate Lewis | Anthony Mann |
| 1957 | Street of Sinners | Leon | William Berke |
| 1957 | This Angry Age | Albert | René Clément |
| 1958 | The Badlanders | Vincente | Delmer Daves |
| 1959 | Never Steal Anything Small | Pinelli | Charles Lederer |
| 1959 | Green Mansions | Don Panta | Mel Ferrer |
| 1959 | Some Like It Hot | Little Bonaparte | Billy Wilder |
| 1959 | Al Capone | Johnny Torrio | Richard Wilson |
| 1959 | Day of the Outlaw | Dan | Andre de Toth |
| 1961 | The Big Show | Bruno Everard | James B. Clark |
| 1961 | The Comancheros | Graile | Michael Curtiz John Wayne |
| 1963 | The Hook | Captain Van Ryn | George Seaton |
| 1964 | A Global Affair | Under Secretary Segura | Jack Arnold |
| 1964 | Fate Is the Hunter | Ben Sawyer | Ralph Nelson |
| 1965 | The Greatest Story Ever Told | Shemiah | George Stevens |
| 1967 | Too Many Thieves | Georgi | Abner Biberman |
| 1968 | The Money Jungle | Lieutenant Dow Reeves | Francis D. Lyon |
| 1968 | The Day of the Owl | Pizzuco | Damiano Damiani |
| 1968 | The Power | Professor Carl Melnicker | Byron Haskin |
| 1968 | Panic in the City | August Best | Eddie Davis |
| 1969 | The Girl Who Knew Too Much | Lieutenant Miles Crawford | Francis D. Lyon |
| 1970 | The People Next Door | Dr. Salazar | David Greene |
| 1971 | Mrs. Pollifax-Spy | Berisha | Leslie H. Martinson |
| 1971 | Red Sky at Morning | Amadeo Montoya | James Goldstone |
| 1972 | Lapin 360 | Unknown | Robert Michael Lewis |
| 1975 | Psychic Killer | Dr. Gubner | Ray Danton |
| 1976 | Voyage of the Damned | Mr. Hauser | Stuart Rosenberg |
| 1977 | Deadly Harvest | Mort Logan | Timothy Bond |
| 1979 | In Search of Historic Jesus | Herod Antipas | Henning Schellerup |
| 1981 | St. Helens | Mr. Ellison | Ernest Pintoff |
| 1982 | O'Hara's Wife | Dr. Fischer | William Bartman |
| 1983 | Yentl | Rebbe Mendel (Papa) | Barbra Streisand |
| 1986 | An American Tail | Papa Mousekewitz (voice) | Don Bluth |
| 1988 | The Last Temptation of Christ | Rabbi | Martin Scorsese |
| 1988 | Twins | Mitchell Traven | Ivan Reitman |
| 1991 | An American Tail: Fievel Goes West | Papa Mousekewitz (voice) | Phil Nibbelink Simon Wells |
| 1998 | An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island | Papa Mousekewitz (voice) | Larry Latham |
| 1999 | An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster | Papa Mousekewitz (voice) | Larry Latham |
| 2001 | 4 Faces | Unknown | Ted Post |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1949 | Actors Studio | Unknown | |
| 1953 | Suspense | Unknown | |
| 1953–1954 | You Are There | Captain de Sandoval | |
| 1953–1954 | 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 | |
| 1955 | Appointment with Adventure | Various | |
| 1955 | I Spy | Phineas | |
| 1955–1957 | Producers' Showcase | Various | |
| 1955–1958 | The United States Steel Hour | Various | |
| 1956 | Playwrights '56 | Adam | |
| 1956 | The Kaiser Aluminum Hour | Leonard Brill | |
| 1956–1957 | Kraft Television Theatre | Mr. Arnothy | |
| 1957 | The Alcoa Hour | Willie Hauptmann | |
| 1957 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Ralph Collins | Season 3 Episode 4: "Heart of Gold" |
| 1957-1960 | Playhouse 90 | Various | |
| 1958 | Climax! | Lieutenant Cal Nourse | |
| 1958 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Jules Dreise | |
| 1958 | Shirley Temple's Storybook | Ali Baba | |
| 1959 | The Third Man | Sandor Varnezki | |
| 1959 | Five Fingers | Hildalgo | |
| 1959 | Mr. Lucky | El Presidente | |
| 1959 | The Twilight Zone | Carl Lanser | Episode: "Judgment Night" |
| 1959–1962 | The Untouchables | Various | 6 episodes |
| 1959–1963 | Naked City | Various | |
| 1960 | Startime | Prior Andry | |
| 1960 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Jeff Jensen | Season 5 Episode 17: "The Cure" |
| 1960 | Moment of Fear | Unknown | |
| 1960 | The Witness | Charles Becker | |
| 1961 | Thriller | Lieutenant Jim Wagner | |
| 1961 | Wagon Train | Tiburcio Mendez | |
| 1961 | Route 66 | Jack / Vladis Dvorovoi | |
| 1961 | Bus Stop | Dr. Emil Kroger | |
| 1962 | The Dick Powell Show | El Valiente | |
| 1962 | King of Diamonds | Frank Goby | |
| 1962 | The New Breed | Louis Morley | |
| 1962 | 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 | |
| 1964–1965 | Burke's Law | Various | |
| 1965 | Mr. Novak | Henry Selkirk | |
| 1965 | For the People | Stephen Wiseman | |
| 1965 | Seaway | Montagna | |
| 1965 | Gilligan's Island | Pancho Hernando Gonzalez Enriques Rodriguez | Episode: "The Little Dictator" |
| 1965 | Ben Casey | Don Ferando | |
| 1965 | Convoy | Dimitri Federenko | |
| 1965 | A Man Called Shenandoah | Father Rodriguez | |
| 1965–1968 | The Wild Wild West | Major Hazard | Episode: "The Night of the Underground Terror" |
| 1965–1975 | Gunsmoke | Jack Pinto, Alex Skouras, Driscoll, Ben Rando, Alejo Etchahoun | Episode: "Ten Little Indians"; Episode: "Blood Mondey"; Episode: "The Mark of Cain"; Episode: "Like Old Times"; Episode: "Manolo" |
| 1966 | The Legend of Jesse James | El Carnicero | |
| 1966 | Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea | Dobbs | |
| 1966 | Honey West | Faustini - Bogus Mystic | |
| 1966 | The Trials of O'Brien | Georgi | |
| 1966 | The Big Valley | General Vicente Ruiz | Episode: "Legend of A General, Part 1 & 2" |
| 1966 | Jericho | Paul Marchand | |
| 1966 | The Time Tunnel | Professor Anton Biraki | |
| 1966–1967 | I Spy | Roop / Coly Collisi | |
| 1966 | Mission: Impossible | Prince Iben Kostas | Episode: "Odds on Evil" |
| 1967 | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Valandros | |
| 1967 | Off to See the Wizard | El Primero | |
| 1967 | The Danny Thomas Hour | Lew Beckman | |
| 1967 | Maya | Lansing, the Pilot | |
| 1967 | The Wild Wild West | Adam Barclay | Season 2, Episode 25: "The Night of The Deadly Blossom" |
| 1968 | Tarzan | Chembe Kunji | |
| 1968 | CBS Playhouse | Dr. Salazar | |
| 1968 | The Name of the Game | Ambassador | |
| 1968–1972 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Artie Moreno / Captain Malcione | |
| 1968–1979 | Hawaii Five-O | Various | Episode: "Deathwatch" |
| 1969 | Mission: Impossible | Igor Stravos | Episode: "Fool's Gold" |
| 1969 | Mission: Impossible | Phillipe Pereda | Episode: "The Vault" |
| 1969 | It Takes a Thief | Harry Lavender | |
| 1969 | Corwin | Unknown | |
| 1969 | The Flying Nun | Alonzo Baldazon | |
| 1969 | The Bill Cosby Show | Mr. Byron | |
| 1969 | 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 |
| 1970 | Dan August | Leo Cussoni | |
| 1970 | The High Chaparral | Homero José | |
| 1970–1973 | Love, American Style | Carl Colbert / Mr. Stone | |
| 1970–1973 | Insight | Bishop Palmera / Mr. Gennaro | |
| 1971 | The Chicago Teddy Bears | Morris | |
| 1972 | Adam-12 | Angelo Covelli | |
| 1972 | Cool Million | Karinakis | |
| 1972 | Mannix | Anton Wojeska | |
| 1972 | The Streets of San Francisco | 'Papa' Kampacalas | |
| 1973 | Search | Emmett Brugman | |
| 1973 | Purple Playhouse | Dr. Van Helsing | |
| 1973 | Dr. Simon Locke | Mr. John Warren | |
| 1973–1977 | McCloud | Tereshkov / Perry Cicero | |
| 1974 | McMillan & Wife | Clementa Habib | |
| 1974 | The Stranger Within | Dr. Edward Klein | TV movie |
| 1974 | The Missiles of October | Andrei Gromyko | TV movie |
| 1974–1979 | Police Story | Dr. Burke / Fabrizzio | |
| 1975 | The Invisible Man | Dr. Leon Barnard | |
| 1975 | Ellery Queen | Dr. Mustafa Haddid | |
| 1976 | Columbo | Jesse Jerome | Episode: "Now You See Him" |
| 1976 | Baretta | Vittorio Luzianno | |
| 1977 | The Six Million Dollar Man | Major Popov | |
| 1977 | Wonder Woman | Professor Moreno | |
| 1977 | Rich Man, Poor Man Book II | Charles Dietrich | |
| 1977 | Hunter | Sheik Farakbi | |
| 1977 | Quincy, M.E. | Matt Dorsey | |
| 1977 | Charlie's Angels | Anton | |
| 1977 | Police Woman | Como | |
| 1978 | Logan's Run | Asa | |
| 1978 | Little House on the Prairie | Mr. Olaf Lindstrom | Episode: "The Stranger" |
| 1978 | High Hopes | Dr. Aaron Herzog | |
| 1978 | The Bionic Woman | Dr. Philip Jennings | |
| 1978 | Richie Brockelman, Private Eye | Saul Girardi | |
| 1978 | Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women | Charles Frohman | TV movie |
| 1978 | Sword of Justice | Carlos | |
| 1978 | Vega$ | The Sheikh | |
| 1978 | The Word | Abbot Petropolous | |
| 1978 | The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries | Vladimir | |
| 1978–1980 | Fantasy Island | Andreas / Horst Von Stern | |
| 1978–1981 | Barney Miller | Carl Simms / Yacov Berger | 3 episodes |
| 1979 | Delta House | Mayor DePasto | |
| 1979 | Supertrain | Max | |
| 1979 | Battlestar Galactica | Eastern Alliance Leader | |
| 1979 | The Rebels | Baron Von Steuben | |
| 1979 | The French Atlantic Affair | Colonel Schreiner | |
| 1980 | B.A.D. Cats | Unknown | |
| 1980 | Matt and Jenny | Barnabas Bletcher | |
| 1980 | The Littlest Hobo | Lukash | |
| 1980 | F.D.R.: The Last Year | Joseph Stalin | TV movie |
| 1980 | Condominium | Conlaw | |
| 1983 | This Is the Life | Unknown | |
| 1983 | Sadat | Leonid Brezhnev | |
| 1984 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Brobich | |
| 1985 | Magnum, P.I. | Rabbi Asher Solomon | |
| 1985 | Hotel | Nicholas Petrovsky | |
| 1986 | The Facts of Life | Sam | |
| 1986 | Highway to Heaven | Deputy Premier Andrey Malinoff | |
| 1987 | Adderly | Unknown | |
| 1987 | J.J. Starbuck | Patul Batulik | |
| 1988 | American Playhouse | Marcus Hoff | |
| 1989 | MacGyver | Sam Bolinski | |
| 1990 | L.A. Law | Rabbi Isadore Glickman | |
| 1990 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Toff | Episode: "The Most Toys" |
| 1990 | Hunter | Harold Goodman | |
| 1990 | Murder, She Wrote | Constantin Stavros | |
| 1992 | Doogie Howser, M.D. | Max Wernick | |
| 1993 | Reasonable Doubts | Klaus Reichel | |
| 1993 | 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 |