Nehemiah Persoff

Nehemiah Persoff was an American actor who played Palor Toff in the third season episode .
Persoff had amassed a career consisting of well over 200 film and television appearances. Early in his career, he became well-known for playing villainous, tough guy roles such as mobsters and gangsters, such as those in the classic films The Wrong Man, Al Capone, and Some Like It Hot. Most notably, he had a recurring role as gangster Jake 'Greasy Thumb' Guzik on the Desilu series The Untouchables.
Persoff later became known for playing kinder, gentler roles. His most notable of such roles were a pair of "Papa" characters in two different films from the 1980s: Rabi Reb Mendel, Yentl's father, in the 1983 musical drama Yentl; and Papa Mouskewitz in the 1986 animated film An American Tail and its sequels. 
He was one of the few Star Trek actors to become a centenarian, following Ellen Albertini Dow, Viola Stimpson, Olaf Pooley, Shep Houghton, Dick Cherney, Norman Lloyd, Marsha Hunt, and Ivy Bethune. After the death of Lloyd, he was the oldest living male actor.
== Early life and career ==
Persoff was born in Jerusalem, Palestine, and emigrated to America with his family in 1929. He won a scholarship to the Dramatic Workshop in New York, which led to his New York stage debut in a 1940 production of The Emperor's New Clothes. A veteran of World War II, Persoff served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1946 before being discharged as a Technician 5th Grade. 
=== Broadway ===
Following his military service, Persoff returned to his acting career, making his Broadway debut in Galileo in December 1947. Warren Stevens also performed in this production. The following year, Persoff appeared in his second Broadway play, Sundown Beach, again working with Warren Stevens. 
Persoff worked with fellow Star Trek alumni in his next four Broadway plays: Ray Walston in a 1949 production of William Shakespeare's King Richard III; Stefan Gierasch in Montserrat, also in 1949; William Marshall in a revival of Peter Pan in 1950; and Sam Gilman and Arnold Moss in Shakespeare's King Lear from December 1950 through February 1951. 
In 1954, Persoff worked with William Windom in the play Mademoiselle Colombe. Later that year, he acted with Georgann Johnson and David Opatoshu in Reclining Figure. Persoff was then part of the original cast of the Tony Award-nominated play Tiger at the Gates in 1956. His last Broadway production was Only in America in 1959.
=== Films ===
Persoff made his film debut in the 1948 noir classic The Naked City. His second film role was the obscure cab driver during Marlon Brando's classic "I coulda been a contender" scene in 1954's On the Waterfront. Persoff made his first credited film appearance in 1956's The Harder They Fall. 
He acted alongside Jay Robinson in (1956). That same year, Persoff was seen in , along with Charles Cooper. Persoff then co-starred with Phillip Pine and Scott Marlowe in (1957). In (1957), Pursoff worked with Anthony Caruso.
Persoff played a mobster Johnny Torrio in the 1959 biopic Al Capone, which also starred James Gregory. Later that year, Persoff and Elisha Cook, appeared in the western Day of the Outlaw. In addition, Persoff played a gangster in (1959).
He co-starred in the 1961 western adventure The Comancheros, along with veteran Trek guest star Michael Ansara had a role in this film. Persoff and Ansara were also a part of the extensive ensemble cast of the 1965 biblical epic The Greatest Story Ever Told, as was Mark Lenard.
In the 1963 psychological war drama The Hook, Persoff worked alongside Robert Walker. Persoff's subsequent films during the 1960s included Fate Is the Hunter (1964), The Power (1968, with Celia Lovsky and Lawrence Montaigne), Panic in the City (1968, with John Hoyt), and The Money Jungle (1968, with Leslie Parrish).
=== Television ===
Persoff made over two hundred television guest appearances since 1949. His most famous TV role is that of mobster Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik in three episodes of the popular CBS series The Untouchables, which, like Star Trek, was produced by Desilu. He made his first appearance as Guzik in 1959 and reprised the role in 1961 (in an episode with Joseph Ruskin) and 1962 (in an episode with Barry Russo and Malachi Throne). Persoff appeared in three other episodes of The Untouchables, playing a different character in each. One episode co-starred Madlyn Rhue; another co-starred Michael Strong. 
Persoff also guest-starred in multiple episodes of Gunsmoke (including one directed by Vincent McEveety, one with Anthony Zerbe, one with Robert DoQui), three episodes of (including one with Al Capone co-star James Gregory and another with Jeff Corey and Sabrina Scharf) and three episodes of Mission: Impossible. In his first episode of Mission: Impossible, "Odds of Evil," Persoff played a prince while Lawrence Montaigne played his aide. In his third episode, "Fool's Gold," Persoff worked with David Opatoshu. At that point, star Leonard Nimoy was a regular on Mission: Impossible; Persoff previously worked with Nimoy on the western series Wagon Train.
Persoff was one of several Star Trek guest stars to appear in the 1980s series The Facts of Life, where he portrayed a concentration camp survivor in the sixth season episode "Concentration". Other Star Trek performers who appeared in the series included William Windom, Kenneth Tigar, Roger Perry, Paul Comi, Clyde Kusatsu, Clive Revill, Eve Smith, Nicholas Coster, Robert Hooks, and Ian Wolfe. Lead actor Armin Shimerman also made a brief appearance in the show's seventh season premiere episode.
Herschel Daugherty directed Persoff in a 1960 episode of Alfred Hitchock Presents and in a 1969 episode of Hawaii Five-O, a series Persoff returned to many times in the 1970s. In 1964, Persoff appeared with Jane Wyatt on Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre. The following year, Persoff guest-starred on For the People, the series William Shatner starred in before he joined Star Trek.
Other television series on which Persoff appeared include Naked City (narrated by Lawrence Dobkin), Thriller (in an episode with Sam Gilman), (two episodes, including one with William Schallert), Burke's Law (one episode, including one with Nancy Kovack), Ben Casey (with the aforementioned Michael Ansara), I Spy (two episodes, including one with Elisha Cook, The Big Valley (with John Hoyt and Rudy Solari), (starring Michael Ansara, Whit Bissell, James Darren, and Lee Meriwether), (with the aforementioned Leslie Parrish), (starring Don Marshall and featuring Peter Canon), The Bill Cosby Show (with Johnny Mandell), and The Mod Squad (starring Tige Andrews and Clarence Williams III).
== Later life and career ==
=== 1970s ===
Persoff continued making frequent appearances on television throughout the 1970s. Some of the series on which he guest-starred during this decade were The High Chaparral (which starred Henry Darrow), Adam-12 (with Peter Brocco), McCloud (starring Diana Muldaur), The Hit (with Marc Alaimo and Andrew Prine) (directed by Corey Allen), and Fantasy Island (starring Ricardo Montalban). He also appeared in many episodes of , during which time he worked with fellow Trek performers James Darren, Mark Lenard, Amanda McBroom, Barry Russo, Malachi Throne, and Brian Tochi; Michael O'Herlihy directed two of Persoff's episodes.
Persoff was a regular on the short-lived 1978 Canadian soap opera High Hopes. Bruce Gray headlined the cast of this series, which also included Granville Van Dusen. In addition to his episodic TV credits, Persoff had supporting roles in a number of made-for-TV movies in the 1970s. In the 1974 suspense drama The Missiles of October, Persoff portrayed Soviet Foreign Minister , while Keene Curtis, Paul Lambert, Byron Morrow, Stewart Moss, Kenneth Tobey, and Harris Yulin also had roles in this movie. That same year, Persoff and Madlyn Rhue were seen in the TV drama The Sex Symbol. 
In 1975, Persoff worked with John Savage in the TV drama movie Eric. This movie was directed by James Goldstone, who had previously directed Persoff, John Colicos, and Gregory Sierra in (1971). Persoff's other feature film credits during this decade included (1970, with Stephen McHattie), (1975, with Whit Bissell), and (1976, with Malcolm McDowell). 
Persoff also played the second male lead in (1976), in which he worked with Kim Cattrall. He and Cattrall later acted in the 1979 mini-series The Rebels, directed by Russ Mayberry and co-starring Paul Fix, Warren Stevens, and Kevin Tighe. Persoff's other mini-series include 1978's The Word, along with Kate Mulgrew, the aforementioned Diana Muldaur, Christopher Lloyd, Nicolas Coster, and Jonathan Banks, and The French Atlantic Affair, co-starring Bruce French, Harvey Jason, Lance LeGault, William Lucking, Michelle Phillips, John Rubinstein, and Gwen Van Dam.
=== 1980s and 1990s ===
Although he was known for "tough guy" roles during the 1950s and 1960s, Persoff later became known for more light-hearted characters. His best-known film role is that of Yentl's "Papa" in the 1983 musical drama Yentl. He is also known for voicing Papa Mousekewitz in the 1986 animated film An American Tail, its 1991 sequel An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (in which Phillip Glasser played Papa's son, Fievel), and two direct-to-video sequels in which Thomas Dekker voiced Fievel. Christopher Plummer voiced Henri the pigeon in the first American Tail, while René Auberjonois, Tony Jay, John Kassir, and Ron Perlman voiced characters in the 1998 video sequel An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island. 
In the 1980 TV movie The Henderson Monster, Persoff worked alongside Stephen Collins and David Spielberg. Persoff's subsequent TV movies include 1980's Condominium (with Harry Townes and Bill Zuckert) and (1983, starring John Rhys-Davies). 
Due to declining health and high blood pressure, Persoff was forced to limit his acting work in the mid-1980s. To compensate for his decreased acting workload, Persoff took up painting as a hobby in 1985. He did continue making occasional film and television appearances, however. He appeared as a rabbi in Martin Scorsese's acclaimed, controversial film The Last Temptation of Christ and played a supporting role in the hit 1988 comedy film Twins. The latter project also featured the aforementioned Tony Jay as well as Robert Harper, Tom McCleister, Dendrie Taylor, and Cary-Hiroyuki.
In addition, Persoff made guest appearances on such television series as (in an episode with France Nuyen and directed by Leo Penn), (starring Corbin Bernsen and Larry Drake, in an episode directed by David Carson and co-starring Diana Muldaur and Natalia Nogulich), Murder, She Wrote (with James Sloyan), Doogie Howser, M.D. (on which Lawrence Pressman and James B. Sikking were regulars), and . Persoff retired from acting entirely in 1999, instead devoting himself to his painting. Specializing in watercolor, he created many works of art, many of which have been exhibited in California. Before his death, he lived in Cambria, California. His wife, Thia, died in 2021 due to cancer. They had four children. He died on April 5, 2022, of heart failure at the age of 102.
== External links ==
* 
* 
* 
es:Nehemiah Persoff
Category:Performers
Category:TNG performers