Nehemiah Persoff
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. 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.
Filmography
Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story
as Self - Interviewee
Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story
as Self - Interviewee
Tony Curtis: Driven to Stardom
as Self
Tony Curtis: Driven to Stardom
as Self
4 Faces
4 Faces
An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster
as Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster
as Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island
as Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island
as Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
as Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
as Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
Twins
as Mitchell Traven
Twins
as Mitchell Traven
The Last Temptation of Christ
as Rabbi
The Last Temptation of Christ
as Rabbi
Yentl
as Rebbe Mendel
Yentl
as Rebbe Mendel
O'Hara's Wife
as Dr. Fischer
O'Hara's Wife
as Dr. Fischer
St. Helens
as Mr. Ellison
St. Helens
as Mr. Ellison
Turnover Smith
as Ashmed Amad
Turnover Smith
as Ashmed Amad
The Henderson Monster
as Prof. Leo Tedeschi
The Henderson Monster
as Prof. Leo Tedeschi
F.D.R.: The Last Year
as Josef Stalin
F.D.R.: The Last Year
as Josef Stalin
In Search of Historic Jesus
as Herod Antipas
In Search of Historic Jesus
as Herod Antipas
A Cry for Justice
as Dr. Burke
A Cry for Justice
as Dr. Burke
Daniel in the Lions' Den
as Malimar
Daniel in the Lions' Den
as Malimar
A Double Life
A Double Life
Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women
as Charles Frohman
Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women
as Charles Frohman
Killing Stone
as Earl Stone
Killing Stone
as Earl Stone
The Making of a President
The Making of a President
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident
as Rudenko
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident
as Rudenko
Psychic Killer
as Doctor Gubner
Psychic Killer
as Doctor Gubner
The Stranger Within
as Dr. Edward Klein
The Stranger Within
as Dr. Edward Klein
Lieutenant Schuster's Wife
as Champagne Joe Carroll
Lieutenant Schuster's Wife
as Champagne Joe Carroll
Lapin 360
Lapin 360
Michael O'Hara the Fourth
as Artie Moreno
Michael O'Hara the Fourth
as Artie Moreno
Red Sky at Morning
as Amadeo Montoya
Red Sky at Morning
as Amadeo Montoya
Mrs. Pollifax — Spy
as Berisha
Mrs. Pollifax — Spy
as Berisha
The People Next Door
as Dr. Salazar
The People Next Door
as Dr. Salazar
Cutter's Trail
as Santillo
Cutter's Trail
as Santillo
Escape to Mindanao
as Capt. Kramer
Escape to Mindanao
as Capt. Kramer
Panic in the City
as August Best
Panic in the City
as August Best
The Power
as Carl Melnicker
The Power
as Carl Melnicker
The Day of the Owl
as Pizzuco
The Day of the Owl
as Pizzuco
The Money Jungle
as Lt. Dow Reeves
The Money Jungle
as Lt. Dow Reeves
The Dangerous Days of Kiowa Jones
as Skoda
The Dangerous Days of Kiowa Jones
as Skoda
The Greatest Story Ever Told
as Shemiah
The Greatest Story Ever Told
as Shemiah
Fate Is the Hunter
as Ben Sawyer
Fate Is the Hunter
as Ben Sawyer
The Hook
as Capt. Van Ryn
The Hook
as Capt. Van Ryn
The Comancheros
as Graile
The Comancheros
as Graile
The Big Show
as Bruno Everard
The Big Show
as Bruno Everard
Al Capone
as Johnny Torrio
Al Capone
as Johnny Torrio
For Whom the Bell Tolls
as Pablo
For Whom the Bell Tolls
as Pablo
The Wrong Man
as Gene Conforti
The Wrong Man
as Gene Conforti
The Wild Party
as Kicks Johnson
The Wild Party
as Kicks Johnson
The Harder They Fall
as Leo
The Harder They Fall
as Leo
The Thief
as D'Arnault-Olivier
The Thief
as D'Arnault-Olivier
On the Waterfront
as Cab Driver (uncredited)
On the Waterfront
as Cab Driver (uncredited)