Nehemiah Persoff
Acting
Born: August 2, 1919 · Jerusalem, Palestine Mandate
Died: April 5, 2022 (aged 102)
Highest Rated
Biography
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.
Known for
Some Like It Hot
1959
Twins
1988
On the Waterfront
1954
Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987
An American Tail
1986
The Last Temptation of Christ
1988
The Twilight Zone
1959
Little House on the Prairie
1974
MacGyver
1985
Columbo
1971
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
1991
Law & Order
1990
Photos (4)
Movies (67)
Some Like It Hot
Little Bonaparte
The Last Temptation of Christ
Rabbi
Twins
Mitchell Traven
An American Tail
Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
On the Waterfront
Cab Driver (uncredited)
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Shemiah
An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island
Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
The Comancheros
Graile
The Wrong Man
Gene Conforti
The Harder They Fall
Leo
Yentl
Rebbe Mendel
An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster
Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
Green Mansions
Don Panta
Voyage of the Damned
Herr Hauser
The Power
Carl Melnicker
Men in War
Sgt. Lewis
Day of the Outlaw
Dan, Starret's Foreman
The Badlanders
Vincente (The Powder Monkey)
The Day of the Owl
Pizzuco
Fate Is the Hunter
Ben Sawyer
Al Capone
Johnny Torrio
Lieutenant Schuster's Wife
Champagne Joe Carroll
Psychic Killer
Doctor Gubner
The Thief
D'Arnault-Olivier
The Dangerous Days of Kiowa Jones
Skoda
A Double Life
1978
Killing Stone
Earl Stone
The People Next Door
Dr. Salazar
O'Hara's Wife
Dr. Fischer
Deadly Harvest
Mort Logan
The Hook
Capt. Van Ryn
Eric
Dr. Duchesnes
Street of Sinners
Leon
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident
Rudenko
Cutter's Trail
Santillo
The Big Show
Bruno Everard
St. Helens
Mr. Ellison
A Global Affair
Under Secretary Segura
Red Sky at Morning
Amadeo Montoya
This Angry Age
Albert Legros
The Sex Symbol
Nick Fortis
Michael O'Hara the Fourth
Artie Moreno
Panic in the City
August Best
Too Many Thieves
Georgi
The Stranger Within
Dr. Edward Klein
The Wild Party
Kicks Johnson
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Pablo
Mrs. Pollifax — Spy
Berisha
The Killers of Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women
Charles Frohman
The Henderson Monster
Prof. Leo Tedeschi
F.D.R.: The Last Year
Josef Stalin
The Money Jungle
Lt. Dow Reeves
The Girl Who Knew Too Much
Lieutenant Crawford
Mayerling
Police Officer
Never Steal Anything Small
Pinelli
Escape to Mindanao
Capt. Kramer
Turnover Smith
Ashmed Amad
A Cry for Justice
Dr. Burke
Daniel in the Lions' Den
Malimar
The Making of a President
1978
Lapin 360
1972
Marty
The Critic
In Search of Historic Jesus
Herod Antipas
The Treasure of San Bosco Reef
Captain Malcione
The Death of Manolete
Camera
TV Shows (126)
Law & Order
David Steinmetz · 1 eps
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Toff · 1 eps
Columbo
Jesse Jerome · 1 eps
Murder, She Wrote
Constantin Stavros · 1 eps
Chicago Hope
Rabbi Ben Taubler · 1 eps
Hawaii Five-O
Harry Cardonus · 1 eps
Hawaii Five-O
Winkler · 1 eps
Hawaii Five-O
Leo Paoli · 1 eps
Hawaii Five-O
Cordell · 1 eps
Hawaii Five-O
Victor Palua · 1 eps
Hawaii Five-O
Allie Francis · 2 eps
American Playhouse
Marcus Hoff · 1 eps
Magnum, P.I.
Rabbi Asher Solomon · 1 eps
MacGyver
Sam Bolinski · 1 eps
The Facts of Life
1 eps
Little House on the Prairie
Mr. Olaf Lundstrom · 1 eps
L.A. Law
Rabbi Isadore Glickman · 1 eps
Mannix
Anton Wojeska · 1 eps
Wagon Train
Tiburcio Mendez · 1 eps
Adam-12
Angelo Covelli · 1 eps
The Wild Wild West
Major Hazard · 1 eps
The Wild Wild West
Gen. Andreas Cassinello · 1 eps
The Twilight Zone
Carl Lanser · 1 eps
Fantasy Island
Horst Von Stern · 1 eps
Love, American Style
Mr. Stone · 1 eps
Charlie's Angels
Anton · 1 eps
The Six Million Dollar Man
Major Popov · 2 eps
Quincy, M.E.
1 eps
The Philco Television Playhouse
Ed Kagan · 2 eps
Mission: Impossible
Igor Stravos · 1 eps
Mission: Impossible
Phillipe Pereda · 1 eps
Mission: Impossible
Prince Iben Kostas · 1 eps
Hotel
1 eps
Hunter
Harold Goodman · 1 eps
Climax!
Lieutenant Cal Nourse · 1 eps
The Untouchables
Jake 'Greasy Thumb' Guzik · 2 eps
The Untouchables
Johnny Fortunato · 1 eps
The Untouchables
Waxey Gordon · 1 eps
Rawhide
Domingo · 1 eps
Rawhide
Michob · 1 eps
The Streets of San Francisco
1 eps
The Name of the Game
Ambassador · 1 eps
Tarzan
Chembe Kunji · 1 eps
Barney Miller
Carl Simms · 1 eps
Barney Miller
Yacov Berger · 2 eps
The Big Valley
General Vicente Ruiz · 1 eps
Highway to Heaven
1 eps
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Max Behrman · 1 eps
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Nick Kolinski · 1 eps
Route 66
2 eps
Gunsmoke
Jack Pinto · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
Mr. Dano · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
Alex Skouras · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
Driscoll · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
Ben Rando · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
Alejo Etchahoun · 1 eps
Naked City
Barney Peters · 1 eps
Naked City
Max Evar · 1 eps
Naked City
Carlos Ruldan · 1 eps
Naked City
Dominic Venussi · 1 eps
Naked City
Berco Romanu · 1 eps
Naked City
Merritt Griffin · 1 eps
The High Chaparral
Homero José · 1 eps
Ben Casey
1 eps
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
1 eps
Burke's Law
Jason Flonder · 1 eps
Burke's Law
Wilhelm Kasimer · 1 eps
Burke's Law
Albert Indigo, 'Mr. I' · 1 eps
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Ralph Collins · 1 eps
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Jeff Jensen · 1 eps
Land of the Giants
Titus · 1 eps
The Bionic Woman
1 eps
Baretta
1 eps
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Valandros · 1 eps
Doogie Howser, M.D.
Max Wernick · 1 eps
Battlestar Galactica
Eastern Alliance Leader · 1 eps
McCloud
1 eps
McCloud
Perry Cicero · 1 eps
Police Story
1 eps
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
Vladimir · 2 eps
Vega$
1 eps
McMillan & Wife
Clementa Habib · 1 eps
Honey West
Faustini · 1 eps
Armstrong Circle Theatre
1 eps
Gilligan's Island
1 eps
Wonder Woman
Professor Moreno · 1 eps
Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II
Charles Dietrich · 1 eps
It Takes a Thief
Harry Lavender · 1 eps
The Time Tunnel
Prof. Anton Biraki · 1 eps
Ellery Queen
1 eps
The United States Steel Hour
Dr. Arnault / Oliver · 1 eps
Playhouse 90
Pablo · 2 eps
Playhouse 90
Prisoners Father · 1 eps
Startime
Prior Andry · 1 eps
The Mod Squad
2 eps
The Mod Squad
Nick Master · 1 eps
Mr. Novak
Henry Selkirk · 1 eps
Shirley Temple's Storybook
Ali Baba · 1 eps
Sam Benedict
1 eps
Mr. Lucky
1 eps
The New Breed
Louis Morley · 1 eps
The Bill Cosby Show
Mr. Byron · 1 eps
Dan August
Leo Cussoni · 1 eps
Angels in America
Rabbi (uncredited) · 1 eps
Bus Stop
1 eps
J.J. Starbuck
1 eps
Logan's Run
ASA · 1 eps
The Legend of Jesse James
El Carnicero · 1 eps
The Wonderful World of Disney
3 eps
The Wonderful World of Disney
Artie Moreno · 2 eps
Hunter
Sheik Farakbi · 1 eps
Search
1 eps
Supertrain
Max · 1 eps
Jericho
1 eps
The Invisible Man
Dr. Leon Barnard · 1 eps
The Motorola Television Hour
1 eps
The French Atlantic Affair
Col. Schreiner · 3 eps
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Jules Dreise · 1 eps
The Word
Abbot Petropolous · 4 eps
Cool Million
Karinakis · 1 eps
The Rebels
Baron Von Steuben · 2 eps
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Dr. Duchesnes · 1 eps
Condominium
Conlaw · 2 eps
B.A.D. Cats
1 eps
Purple Playhouse
Dr. Van Helsing · 1 eps
The Treasure of San Bosco Reef
Captain Malcione · 2 eps
