Nehemiah Persoff, a renowned American film and television character actor, was born on August 2, 1919, in Jerusalem, Palestine Mandate, an area that is now part of Israel. He emigrated with his family to the United States in 1929, marking the beginning of a new chapter in his life.
Persoff's interest in acting emerged 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 prestigious Actor's Studio, which provided him with the platform to hone his craft.
Persoff's extensive filmography includes a wide range of iconic titles, such as On the Waterfront, Some Like It Hot, Al Capone, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Voyage of the Damned, The Comancheros, Yentl, Twins, and the beloved animated-film series American Tail, where he voiced the character Papa Mousekewitz.
Throughout his illustrious career, Persoff appeared in numerous television series, including Five Fingers, The Big Valley, The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Untouchables, Naked City, The Legend of Jesse James, Gunsmoke, The Wild Wild West, Hawaii Five-O, Ellery Queen, Mission: Impossible, Adam-12, Charlie's Angels, Hunter, Columbo, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Magnum, P.I., Law & Order, and Chicago Hope.
In the mid-1980s, Persoff's health issues forced him to scale back his acting workload, prompting him to explore a new creative outlet - painting. He specialized in watercolour, a medium that brought him immense joy and fulfillment.
This biography is based on the Wikipedia article Nehemiah Persoff, licensed under CC-BY-SA, and acknowledges the contributions of numerous individuals who have contributed to the article over time.
