Nehemiah Persoff
Known for Acting · 170 credits
- Born
- 1919-08-02
- Died
- 2022-04-05
- Place of birth
- Jerusalem, Palestine Mandate
Biography
Nehemiah Persoff (August 2, 1919 – April 5, 2022) was an American film and television actor. He was born in Jerusalem, Palestine Mandate.
Born in what is now part of Israel, Persoff emigrated with his family 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
TV Shows (99)
Law & Order
1990
as David Steinmetz
Columbo
1971
as Jesse Jerome
Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987
as Toff
Murder, She Wrote
1984
as Constantin Stavros
Mannix
1967
as Anton Wojeska
MacGyver
1985
as Sam Bolinski
Hawaii Five-O
1968
as Harry Cardonus / Winkler / Leo Paoli / Cordell / Victor Palua / Allie Francis
Magnum, P.I.
1980
as Rabbi Asher Solomon
Chicago Hope
1994
as Rabbi Ben Taubler
Wagon Train
1957
as Tiburcio Mendez
Little House on the Prairie
1974
as Mr. Olaf Lundstrom
Love, American Style
1969
as Mr. Stone
Adam-12
1968
as Angelo Covelli
Charlie's Angels
1976
as Anton
Quincy, M.E.
1976
Mission: Impossible
1966
as Igor Stravos / Phillipe Pereda / Prince Iben Kostas
L.A. Law
1986
as Rabbi Isadore Glickman
Climax!
1954
as Lieutenant Cal Nourse
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948
as Ed Kagan
The Twilight Zone
1959
as Carl Lanser
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1963
as Alverian
The Facts of Life
1979
The Six Million Dollar Man
1974
as Major Popov
Barney Miller
1975
as Carl Simms / Yacov Berger
Naked City
1958
as Barney Peters / Carlos Ruldan / Max Evar / Dominic Venussi / Berco Romanu / Merritt Griffin
Ben Casey
1961
Rawhide
1959
as Domingo / Michob
Hotel
1982
The Untouchables
1959
as Jake 'Greasy Thumb' Guzik / Johnny Fortunato / Waxey Gordon
The Wild Wild West
1965
as Major Hazard / Gen. Andreas Cassinello
Hunter
1984
as Harold Goodman
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
1983
Highway to Heaven
1984
The Big Valley
1965
as General Vicente Ruiz
Burke's Law
1963
as Jason Flonder / Albert Indigo, 'Mr. I' / Wilhelm Kasimer
Route 66
1960
The High Chaparral
1967
as Homero José
Marcus Welby, M.D.
1969
as Max Behrman / Nick Kolinski
The Name of the Game
1968
as Ambassador
Gunsmoke
1955
as Jack Pinto / Mr. Dano / Alex Skouras / Driscoll / Ben Rando / Alejo Etchahoun
Baretta
1975
Land of the Giants
1968
as Titus
McCloud
1970
as Perry Cicero
The Bionic Woman
1976
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
Vega$
1978
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
as Ralph Collins / Jeff Jensen
Playhouse 90
1956
as Pablo / Prisoners Father
The Mod Squad
1968
as Nick Master
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
1964
as Valandros
Gilligan's Island
1964
It Takes a Thief
1968
as Harry Lavender
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
as Vladimir
Battlestar Galactica
1978
as Eastern Alliance Leader
The Time Tunnel
1966
as Prof. Anton Biraki
Tarzan
1966
as Chembe Kunji
Police Story
1973
Shirley Temple's Storybook
1958
as Ali Baba
McMillan & Wife
1971
as Clementa Habib
Wonder Woman
1975
as Professor Moreno
Movies (71)
On the Waterfront
1954
as Cab Driver (uncredited)
Some Like It Hot
1959
as Little Bonaparte
Twins
1988
as Mitchell Traven
An American Tail
1986
as Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
The Last Temptation of Christ
1988
as Rabbi
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
1991
as Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
The Greatest Story Ever Told
1965
as Shemiah
The Comancheros
1961
as Graile
The Harder They Fall
1956
as Leo
Voyage of the Damned
1976
as Herr Hauser
Green Mansions
1959
as Don Panta
An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island
1998
as Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
The Wrong Man
1956
as Gene Conforti
The Badlanders
1958
as Vincente (The Powder Monkey)
Day of the Outlaw
1959
as Dan, Starret's Foreman
Al Capone
1959
as Johnny Torrio
Yentl
1983
as Rebbe Mendel
An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster
1999
as Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
Never Steal Anything Small
1959
as Pinelli
Fate Is the Hunter
1964
as Ben Sawyer
Men in War
1957
as Sgt. Lewis
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident
1976
as Rudenko
The Power
1968
as Prof. Carl Melnicker
The Hook
1963
as Capt. Van Ryn
O'Hara's Wife
1982
as Dr. Fischer
The Day of the Owl
1968
as Pizzuco
Tony Curtis: Driven to Stardom
2012
as Self
The Dangerous Days of Kiowa Jones
1966
as Skoda
Cutter's Trail
1970
as Santillo
The Sex Symbol
1974
as Nick Fortis
Street of Sinners
1957
as Leon
Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story
2022
as Self - Interviewee
F.D.R.: The Last Year
1980
as Josef Stalin
Michael O'Hara the Fourth
1972
as Artie Moreno
The People Next Door
1970
as Dr. Salazar
A Double Life
1978
Mayerling
1957
as Police Officer
Psychic Killer
1975
as Doctor Gubner
St. Helens
1982
as Mr. Ellison
Mrs. Pollifax — Spy
1971
as Berisha
Turnover Smith
1980
as Ashmed Amad
Lieutenant Schuster's Wife
1972
as Champagne Joe Carroll
Escape to Mindanao
1968
as Capt. Kramer
In Search of Historic Jesus
1979
as Herod Antipas
Eric
1975
as Dr. Duchesnes
The Thief
1955
as D'Arnault-Olivier
Red Sky at Morning
1971
as Amadeo Montoya
The Killers of Mussolini
1959
as Benito Mussolini
Daniel in the Lions' Den
1978
as Malimar
Deadly Harvest
1977
as Mort Logan
The Stranger Within
1974
as Dr. Edward Klein
The Money Jungle
1967
as Lt. Dow Reeves
Marty
1953
as The Critic
The Treasure of San Bosco Reef
1968
as Captain Malcione
The Girl Who Knew Too Much
1969
as Lieutenant Crawford
Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women
1978
as Charles Frohman
For Whom the Bell Tolls
1959
as Pablo
A Global Affair
1964
as Under Secretary Segura
The Henderson Monster
1980
as Prof. Leo Tedeschi
4 Faces
2001
The Big Show
1961
as Bruno Everard
The Making of a President
1978
Dracula
1973
as Dr. Van Helsing
Too Many Thieves
1966
as Georgi
Killing Stone
1978
as Earl Stone
This Angry Age
1957
as Albert Legros
A Cry For Justice
1979
as Dr. Burke
The Wild Party
1956
as Kicks Johnson
Lapin 360
1972
Panic in the City
1968
as August Best
The Death of Manolete
1957
as Camera
About Nehemiah Persoff
Nehemiah Persoff (August 2, 1919 – April 5, 2022) was an American film and television actor. He was born in Jerusalem, Palestine Mandate. Born in what is now part of Israel, Persoff emigrated with his family 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… With 170 credits spanning from 1948 to 2022, Nehemiah Persoff has appeared in 71 films and 99 TV shows.
Fans searching for Nehemiah Persoff movies, Nehemiah Persoff filmography, or the latest projects starring Nehemiah Persoff can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Nehemiah Persoff Movies
- On the Waterfront (1954) — as Cab Driver (uncredited)
- Some Like It Hot (1959) — as Little Bonaparte
- Twins (1988) — as Mitchell Traven
- An American Tail (1986) — as Papa Mousekewitz (voice)
- The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) — as Rabbi
Where to Watch Nehemiah Persoff Films
Most Nehemiah Persoff movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Nehemiah Persoff, check our movies catalogue and browse page.