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Nehemiah Persoff

02 Aug, 1919 in Jerusalem, Palestine Mandate

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.

Also Known As:

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Yentl
68% (1983)
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Twins
61% (1988)
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Men in War
66% (1957)
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The Big Show
58% (1961)
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The Hook
61% (1963)
4 Faces
70% (2001)
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Lapin 360
65% (1972)
Dracula
70% (1973)
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Eric
90% (1975)
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Columbo
81% (1971)
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Burke's Law
62% (1963)
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Mr. Lucky
67% (1959)
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Baretta
65% (1975)
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Hotel
67% (1982)
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Adam-12
71% (1968)
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Chicago Hope
72% (1994)
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Sam Benedict
67% (1962)
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Bus Stop
100% (1961)
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Rawhide
73% (1959)
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Vega$
70% (1978)
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McCloud
72% (1970)
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Climax!
38% (1954)
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The Word
48% (1978)
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Ben Casey
59% (1961)
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Mr. Novak
73% (1963)
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The New Breed
77% (1961)
Playwrights '56
62% (1955)
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J.J. Starbuck
60% (1987)
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Rawhide
73% (1959)
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Burke's Law
62% (1963)
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Burke's Law
62% (1963)
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Law & Order
73% (1990)
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Playhouse 90
75% (1956)
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Dan August
72% (1970)
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Playhouse 90
75% (1956)
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McCloud
72% (1970)
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Startime
68% (1959)
CBS Playhouse
70% (1966)