Nehemiah Persoff

Nehemiah Persoff (August 2, 1919 – April 5, 2022) was an American character actor and painter. Born in Jerusalem in what became Mandatory Palestine, Persoff had a prolific career spanning 55 years and appeared in over 200 television series, films, and theatre productions. After serving in the United States Army during World War II, he began his acting career with a small role in The Naked City (1948). Some of his notable roles include Leo in The Harder They Fall (1956), Little Bonaparte in Some Like It Hot (1959), Jake 'Greasy Thumb' Guzik in The Untouchables (1959-1963), Rebbe Mendel in Yentl (1983), and the voice of Papa Mousekewitz in An American Tail (1986) and its sequels. Persoff also made appearances on The Twilight Zone, Gilligan's Island, Hawaii Five-O, Adam-12, and Law & Order.