Nehemiah Persoff, ‘The Twilight Zone’ and ‘Yentl’ star, dead at 102
nypost.compassing in a statement to Deadline.Persoff had passed away at a rehabilitation facility in San Luis Obispo, California, several years after he retired from acting due to a stroke and other health issues.
Born in Jerusalem, Israel, the thespian and his family moved to the US in 1929, eventually ending up in New York City. His road to stardom began in 1947 when Persoff was discovered by Charles Laughton and cast in his production of “Galileo.” A year later, Persoff made his film debut in “The Naked City” (1948), following it up with an uncredited role as a silent cabbie in the seminal film “On The Waterfront” (1954).
The fledgling actor went on to appear in a smorgasbord of iconic TV series of the decade, including “Goodyear Playhouse,”“Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Playhouse 90” and “The Twilight Zone.” In the latter, he played Carl Lanser in the 1959 episode “Judgment Night,” in which a “man finds himself on a ship in the Atlantic, not knowing who he is, nor how he got there.”Persoff’s career blossomed in the 60s, 70s, and 80s and even into the 90s.
Some of his more legendary TV roles during that time included “The Untouchables,” “The Wild Wild West, “Mission: Impossible,”“Gunsmoke,”“Marcus Welby,” “Baretta,”“The Six Million Dollar Man,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “Hawaii Five-0” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation.“Not just a star on the small screen, the prolific dramatist appeared in a slew of hit films as well, including Humphrey Bogart’s final movie role “The Harder They Fall” (1956), “Some Like It Hot,” “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” and “Yentl,” in which he portrayed Mendel, the father of Streisand’s titular character.
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