Nehemiah Persoff: Veteran Character Actor of Some Like It Hot and Yentl

Nehemiah Persoff was an American character actor and painter who worked in more than 200 television, film and stage productions. Born on August 2, 1919, in Jerusalem, he emigrated to the United States as a child and trained at the Actors Studio.

Persoff played Little Bonaparte in Some Like It Hot (1959), the gangster Jake Guzik in The Untouchables and Rebbe Mendel, the father of Barbra Streisand's character, in Yentl (1983). He voiced Papa Mousekewitz in An American Tail (1986) and its sequels. His career ran from 1948 to 2003.

After retiring from acting in 2003, Persoff took up watercolor painting. He married Thia Persov in 1951, and they had four children; she died in 2021. He died of heart failure at a rehabilitation facility in San Luis Obispo, California, on April 5, 2022, at age 102.

Achievements: Little Bonaparte in Some Like It Hot (1959), Jake Guzik in The Untouchables, Rebbe Mendel in Yentl (1983), voiced Papa Mousekewitz in An American Tail (1986).

Birth: August 2, 1919 - Jerusalem.

Profession: Actor and painter.

Interesting Facts: He became a watercolor painter after he retired. He lived to be 102.