Nehemiah Persoff, known for his roles in Some Like It Hot, Gunsmoke, An American Tail and various other movies and TV series, died at the age of 102, multiple outlets report.
Persoff’s son Dan confirmed his father’s death to The Hollywood Reporter, while a family friend confirmed the news to Deadline. Both outlets reported that the actor died Tuesday at a rehabilitation facility in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Persoff was born in Jerusalem in August 1919, according to THR. The late actor came to the United States with his family in 1929 and, after showing off his acting chops during his bar mitzvah, spent many summers working in theater before breaking into the film and television industry.
During his time on Broadway between 1949 and 1959, Persoff appeared in 11 shows including Galileo with Charles Laughton, Peter Pan with Jean Arthur and Boris Karloff, and Peer Gynt with John Garfield.
Persoff received his first film credit in 1948 for his brief role in The Naked City and his second in 1954 for another small role in On the Waterfront. In 1956, Persoff appeared in three different films, including Alfred Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man.
