Nehemiah Persoff (August 2, 1919 – April 5, 2022) was an American actor and painter. Born in Jerusalem in 1919 to Shmuel Persoff and Puah Holman, he immigrated to the United States with his family in 1929. Persoff attended the Hebrew Technical Institute in New York City, graduating as an electrician in 1937. He was later drafted into the U.S Army and served during World War II. After the war, he entered the acting world and performed in over 200 television series, films, theatre productions, and also as a voice artist. His career spanned 55 years with memorable roles in The Naked City, The Harder They Fall, Some Like It Hot, The Untouchables, Yentl, and An American Tail among others. He also made appearances on episodes of popular TV series such as The Twilight Zone, Gilligan's Island, Hawaii Five-O, Adam-12, and Law & Order. Persoff retired from acting in 2003 and pursued painting, specializing in watercolors. His memoir, The Many Faces of Nehemiah, was published in July 2021. On April 5, 2022, at the age of 102, Persoff died of heart failure.