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1-14 of 14
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Born in 1919 in Jerusalem, Nehemiah Persoff emigrated with his family to America in 1929.
Following schooling at the Hebrew Technical Institute of New York, he found a job as a subway electrician doing signal maintenance until an interest in the theater altered the direction of his life.
He joined amateur groups and subsequently won a scholarship to the Dramatic Workshop in New York. This led to what would have been his Broadway debut in a production of "Eve of St. Mark", but he was fired before the show opened. He made his official New York debut in a production of "The Emperor's New Clothes" in 1940.
WWII interrupted his young career in 1942, when he was inducted into the United Sates Army, returning to the stage after his hitch was over in 1945, three years later. He sought work in stock plays and became an intern of Stella Adler and, as a result, a strong exponent of the Actor's Studio. Discovered by Charles Laughton and cast in his production of "Galileo" in 1947, Persoff made his film debut a year later with an uncredited bit in The Naked City (1948).
Short, dark, chunky-framed and with a distinct talent for dialects, Persoff became known primarily for his ethnic villainy, usually playing authoritative Eastern Europeans.
In a formidable career which had him portraying everything from cab drivers to Joseph Stalin, standout film roles would include Leo in The Harder They Fall (1956) with Humphrey Bogart, Gene Conforti in Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man (1956), Albert in This Angry Age (1958) and gangster Johnny Torrio in Al Capone (1959). That same year he played another gangster, the small role of Little Bonaparte, in Some Like It Hot (1959).
He was a durable performer during TV's "Golden Age" (Gunsmoke (1955), The Twilight Zone (1959)) and well beyond (Chicago Hope (1994), Law & Order (1990)), playing hundreds of intense, volatile and dominating characters.
In later years, his characters grew a bit softer as Barbra Streisand's Jewish father in Yentl (1983) and the voice of Papa Mousekewitz in the An American Tail (1986) will attest. Later stage work included well-received productions of "I'm Not Rappaport" and his biographical one-man show "Sholem Aleichem".
After declining health and high blood pressure forced him to slow down, Persoff took up painting in 1985, studying sketching in Los Angeles. Specializing in watercolor, he created more than 100 works of art, many of which have been exhibited up and down the coast of California. He celebrated his 100th birthday in 2019.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Part of the Philadelphia music scene which also spawned Frankie Avalon and Fabian, Rydell was undoubtedly the most talented of the teen idols. After a number of song hits, including "Wild One" and "Volare", he starred in Bye Bye Birdie (1963) before hitting the nightclub circuit. He still appears regularly on "oldies" shows, although he hasn't had a hit since the early 1960s.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Jimmy Wang Yu was born on 28 March 1943 in Shanghai, China. He was an actor and producer, known for Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976), Dragon (2011) and Soul (2013). He was married to Jeanette Lin Tsui. He died on 5 April 2022 in Taipei, Taiwan.- Location Management
- Actor
Richard Powell was born on 24 December 1950 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Alien Nation (1988), Brother (2000) and Midnight Man (1995). He was married to Linda Rae Boatman-Iversen. He died on 5 April 2022 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Bjarni Tryggvason was born on 21 September 1945 in Reykjavik, Iceland. He was an actor, known for Moonfall (2022), Land Ho! (2014) and The Place (2009). He was married to Lilyanna Zmijak. He died on 5 April 2022 in London, Ontario, Canada.- Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
Jay Kohne was born on 11 February 1958 in Canada. Jay was a cinematographer, known for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), Scary Movie (2000) and Tideland (2005). Jay died on 5 April 2022 in Oliver, British Columbia, Canada.- Writer
- Producer
Salvador Valverde Calvo was born on 5 May 1924 in Barcelona, Spain. He was a writer and producer, known for La gran aventura (1974), La vida continúa (1969) and Subí que te llevo (1980). He died on 5 April 2022 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Actor
- Production Manager
António Reis was born on 20 January 1945 in Porto, Portugal. He was an actor and production manager, known for The Fifth Empire (2004), Almeida Garrett (2000) and Abraham's Valley (1993). He died on 5 April 2022 in Porto, Portugal.- Director
- Additional Crew
- Actor
Dejan Mijac was born on 17 May 1934 in Bijeljina, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Yugoslavia. He was a director and actor, known for TV teatar (1956), Gospodja ministarka (1978) and Terasa (1983). He died on 5 April 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia.- Doug Sutherland was born on 1 August 1948 in Superior, Wisconsin, USA. He died on 5 April 2022 in the USA.
- Ambrosio Fornet was born on 6 October 1932 in Veguitas de Bayamo, Cuba. He was a writer, known for Habanera (1984), Retrato de Teresa (1979) and Mambí (1998). He died on 5 April 2022 in Havana, Cuba.
- Actor
- Music Department
Boris Brott was born on 14 March 1944 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was an actor, known for The Nutcracker Prince (1990), Festival (1960) and Harman Kardon Citation: Fermata (2018). He was married to Ardyth Webster. He died on 5 April 2022 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.- Director
- Writer
Michael Dittrich was a director and writer, known for Die Deutsche WM-Nacht (2018) and Anstoß (2010). He was married to Birgit. He died on 5 April 2022 in Germany.- David Kilgour was born on 18 February 1941 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He was a writer, known for The Slaughter: An Update (2016), Human Harvest (2014) and Transmission 6-10 (2009). He was married to Laura Scott. He died on 5 April 2022 in Ottawa, Canada.