Nehemiah Persoff, 101, Born In 1919 – Some Like It Hot

When Nehemiah Persoff came to America from Israel in 1929, he wanted to live the American Dream. So he served in World War II as an American, and when the war ended, he found a job as a subway electrician. But his real dream was to be a movie star.

So he pursued acting. His most notable role in the 1959 movie Some Like It Hot playing a gang boss parody of Benito Mussolini. Persoff also had supporting roles in films like The Comancheros and Yentl, opposite Barbra Streisand. He also played what is seen as his signature role in The Untouchables series as  Jake “Greasy Thumb” Guzik. Persoff retired in 1999.