On TCM Sat 9/17/16 – The Billy Wilder Essential Some Like It Hot (1959)-the great underrated character actor Nehemiah Persoff cast as mob chief Little Bonaparte opens the mob reunion (disguised as Friends of Italian Opera Lover’s meeting) with the following Wilder/I.A.L. Diamond eloquence: “Thank you, fellow opera-lovers. It’s been ten years since I elected myself president of dis organization… an’ if I say so myself, you made duh right choice. Let’s look at duh record: In duh lass fissel year we made a hundred an’ twelve million dollars before taxes… only we didn’t pay no taxes!” You also might remember Persoff in On The Waterfront (1954) playing the cab driver/mob informant in the famous Brando/Steiger who reported the action back to bad guy John Friendly (Lee J Cobb). Look for Nehemiah playing many diverse roles in many movies and TV.
Lawrence of Cinema 