Herschel Bernardi

He was nominated for two Tony Awards for his performances in the original production of Zorba and the 1981 revival of Fiddler on the Roof.

• Name — Herschel Bernardi • Born — 30 October 1923 • Birthplace — New York City, New York, U.S. • Died — 9 May 1986 • Place of death — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Occupation — Actor, singer • Years Active — 1937–1986 • Spouse — Teri Bernardi (19??–1986; his death) • Children — 4

Bernardi is known for his starring roles on Broadway, including Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Zorba, and Bajour. He also appeared in many television programs, including Harbor Command and The Eleventh Hour (both with Wendell Corey) and State Trooper with Rod Cameron. His career as a performer was affected by his being blacklisted for alleged involvement in the Communist Party in the 1950s. From 1958 to 1961, Bernardi co-starred with Craig Stevens in Blake Edwards's television series Peter Gunn. He received his sole Emmy nomination, for Best Supporting Actor (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series - 1959, for his portrayal of somber police Lieutenant Jacoby. In 1961, Bernardi guest-starred in a Bonanza episode ("The Smiler") as Clarence Bolling, the vengeful brother of a murdered man. • Illustration — Bernardi and Angel Tompkins in Arnie, in 1970 In 1963, he was cast as Mr. Otis, a teacher who mostly ignores his students, in the episode "I Don't Even Live Here" of the NBC education drama series Mr. Novak starring James Franciscus. Bernardi starred in the CBS sitcom Arnie (1970-1972). He starred for two years as someone plucked from the loading dock of a flange company to become an executive. He was nominated for Golden Globe Awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy in 1971 and 1972. He voiced Woodhead the rocking horse in Filmation's Journey Back to Oz. He also provided the Cowardly Lion's singing voice while Milton Berle provided the character's speaking voice. He also appeared as Joe Vitelli in the 1977 TV miniseries Seventh Avenue. In Hail to the Chief (1985), a comedy on ABC, Bernardi played Helmut Luger. Bernardi was in several notable films, including Murder by Contract (1958); A Cold Wind in August (1961); The George Raft Story (1961); Irma La Douce (1963); Love with the Proper Stranger (1963); No Deposit, No Return (1976); and The Front (1976), a film about blacklisting in the entertainment industry. Bernardi was the victim of blacklisting during the 1950s, as were several other performers and the screenwriter and director on that film. Bernardi also narrated and emceed The Golden Age of Second Avenue, a 1969 film documentary about the Yiddish theatre movement on New York's Lower East Side of the early-to-mid 20th century (where Bernardi had launched his acting career). • Illustration — Tom Pedi, Allan Melvin and Bernardi as Arnie Nuvo in Arnie, in 1971 Bernardi was a noted voiceover artist and narrator, contributing to hundreds of films, commercials and cartoons, including as the original voice of StarKist Tuna animated character "Charlie the Tuna" and original voice of the Jolly Green Giant. He was also the narrator of a long-running Tootsie Pop commercial, saying, "How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? The world may never know." Herschel Bernardi also had two minor record hits, 1967's "If I Were a Rich Man", reflecting his success as Tevye, and 1971's "Pencil Marks on the Wall". In 1961, the Vanguard Recording Society issued "Chocolate Covered Matzohs", recorded 'live' in front of an audience at the Valley Cities Jewish Community Center of Los Angeles, California, which was a collection of sentimental and wryly humorous tales in Yiddish and English of Jewish immigration into the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century and also featured some songs. His album, Fiddler On the Roof peaked at No. 138 on the Billboard Top LPs, during a five-week run on the chart.

Bernardi died in his sleep of a heart attack in Los Angeles on May 9, 1986, at age 62. The New York Times chose his role in the first run of Fiddler on the Roof as his iconic performance: "Husky and bearded, Mr. Bernardi was a versatile actor with many roles to his credit. But it was as Tevye, the poor milkman in the hamlet of Anatevka, that audiences remembered him most fondly." "The character had been created on Broadway by Zero Mostel, who was followed on the boards by Luther Adler. As Tevye No. 3, Mr. Bernardi played the role 702 times on Broadway over three years, starting in November 1965."

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1956–1958 — NBC Matinee Theatre — Borachio / M. Plevian — 4 episodes • 1957 — Studio 57 — Episode: "A Little Care" • 1958 — The Walter Winchell File — Episode: "Terror" • 1958 — Suspicion — Father Salvadore — Episode: "Comfort for the Grave" • 1958 — Harbor Command — Turk Savage — Episode: "Four to Die" • 1958 — Mike Hammer — Joe Sale — Episode: "A Shot in the Arm" • 1958 — The Court of Last Resort — Frank Kerlo — Episode: "The Allen Cutler Case" • 1958 — State Trooper — Jake Carney — Episode: "312 Vertical" • 1958 — Zorro — Manuel Hernandez — Episode: "The Sergeant Regrets" • 1958 — Schlitz Playhouse of Stars — Eddie — Episode: "You'll Have to Die Now" • 1958 — M Squad — Vic Gordon — Episode: "The Executioner" • 1958–1961 — Peter Gunn — Lieutenant Jacoby — 102 episodes • 1961 — Bonanza — Clarence Bolling — Episode: "The Smiler" • 1961 — Cain's Hundred — Louis Strode — Episode: "The Penitent: Louis Strode" • 1961 — Top Cat — Muggsy (voice) — Episode: "The Unscratchables" • 1961–1962 — Dr. Kildare — Nathan Agurski / Pico — 2 episodes • 1962 — Checkmate — Ned Hazly — Episode: "The Renaissance of Gussie Hill" • 1962 — The Detectives — Arizon — Episode: "The Con Man" • 1962 — The Flintstones — Agent / Detective / Doctor #1 / Silky (voice) — 4 episodes • 1962 — Sam Benedict — Insp. Tony Delgano — Episode: "Twenty Aching Years" • 1962 — Naked City — Gus Slate / Stanley Dorkner — 2 episodes • 1962 — The Untouchables — Benno Fisk / Julius Albert Vernon — 2 episodes • 1962–1963 — The Dick Powell Theatre — Christopher Burton / Major Abrams — 2 episodes • 1962–1964 — Route 66 — Gerald Ward / Dr. Arthur Reisman — 2 episodes • 1962–1964 — Insight — Host — 2 episodes • 1963 — Car 54, Where Are You? — Governor's Aide — Episode: "The Biggest Day of the Year"; uncredited • 1963 — Mr. Novak — Mr. Otis — Episode: "I Don't Even Live Here" • 1963 — The Eleventh Hour — Bernie Miller / Harry Cizon — 2 episodes • 1964 — Grindl — Joe Bostick — Episode: "The Lucky Piece" • 1964 — Burke's Law — Kid McCoy — Episode: "Who Killed Marty Kelso?" • 1964 — Kraft Suspense Theatre — Joe Monti — Episode: "Their Own Executioners" • 1964 — The Defenders — George Conn / Myron Bellmore — 2 episodes • 1964 — Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre — McCarthy — Episode: "The Sojourner" • 1964 — Vacation Playhouse — Jerome P. Baggley — Episode: "Hooray for Hollywood" • 1965 — Profiles in Courage — Gen. Daniel Sickles — Episode: "Edmund G. Ross" • 1965 — The Doctors and the Nurses — Carl Garson — Episode: "The Witnesses" • 1965 — The Trials of O'Brien — Grommet — Episode: "Bargain Day on the Street of Regret" • 1965 — The Fugitive — Captain Ames — 2 episodes • 1965 — Seaway — Captain Petroff — Episode: "Abraham's Hand" • 1966 — The Mighty Heroes — Strong Man / Diaper Man / Tornado Man (voice) — 2 episodes • 1968 — The Red Skelton Hour — Muggsy — Episode: "Love Is an Itch You Can't Scratch" • 1968 — A Hatful of Rain — John Pope, Sr. — TV movie • 1970 — But I Don't Want to Get Married! — Walter Benjamin — TV movie • 1970–1972 — Arnie — Arnie Nuvo — Main cast; 48 episodes • 1971 — Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In — Guest Performer — 2 episodes; uncredited • 1972 — No Place to Run — Hyam Malsh — TV movie • 1972 — Sandcastles — Alexis — TV movie • 1974 — Judgement: The Trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenburg — TV movie • 1974 — The Story of Jacob and Joseph — Laban — TV movie • 1975 — Lucas Tanner — Bert Nevins — Episode: "Those Who Cannot, Teach" • 1976 — Good Heavens — Morris Kropotkin — Episode: "The Queen's Rook Club" • 1976 — Newman's Drugstore — Charles Newman — TV movie • 1977 — Seventh Avenue — Joe Vitelli — 3 episodes • 1978 — Actor — Nahum Favel Weissenfreund — TV movie • 1979 — $weepstake$ — Episode: "Episode #1.5" • 1981 — The Million Dollar Face — Nick Ravenna — TV movie • 1985 — Murder, She Wrote — Det. Lt. Avery Mendelsohn — Episode: "Capitol Offense" • 1985 — Hail to the Chief — Helmut Luger — Episode: "Pilot" • 1985 — The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible — Goliath (voice) — Episode: "David and Goliath" • 1986 — Highway to Heaven — Everett Soloman — Episode: "The Torch" • 1986 — The Magical World of Disney — Bogosian — Episode: "I-Man" • 1986 — Taking It Home — Papa Joe Morelli — TV movie

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1969 — Tootsie Pop: How Many Licks — Announcer (voice)

Herschel Bernardi is recorded as actor and musician.