Nehemiah Persoff, a character actor whose gravelly voice and knack for conveying an air of menace magnified his portrayals of a bevy of sinister types, died April 5 in San Luis Obispo, CA. he was 102.

For decades, Mr. Persoff was one of the most recognizable faces on television, seen on hundreds of shows, including “Gunsmoke,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Route 66,” “Mission Impossible,” “The Twilight Zone” and “Columbo.” Later he had roles on “Law & Order” and “Chicago Hope.”

On film, Mr. Persoff appeared in “Yentl,” “Voyage of the Damned,” “An American Tail,” “Al Capone,” and “Some Like It Hot.”

He also appeared in live theater, and in 1975 was awarded the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his supporting role in “The Dybbuk” at the Mark Taper Forum. Other stage shows included “I’m Not Rappaport,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” and a one-man show about Sholem Aleichem.