David Opatoshu
Encyclopedia
David Opatoshu was an American film, stage and television actor. He was born as David Opatovsky in New York City, where he was reared and educated. His father was the Yiddish
writer, Joseph Opatoshu
.
in the NBC
situation comedy
Bonino
. Other costars were Mary Wickes
, Chet Allen
, and Van Dyke Parks
. The series focused upon an Italian American
opera singer trying to rear his six children after having been widowed.
He played Anan 7 in the original Star Trek
series episode "A Taste of Armageddon", and also co-starred with James Doohan
in an episode of The Twilight Zone
, entitled "Valley of the Shadow
". He guest-starred in the 1964 The Outer Limits
episode "A Feasibility Study", also in the 1969 season 3 Ironside
episode "L'Chayim", and in the 1981 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
episode "Time of the Hawk". On October 30, 1989, Mr. Opatashu guest-starred as the Tenctonese ex-slave 'Paul Revere', in the episode "Night of the Screams", of the television series Alien Nation. In 1991 he won an Emmy for his guest appearance in the episode "A Prayer for the Goldsteins" of the ABC
series Gabriel's Fire
.
. Opatoshu gave memorable performances as the savvy homicide detective, Sgt. Ben Miller, in the definitive film noir, The Naked City
(1948), produced by Mark Hellinger, and as the Irgun
terrorist leader (and Ari Ben Canaan's estranged uncle) in Otto Preminger
's 1960 film Exodus
.
in 1962, and others.
.
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
writer, Joseph Opatoshu
Joseph Opatoshu
]Joseph Opatoshu , was a Polish-born Yiddish novelist and short story writer.-Biography:Opatoshu was born in 1886 as Yosef Meir Opatowski to a Hasidic family, in Mława, Poland, Russian Empire....
.
Television
His career in television began in 1952 and lasted through the 1980s. In the fall of 1953, he played a theatric agent to Ezio PinzaEzio Pinza
Ezio Pinza was an Italian basso opera singer with a rich, smooth and sonorous voice. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 performances of 50 operas...
in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Bonino
Bonino (TV series)
Bonino is an ethnic situation comedy television series starring Ezio Pinza as an Italian-American opera singer trying to rear his six children after the death of their mother. The program aired on NBC from September 12 to December 26, 1953....
. Other costars were Mary Wickes
Mary Wickes
Mary Wickes was an American film and television actress.-Career:Wickes was born as Mary Isabelle Wickenhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, of German Irish Protestant extraction. She graduated at the age of eighteen with a degree in political science from Washington University in St. Louis, where she...
, Chet Allen
Chet Allen
Chet Allen was an American child actor of the 1950s known for his role as Amahl in Gian Carlo Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors, the first opera written for television, which he made with the NBC Opera Theatre....
, and Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks is an American composer, arranger, producer, musician, singer, author and actor. Parks is perhaps best known for his contributions as a lyricist on the Beach Boys album Smile....
. The series focused upon an Italian American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
opera singer trying to rear his six children after having been widowed.
He played Anan 7 in the original Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
series episode "A Taste of Armageddon", and also co-starred with James Doohan
James Doohan
James Montgomery "Jimmy" Doohan was a Canadian character and voice actor best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series Star Trek...
in an episode of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
, entitled "Valley of the Shadow
Valley of the Shadow
"Valley of the Shadow" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Opening narration:-Synopsis:A reporter named Philip Redfield finds himself unable to leave a small town when he learns too much about a secret mechanical device which can control and rearrange...
". He guest-starred in the 1964 The Outer Limits
The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)
The Outer Limits is an American television series that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1965. The series is similar in style to the earlier The Twilight Zone, but with a greater emphasis on science fiction, rather than fantasy stories...
episode "A Feasibility Study", also in the 1969 season 3 Ironside
Ironside
-Entertainment and literature:*Ironside , an American television series starring Raymond Burr*Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale, an urban fantasy novel by Holly Black-People:...
episode "L'Chayim", and in the 1981 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....
episode "Time of the Hawk". On October 30, 1989, Mr. Opatashu guest-starred as the Tenctonese ex-slave 'Paul Revere', in the episode "Night of the Screams", of the television series Alien Nation. In 1991 he won an Emmy for his guest appearance in the episode "A Prayer for the Goldsteins" of the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series Gabriel's Fire
Gabriel's Fire
Gabriel's Fire is an American television series that ran on ABC in the USA in 1990–1991. A revamped version of the series, entitled Pros and Cons, aired briefly the following season.-Overview:...
.
Films
His first film, The Light Ahead (1939), directed by Henry Felt and Edgar G. Ulmer, is notable for being entirely in YiddishYiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
. Opatoshu gave memorable performances as the savvy homicide detective, Sgt. Ben Miller, in the definitive film noir, The Naked City
The Naked City
The Naked City is a 1948 black-and-white film noir directed by Jules Dassin. The movie, shot partially in documentary style, was filmed on location on the streets of New York City, featuring landmarks such as the Williamsburg Bridge the Whitehall Building and an apartment building on West 83rd...
(1948), produced by Mark Hellinger, and as the Irgun
Irgun
The Irgun , or Irgun Zevai Leumi to give it its full title , was a Zionist paramilitary group that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization haHaganah...
terrorist leader (and Ari Ben Canaan's estranged uncle) in Otto Preminger
Otto Preminger
Otto Ludwig Preminger was an Austro–Hungarian-American theatre and film director.After moving from the theatre to Hollywood, he directed over 35 feature films in a five-decade career. He rose to prominence for stylish film noir mysteries such as Laura and Fallen Angel...
's 1960 film Exodus
Exodus (film)
Exodus is a 1960 epic war film made by Alpha and Carlyle Productions and distributed by United Artists. Produced and directed by Otto Preminger, the film was based on the 1958 novel Exodus, by Leon Uris. The screenplay was written by Dalton Trumbo, which represented the breaking of the Hollywood...
.
Stage
He appeared on Broadway in The Wall in 1960, and Bravo GiovanniBravo Giovanni
Bravo Giovanni is a musical with a book by A. J. Russell, lyrics by Ronny Graham, and music by Milton Schafer. It is based upon the novel, "The Crime of Giovanni Venturi", by Howard Shaw ....
in 1962, and others.
Screenwriter
David Opatoshu also wrote the screenplay for the film Romance of a Horsethief (1971), based on a novel by his father, Joseph OpatoshuJoseph Opatoshu
]Joseph Opatoshu , was a Polish-born Yiddish novelist and short story writer.-Biography:Opatoshu was born in 1886 as Yosef Meir Opatowski to a Hasidic family, in Mława, Poland, Russian Empire....
.