Herschel Bernardi
(1923 - 1986)
Herschel Bernardi was an American film, Broadway and television actor.
He is best known for his starring roles on Broadway including Fiddler on the Roof, (as Tevye) Zorba and Bajour, but he also acted in many television shows, and played a leading role in both Peter Gunn and Arnie.
Born into the Yiddish Theatre, Bernardi was appearing on the stages of 2nd Avenue with his acting family before he could talk.
In the 1930s, Bernardi appeared in the Yiddish films of Edgar G. Ulmer and was later became on of the actors to switch from Yiddish to English-speaking roles in American cinema.
During the McCarthy era, Bernardi became one of the many Jewish actors to be blacklisted.
Bernardi was seen in several notable films, including Irma La Douce, Love with the Proper Stranger and the 1976 film The Front, a film about blacklisting in the entertainment industry.
Bernardi was a noted voiceover artist and narrator with hundreds of films, commercials and cartoons to his credit and was the original voice of StarKist Tuna animated character, Charlie the Tuna.
During his acting career, Bernardi was nominated for one Emmy and two Golden Globe awards.