This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Herschel Bernardi" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(October 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Herschel Bernardi
Bernardi in 1970
Born	(1923-10-30)October 30, 1923 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	May 9, 1986(1986-05-09) (aged 62) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actor, singer
Years active	1937–1986
Spouse	Teri Bernardi (19??–1986; his death)[1]
Children	4

Herschel Bernardi (October 30, 1923^[2] - May 9, 1986) was an American actor and singer.^[3] He is best known for hissupporting role in the television detective seriesPeter Gunn (1958–1961) for which he was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Award and hisstarring role in the comedy television seriesArnie (1970–1972) which earned him two consecutiveGolden Globe Award nominations.

On stage, Bernardi appeared in manyBroadway musicals. He was nominated for twoTony Awards for his performances in the original production ofZorba and the 1981 revival ofFiddler on the Roof.

Bernardi is known for his starring roles on Broadway, including Tevye inFiddler on the Roof,Zorba, andBajour. He also appeared in many television programs, includingHarbor Command andThe Eleventh Hour (both withWendell Corey) andState Trooper withRod Cameron.^[4]

His career as a performer was affected by his beingblacklisted for alleged involvement in the Communist Party in the 1950s.^{[citation needed]}

From 1958 to 1961, Bernardi co-starred withCraig Stevens inBlake Edwards's television seriesPeter Gunn.^[5]: 827 He received his soleEmmy nomination, for Best Supporting Actor (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series - 1959,^[6] for his portrayal of somber police Lieutenant Jacoby.

In 1961, Bernardi guest-starred in aBonanza episode ("The Smiler") as Clarence Bolling, the vengeful brother of a murdered man.

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 theNBC education drama seriesMr. Novak starringJames Franciscus.

Bernardi starred in theCBS sitcomArnie (1970-1972).^[5] 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.^[7]

He voiced Woodhead the rocking horse inFilmation'sJourney Back to Oz. He also provided theCowardly Lion's singing voice whileMilton Berle provided the character's speaking voice. He also appeared as Joe Vitelli in the 1977 TV miniseriesSeventh Avenue.

InHail to the Chief (1985), a comedy on ABC, Bernardi played Helmut Luger.^[5]: 425

Bernardi was in several notable films, includingMurder 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); andThe Front (1976), a film aboutblacklisting in the entertainment industry. Bernardi was the victim of blacklisting during the 1950s, as were several other performers and thescreenwriter anddirector on that film. Bernardi also narrated and emceedThe Golden Age of Second Avenue, a 1969 film documentary about theYiddish theatre movement on New York's Lower East Side of the early-to-mid 20th century (where Bernardi had launched his acting career).

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" as well as the original voice of theJolly Green Giant and was also the narrator of a long-runningTootsie Pop commercial, saying, "How many licks does it take to get to theTootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? The world may never know."^[8]

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 theBillboard Top LPs, during a five-week run on the chart.^[9]

Bernardi died in his sleep of a heart attack inLos Angeles on May 9, 1986, at age 62.^[10][4]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toHerschel Bernardi.

• Herschel Bernardi atFind a Grave
• Herschel Bernardi atIMDb
• Herschel Bernardi at theInternet Broadway Database
• Herschel Bernardi at theInternet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
• Herschel Bernardi atPlaybill Vault
• Herschel Bernardi at theTCM Movie Database
• Discography at SonyBMG Masterworks

• 1923 births
• 1986 deaths
• American male film actors
• American male musical theatre actors
• American male television actors
• American male voice actors
• Jewish American male actors
• American male stage actors
• Yiddish theatre performers
• Male actors from Los Angeles
• 20th-century American male actors
• 20th-century American singers
• 20th-century American male singers
• 20th-century American Jews

• All articles with dead external links
• Articles with dead external links from October 2023
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles needing additional references from October 2011
• All articles needing additional references
• Use American English from March 2022
• All Wikipedia articles written in American English
• Use mdy dates from March 2022
• Articles with hCards
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from August 2023
• Commons category link from Wikidata
• Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata
• Internet Off-Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata
• Playbill person ID same as Wikidata
• TCMDb name template using non-numeric ID from Wikidata