Herschel Bernardi was born in New York in 1923 to parents who were Yiddish stage actors: his father Berl and his mother Helen. His sister Fanny and brother Jack also acted in the Yiddish theatre, and Jack also wrote a fine biography about his family entitled, "My Father the Actor," which is recommended reading.
Herschel began his acting career as a child on the Yiddish stage around 1932, then he acted in two Yiddish films as a fourteen and fifteen-year-old.
He played in two Yiddish films. In 1937 he starred in "Green Fields," and the following year he played Moyshe Oysher's younger self in "The Singing Blacksmith."
This was just the start of Herschel's acting career, as it extended for many years in a variety of ways: not only to the American theatre, but to English-language films and television as well. He even became a narrator and did voice-overs in commercials that we might very well remember.
"Fiddler on the Roof" was Herschel's first Broadway play. He was a replacement in the role of "Tevye" in the mid- to late-1960s.
Herschel appeared in six Broadway plays. He was nominated for two Tony Awards for his performances in the original production of "Zorba," and for starring as "Tevye" in the 1981 revival of "Fiddler on the Roof," which he played for three previews and fifty-three performances at the New York State Theatre.
Herschel was also in several notable films, including "The George Raft Story," "Irma La Douce," "Love with the Proper Stranger" and "The Front" in 1976, which is a film about blacklisting in the entertainment industry. Herschel himself was the victim of blacklisting during the 1950s, as were several other performers, such as Zero Mostel and Luther Adler, both of whom also played the character of "Tevye" in "Fiddler on the Roof."
Herschel is best known for his supporting role in the television detective series "Peter Gunn," in which he appeared from 1958 to 1961. He was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and for his starring role in the comedy television series "Arnie," in the early 1970s, which earned him two consecutive Golden Globe Award nominations.
Herschel was also a noted voiceover artist and narrator of hundreds of films, commercials and cartoons to his credit and was the original voice of the StarKist Tuna animated character "Charlie the Tuna," as well as the original voice of the "Jolly Green Giant."
As you can see, Herschel Bernardi had a very interesting and varied career!
