Abraham Isaac Sofaer (1 October 1896 – 21 January 1988) was a Burmese-born British actor who began his career on stage and became a familiar supporting player in film and on television in his later years.

Life and career

Sofaer was born in

Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

, Burma — then a part of the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. The son of a very successful merchant, Isaac Sofaer (who established the Sofaer Building, Rangoon, which still stands today), he was educated locally at the Diocesan Boys' High School. His education continued in England, and he initially worked as a school teacher in Rangoon and later in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

."A. Sofaer, 91; Veteran Film, Stage Actor"
obituary, ''Los Angeles Times'', January 22, 1988. Retrieved May 2, 2018. He began his acting career on the London stage in 1921, but soon he was alternating between theatre productions in London and New York. He appeared in the 1933 musical '' He Wanted Adventure'' alongside Bobby Howes. In 1935, he gained widespread attention on Broadway portraying Prime Minister

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...

in '' Victoria Regina''. During the 1930s he also began appearing in both British and American films. Among his more prominent performances were his dual role as the Judge and Surgeon in

Powell and Pressburger The British film-making partnership of Michael Powell (1905–1990) and Emeric Pressburger (1902–1988)—together often known as The Archers, the name of their production company—made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s. T ...

's '' A Matter of Life and Death'' (1946) and as

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

in '' Quo Vadis'' (1951). He also appeared on television from its earliest days in the late 1930s and on radio, including a small part in

Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy Leigh Sayers ( ; 13 June 1893 – 17 December 1957) was an English crime novelist, playwright, translator and critic. Born in Oxford, Sayers was brought up in rural East Anglia and educated at Godolphin School in Salisbury and Somerv ...

' '' The Man Born to Be King''. Although his film appearances diminished after the 1950s, he continued to have guest roles on dozens of major U.S. television series throughout the 1960s. He made three appearances on '' Perry Mason'' including as Dr. Maitland in “The Case of the Deadly Double” (1958), Sylvester Robey in the 1960 episode "The Case of the Crying Cherub", and defendant Elihu Laban in the 1963 episode "The Case of the Two-Face Turnabout" and his voice was featured in two episodes of ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

''. Other guest appearances were in ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'', '' The Investigators'', ''

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...

'', ''

The Time Tunnel ''The Time Tunnel'' is an American color science-fiction television series written around a theme of time travel adventure; it starred James Darren and Robert Colbert. The show was creator-producer Irwin Allen's third science-fiction televisi ...

'', ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. Lightly dramatic, sometimes comedic in tone, the series was inspired by the 1812 J ...

'', and '' The Outer Limits''. He may be best remembered for his recurring role as Haji, the master of all

genie GEnie (General Electric Network for Information Exchange) was an online service provider, online service created by a General Electric business, GEIS (now GXS Inc., GXS), that ran from 1985 through the end of 1999. In 1994, GEnie claimed around ...

s, on ''

I Dream of Jeannie ''I Dream of Jeannie'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy sitcom television series created by Sidney Sheldon and starring Barbara Eden as a beautiful but guileless 2,000-year-old Jinn, genie and Larry Hagman as an astronaut with whom s ...

'' and as The Swami who advises

Peter Tork Peter Halsten Thorkelson (February 13, 1942 – February 21, 2019), better known by his stage name Peter Tork, was an American musician and actor. He was best known as the bass guitarist and keyboardist of the Monkees and co-star of the NBC ...

in the "Sauna" scene in

The Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...

' 1968 film ''

Head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

''.

Death

Sofaer died at the

Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital In physics, motion is when an object changes its position with respect to a reference point in a given time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed, and frame of reference to an observ ...

in Woodland Hills,

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, as the result of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

in 1988, aged 91.

Complete filmography

* '' Dreyfus'' (1931) - Dubois * '' The House Opposite'' (1932) - Fahmy * '' Stamboul'' (1932) - Mahmed Pasha * '' The Flying Squad'' (1932) - Li Yoseph * ''

Insult An insult is an expression, statement, or behavior that is often deliberately disrespectful, offensive, scornful, or derogatory towards an individual or a group. Insults can be intentional or unintentional, and they often aim to belittle, of ...

'' (1932) - Ali Ben Achmed * '' The Flag Lieutenant'' (1933) - Meheti Salos * ''Long Live the King'' (1933, Short) - Alexis * ''

Karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

'' (1933) - Holy Man * ''

The Wandering Jew The Wandering Jew (occasionally referred to as the Eternal Jew, a calque from German ) is a mythical Immortality, immortal man whose legend began to spread in Europe in the 13th century. In the original legend, a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way ...

'' (1933) - Zapportas * '' Trouble'' (1933) - Ali * '' Little Miss Nobody'' (1933) - Mr. Beal * '' High Finance'' (1933) - Myers * '' Ask Beccles'' (1933) - Baki * '' Oh No Doctor!'' (1934) - Skelton * '' Nell Gwynn'' (1934) (uncredited) * ''

The Admiral's Secret ''The Admiral's Secret'' is a 1934 British comedy film directed by Guy Newall and starring Edmund Gwenn, James Raglan and Dorothy Black (actress), Dorothy Black. It was based on a play by Cyril Campion and filmed at Twickenham Studios. The film' ...

'' (1934) - Don Pablo y Gonzales * ''

The Private Life of Don Juan ''The Private Life of Don Juan'' is a 1934 British comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Douglas Fairbanks, Merle Oberon and Benita Hume. At the age of 51, it was the final role of Fairbanks, who died five years later. Th ...

'' (1934) - Street Bookseller (uncredited) * ''

Things to Come ''Things to Come'' is a 1936 British science fiction film produced by Alexander Korda, directed by William Cameron Menzies, and written by H. G. Wells. It is a loose adaptation of Wells' book '' The Shape of Things to Come''. The film stars Ra ...

'' (1936) - Wadsky (uncredited) * '' The House of the Spaniard'' (1936) - Vidal * ''

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

'' (1936) - Dr. Menasseh * ''The Switchback'' (1939, TV Movie) * ''Caesar's Friend'' (1939, TV Movie) -

Annas Annas (also Ananus or Ananias;Goodman, Martin, "Rome & Jerusalem", Penguin Books, p.12 (2007) , ; , ; 23/22 BC – death date unknown, probably around AD 40) was appointed by the Roman legate Quirinius as the first High Priest of the newly form ...

* ''The Deacon and the Jewess'' (1939, TV Movie) - Benedict the Pointer, Jew of Oxford * ''The Great Adventure'' (1939, TV Movie) - Ebag * '' Freedom Radio'' (1941) - Heini * '' The Prime Minister'' (1941) - Turkish ambassador (uncredited) * '' Crook's Tour'' (1941) - Ali * ''The Queen of Spades'' (1946, TV Movie) - Tchekalinsky * ''The Man with the Cloak Full of Holes'' (1946, TV Movie) - Luis de Santángel * '' A Matter of Life and Death'' (1946) - The Judge * ''Caesar's Friend'' (1947, TV Movie) - Joseph Caiaphas * ''The Merchant of Venice'' (1947, TV Movie, aired on two days) -

Shylock Shylock () is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play '' The Merchant of Venice'' ( 1600). A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal villain. His defeat and forced conversion to Christianity form the climax ...

* '' Dual Alibi'' (1947) - French Judge * ''Trilby'' (1947, TV Movie) -

Svengali Svengali () is a character in the novel ''Trilby'' which was first published in 1894 by George du Maurier. Svengali is a Jewish man who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young half-Irish girl, and makes her into a famous singer. Defini ...

* '' The Ghosts of Berkeley Square'' (1947) -

* ''Dim'at Ha'Nehamah Ha'Gedolah'' (1947) - Corporal / Commentator: Jordan's Tale * '' Calling Paul Temple'' (1948) - Dr. Kohima * ''Tilly of Bloomsbury'' (1948, TV Movie) - Mehta Ram * ''Counsellor at Law'' (1949, TV Movie) - George Simon * ''A Man's House'' (1949, TV Movie) - Salathiel * ''The Gentle People'' (1949, TV Movie) - Jonah Goodman * ''

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

'' (1949) - Luis de Santángel * ''The Squeaker'' (1949, TV Movie) - Lew Friedman * ''Dick Whittington'' (1949, TV Movie) - Sultan * '' Cairo Road'' (1950) - Commandant * '' Pandora and the Flying Dutchman'' (1951) - Judge * '' Quo Vadis'' (1951) -

Paul the Apostle Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...

* '' Judgment Deferred'' (1952) - Chancellor * ''Music at Night'' (1952, TV Movie) - Nicholas Lengel * '' His Majesty O'Keefe'' (1954) - Fatumak, Medicine Man * ''

The Naked Jungle ''The Naked Jungle'' is a 1954 American adventure film directed by Byron Haskin, and starring Charlton Heston and Eleanor Parker. Telling the story of an attack of army ants on a Brazilian cocoa plantation, it was based on the 1937 short st ...

'' (1954) - Incacha * '' Elephant Walk'' (1954) - Appuhamy * '' Out of the Clouds'' (1955) - The Indian * '' Bhowani Junction'' (1956) - Surabhai * '' The First Texan'' (1956) - Don Carlos * ''

Omar Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīshābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131) (Persian language, Persian: غیاث الدین ابوالفتح عمر بن ابراهیم خیام نیشابورﻯ), commonly known as Omar ...

'' (1957) - Tutush * '' The Story of Mankind'' (1957) - Indian Chief * ''

The Sad Sack ''The Sad Sack'' is a 1957 American comedy film based on the Harvey Comics character of the same title, created by George Baker. The film stars Jerry Lewis and Peter Lorre and was released by Paramount Pictures. Plot Private Meredith Bixby ...

'' (1957) - Hassim * ''

Song Without End ''Song Without End'', subtitled ''The Story of Franz Liszt'', is a 1960 biographical film romance about Franz Liszt made by Columbia Pictures. It was directed by Charles Vidor, who died during the shooting of the film and was replaced by George ...

'' (1960) - Emissary in Rome (uncredited) * ''

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

'' (1962) - Morris Kaplan * ''

Taras Bulba ''Taras Bulba'' (; ) is a romanticized historical novella set in the first half of the 17th century, written by Nikolai Gogol (1809–1852). It features elderly Zaporozhian Cossack Taras Bulba and his sons Andriy and Ostap. The sons study at th ...

'' (1962) - Abbot * '' Captain Sindbad'' (1963) - Galgo * '' Twice-Told Tales'' (1963) - Professor Pietro Baglioni * '' 4 for Texas'' (1963) - Pulaski * ''

The Greatest Story Ever Told ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' is a 1965 American epic film, epic List of religious films, religious film that retells the Biblical account of Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity of Jesus, Nativity through to the Ascension of J ...

'' (1965) - Joseph of Arimathaea * '' Journey to the Center of Time'' (1967) - Dr. 'Doc' Gordon * ''

'' (1968) - Swami * '' Che!'' (1969) - Pablo Rojas * '' Justine'' (1969) - Proprietor * '' Chisum'' (1970) - Chief White Buffalo

Selected television appearances

* '' Perry Mason (TV series)'' (1958) (Season 1 Episode 24: "The Case of the Deadly Double") — Dr. Maitland * ''

'' (1958) (Season 2 Episode 7: "The Bije Wilcox Story") — Bull Man * '' Zane Grey Theatre'' (1959) (Season 4 Episode 7: "Mission") —

Comanche The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...

Chief Alou * ''

The Real McCoys ''The Real McCoys'' is an American sitcom starring Walter Brennan, Richard Crenna, and Kathleen Nolan. Co-produced by Danny Thomas's Marterto Productions in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus's Westgate Company, it was br ...

'' (1959) (Season 2 Episode 21: "The Rainmaker") —

Arapaho The Arapaho ( ; , ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho bands formed t ...

Chief * ''

'' (1959) (Season 3 Episode 1: "The Stagecoach Story") — Antonio DeVargo * ''

'' (1960) (Season 5 Episode 24: "Kitty's Killing") — Jeremiah Leech * ''

'' (1960) (Season 1 Episode 35: " The Mighty Casey") — Dr. Stillman * '' Perry Mason (TV series)'' (1960) (Season 3 Episode 29: "The Case of the Crying Cherub") — Sylvester Robey * '' Thriller'' (1960) (Season 1 Episode 10: "The Prediction") — Gus Kostopulos * ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (1961) (Season 6 Episode 14: "The Changing Heart") — Ulrich Klemm * ''

Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American detective fiction, private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens (actor), Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, lounge singer Edie Hart. The series was broadcast by NBC from Sept ...

'' (1961) (Season 3 Episode 26: "A Penny Saved") — Boris Petrov * '' Thriller'' (1961) (Season 2 Episode 4: "The Weird Tailor") — Nicolai * ''

Rawhide Rawhide may refer to: *Rawhide (material), a hide or animal skin that has not been tanned * Whip made from rawhide Entertainment * ''Rawhide'' (1926 film), a Western directed by Richard Thorpe * ''Rawhide'' (1938 film), a Western starring baseball ...

'' (1961) (Season 4 Episode 5: "The Lost Tribe") — Little Hawk * ''

'' (1962) (Season 7 Episode 15: "The Do-Badder") — Harvey Easter * ''

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 a ...

'' (1962) (Season 1 Episode 2: "Don't Look Behind You") — Dr. MacFarlane * '' Perry Mason (TV series)'' (1963) (Season 6 Episode 18: "The Case of the Two-Faced Turn-a-Bout") — Elihu Laban * ''

'' (1964) (Season 2 Episode 14: "Beyond the Sea of Death") — Dr. R.D. Shankara * '' Outer Limits'' (1964) (Season 2 Episode 5: "Demon with a Glass Hand") — Arch * '' Star Trek: The Original Series'' (1966) (Season 1 Episode 2: "Charlie X") — The Thasian * ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' (1965) (Season 1 Episode 23: "The Brain-Killer Affair") — Mr. Gabhail Samoy, head of U.N.C.L.E. operations in Kolkata, Calcutta * ''

'' (1966) (Season 1 Episode 7: "Revenge of the Gods") — Epeios * ''

'' (1967) (Season 1 Episode 20: "The Walls of Jericho") — Father * ''The Rat Patrol'' (1967) (Season 1 Episode 23: "The Holy War Raid") — Holy Man * ''

'' (1967) (Season 2 Episode 27: "There Goes the Bride") — Haji * ''

'' (1967) (Season 2 Episode 29: "The Birds and the Bees Bit") — Haji * ''

'' (1968) (Season 3 Episode 22: "Divorce, Genie Style") — Haji * '' Star Trek: The Original Series'' (1968) (Season 3 Episode 6: "Spectre of the Gun") — Melkotian (voice) * ''

'' (1968) (Season 3 Episode 22: "The Flaming Planet") — Sobram * ''Kolchak: The Night Stalker'' (1974) (Season 1 Episode 11: "Horror in the Heights") — Ali Lakshmi (final appearance)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sofaer, Abraham 1896 births 1988 deaths 20th-century Burmese male actors Burmese emigrants to the United States Burmese Jews Burmese male film actors Burmese male stage actors Burmese people of Iraqi-Jewish descent Male actors from Yangon British people of Iraqi-Jewish descent British male film actors British male stage actors British expatriate male actors in the United States 20th-century British male actors Burmese emigrants to the United Kingdom Jewish British male actors British people of Indian-Jewish descent Baghdadi Jews English emigrants to the United States