- Delivered the evening news in Yiddish on New York radio during the war years on WEVD.
- Served in the U.S. Air Force in the South Pacific during World War II.
- Received his start in the New York Yiddish theater. His first film, The Light Ahead (1939), was all-Yiddish.
- His dark, balding, slightly swarthy features made him a versatile character player, either the perfect ethnic villain in crimers or the epitome of saintliness in bible stories. He was often utilized playing wise, often beleaguered Jewish pops.
- He pronounced his last name as "Oh-puh-tosh-you".
- Son of Joseph Opatoshu, a prominent Yiddish novelist and short-story writer.
- Made his Broadway debut with the Group Theater in 1938, appearing in 'Golden Boy' and 'Night Music' by Clifford Odets.
- Won an Emmy for Best Performance in a Dramatic Series for A Prayer for the Goldsteins (1991).
- Father-in-law of Anne Spielberg.
- Father of Danny Opatoshu
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