Abraham Sofaer

Born on October 1, 1896, in Rangoon, Burma, to Burmese-Jewish parents, and the son of a well-to-do merchant, distinguished veteran character actor Abraham Isaac Sofaer was a one-time schoolteacher in both Rangoon and London.

He switched gears to acting after a short time and made his stage debut in 1921 as a walk-on in William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice.

"Sofaer scored his first prominent London appearance with "The Green Goddess" in 1925 and, from the 1930s on, alternated between the London and Broadway repertory stages playing an assortment of Shakespearean roles (Othello, Lear, Cassius, etc. ) among other classical plays.

A theatre repertory player of note, he soon focused on the big screen and made his British film debut with The Dreyfus Case (1930).

He scored a personal triumph in New York as Benjamin Disraeli opposite Helen Hayes in "Victoria Regina" in 1936. The following year, he directed Ms. Hayes in "The Merchant of Venice", in which he played the title role of "Shylock".

Subsequent noteworthy British film roles included his judge in A Matter of Life and Death (1946) and as Disraeli in The Ghosts of Berkeley Square (1947). Recognized for his bulgy, wide-eyed stare, resonant tones and imposing stance, he built up a solid reputation over the years playing odd and interesting Eastern ethnics -- sultans, swamis, high priests, witch doctors, foreign dictators and dignitaries, he was even convincing playing Indian chiefs on occasion. His characters ranged from wise and warm-hearted to cunning and wickedly evil.

In the mid-1950s, Sofaer settled in Hollywood wherein he became a main staple in exotic dramas and costumed adventure, appearing almost exclusively in movies and TV. Some of his better known U. S.

films include Quo Vadis (1951), His Majesty O'Keefe (1954), Elephant Walk (1953), Taras Bulba (1962) and Chisum (1970).

Throughout the 1960s, he could be counted on for guest appearances on all the popular shows of the day including Perry Mason (1957), Wagon Train (1957), Gunsmoke (1955), Daniel Boone (1964) and Star Trek: The Original Series (1966).

On TV, he may be best remembered for his recurring role of Haji, the master of all genies, on I Dream of Jeannie (1965). Married to wife Angela for nearly seven decades and affectionately called "Abe" to closer friends, Sofaer was the father of six children.

Along with Felix Locher, Judith Anderson, Morgan Farley, Richard Hale, Anthony Jochim, Celia Lovsky, Leonard Mudie, Charles Seel, Bill Borzage and Ian Wolfe, he is one of only eleven "Star Trek" actors to have been born in the 19th Century. He played the Thasian in Star Trek: The Original Series: Charlie X (1966) and provided the voice of the Melkotian in Star Trek: The Original Series: Spectre of the Gun (1968).