Actor. He was a prolific actor with a distinct accent and mustache who was best known for playing the character roles of peasant farmers, soldiers, bombmakers, chauffeurs, doctors, assassins, villagers, waiters, runners, proprietors, historical figures, Germans, lamplighters, diamond cutters, porters, crew members, janitors, Russians, lieutenants, prisoners, miners, sentries, coal heavers, captains, criminals, artists, tailors, couriers, beggars, constables, judges, torture victims, fishermen, fathers, husbands, stewards, old men, and rabbis, usually in comedy films, and crime films. He will be best remembered for playing the role of 'Dr. Alexander Dexter' in the romance film drama, "Night Alarm" (1934). The film which was directed by Spencer Gordon Bennett, which was written for the screen by Earle Snell and Jack Stanley, and which also starred Bruce Cabot, Judith Allen, and H.B. Warner, tells the story of a reporter itching to get off the boring gardening "beat" and gets a chance to investigate a series of arson fires that have been plaguing the city. He believes the fires are tied into a web of political corruption involving a wealthy businessman, the mayor, and the police chief. Complications ensue when the girl assigned to help him turns out to be the businessman's daughter. He is also best remembered for playing the role of 'Sidney Gould' in the premiere episodes entitled "Highway To Heaven: Part 1," and "Highway To Heaven: Part 2," of the fantasy television series drama, "Highway To Heaven," which originally aired on September 19, 1984, and which also starred Michael Landon, Victor French, Elizabeth Kerr, Eddie Quillan, and Helen Hayes, tells the story of Jonathan Smith, an angel, who arrives at a retirement home to help not only the occupants but also an employee named Leslie Gordon. However, Leslie's brother Mark Gordon, a jaded and bitter former police officer, is suspicious of Jonathan Smith. When Mark Gordon's investigation starts getting too close, Jonathan Smith must reveal his true identity and purpose to Mark Gordon in order to successfully complete his assignment. He was born in Zawiercie, Śląskie, Poland, to Joseph Bleifer and his wife Sarah Grauer Bleifer on July 26, 1901. He was educated until the eighth-grade level and later immigrated to the United States and settled in New York in 1924. During this time, he pursued an acting career beginning with the stage and the theatre. He then moved to Los Angeles, California, where he petitioned to become Naturalized United States Citizen. He then divided his time between New York City, New York, and Los Angeles, California, while acting. He appeared on Broadway in New York City, New York, in several stage productions of such plays as, 'Weber,' 'Interrupter,' in "Miracle At Verdun" (March 16, 1931, to April 1931), as 'A Tailor' in "Wonder Boy" (October 22, 1931, to November 1931), as 'Vogel' in "Berlin" (December 30, 1931, to January 1932), as'Sozanoff' in "Clear All Wires" (September 14, 1932, to December 03, 1932), as 'Lopakhin,' 'Ermolai Alekseevich,' in "The Cherry Orchard" (January 25, 1944, to April 15, 1944, and January 01, 1945, to January 06, 1945). During this time, he made the transition to appearing in films and eventually appearing on television. He made his actual film debut playing the role of a 'Peasant Farmer' in the action romance film drama, "Surrender" (1927, He also worked as a technical advisor on the film). The film which was directed by Edward Sloman, which was written for the screen by Edward J. Montagne and Charles Kenyon, which was based on the play, "Lea Lyon," by Alexander Brody, and which also starred Mary Philbin, Ivan Mozzhukhin, and Otto Matieson, tells the story of a young Jewish woman who is forced to either give herself to a Russian officer or watch her village burn. Besides, playing the role of a 'Peasant Farmer' in the action romance film drama, "Surrender" (1927, He was also a technical advisor on the film), and playing the role of 'Dr. Alexander Dexter' in the romance film drama, "Night Alarm" (1934), his many other film credits include, "We Americans" (1928), "Tempest" (1928), "Clear All Wires!" (1933), "Captured!" (1933), "The Bowery" (1933), "Blood Money" (1933), "The Line-Up" (1934), "Manhattan Melodrama" (1934), "Hell In The Heavens" (1934), "The Crimson Trail" (1935), "Les Misérables" (1935), "Black Fury" (1935), "The Black Room" (1935), "Sutter's Gold" (1936), "The Road To Glory" (1936), "36 Hours, To Kill" (1936), "Sing, Baby, Sing" (1936), "Ladies In Love" (1936), "15 Maiden Lane" (1936), "Charlie Chan At The Opera" (1936), "The Holy Terror" (1937), "Seventh Heaven" (1937), "Thin Ice" (1937), "Slave Ship" (1937), "Love Under Fire" (1937), "Charlie Chan At Monte Carlo" (1937), "Thank You, Mr. Moto" (1937), "The Baroness And The Butler" (1938), "Sharpshooters" (1938), "Ride A Crooked Mile" (1938), "Pacific Liner" (1939), "Boy Friend" (1939), "Mr. Moto Takes A Vacation" (1939), "Frontier Marshal" (1939), "Full Confession" (1939), "Pack Up Your Troubles" (1939), "Everything Happens At Night" (1939), "Balalaika" (1939), "Four Sons" (1940), "Girl From God's Country" (1940), "The Mark Of Zorro" (1940), "Comrade X" (1940), "The Monster And The Girl" (1941), "Paris Calling" (1941), "Mr. District Attorney In The Carter Case" (1941), "Junior G-Men Of The Air" (1942), "Eagle Squadron" (1942), "Perils Of Nyoka" (1942), "Lure Of The Islands" (1942), "Berlin Correspondent" (1942), "They Got Me Covered" (1943), "The Moon Is Down" (1943), "Night Plane Chungking" (1943), "Mr. Lucky" (1943), "Background To Danger" (1943), "For The Whom The Bell Tolls" (1943), "Secret Service In Darkest Africa" (1943), "Headin' For God's Country" (1943), "Song Of Russia" (1944), "In Our Time" (1944), "Waterfront" (1944), "The Mask Of Dimitrios" (1944), "Dragon Seed" (1944), "The Conspirators" (1944), "Tonight And Every Night" (1945), "The Wife Of Monte Cristo" (1946), "Rendezvous 24" (1946), "Without Reservations" (1946), "Fall Guy" (1947), "High Conquest" (1947), "Northwest Outpost" (1947), "Call Northwest 777" (1948), "The Enchanted Valley" (1948), "French Leave" (1948), "16 Fathoms Deep" (1948), "Smugglers Cove" (1948), "Bride Of Vengeance" (1949), "Come To The Stable" (1949), "Guilty Of Treason" (1950), "State Penitentiary" (1950), "The Petty Girl" (1950), "The Killer That Stalked New York" (1950), "The Jackpot" (1950), "Bowery Battalion" (1951), "Sirocco" (1951), "Aladdin And His Lamp" (1952), "Red Snow" (1952), "White Lightning" (1953), "The Juggler" (1953), "Spy Chasers" (1955), "Kismet" (1955), "World Without End" (1956), "Crashing Las Vegas" (1956), "Fighting Trouble" (1956), "Chain Of Evidence" (1957), "Footsteps In The Night" (1957), "Silk Stockings" (1957), "The 27th Day" (1957), "Queen Of Outer Space" (1958), "The Blue Angel" (1959), "The Gene Krupa Story" (1959), "Ice Palace" (1960), "The George Raft Story" (1961), "If A Man Answers" (1962), "The Hook" (1963), "The Loved One" (1965), "Nyoka And The Lost Secrets Of Hippocrates" (1966), "Torn Curtain" (1966), "Caprice" (1967), "Heavy Traffic" (1973), "W.C. Fields And Me" (1976), "F.I.S.T." (1978), "The Frisco Kid" (1979), "Sudden Impact" (1983), "Eleanor, First Lady Of The World" (1982), and "Sudden Impact" (1983). Besides, playing the role of 'Sidney Gould' in the premiere episodes entitled "Highway To Heaven: Part 1," and "Highway To Heaven: Part 2," of the fantasy television series drama, "Highway To Heaven," which originally aired on September 19, 1984, and which also starred Michael Landon, Victor French, Elizabeth Kerr, Eddie Quillan, and Helen Hayes, tells the story of Jonathan Smith, an angel, who arrives at a retirement home to help not only the occupants but also an employee named Leslie Gordon. However, Leslie's brother Mark Gordon, a jaded and bitter former police officer, is suspicious of Jonathan Smith. When Mark Gordon's investigation starts getting too close, Jonathan Smith must reveal his true identity and purpose to Mark Gordon in order to successfully complete his assignment, his many other television credits include, "Dangerous Assignment," "Chevron Theatre," "Adventures Of The Falcon," "Passport To Danger," "Navy Log," "I Love Lucy," "The Millionaire," "Matinee Theatre," "TV Reader's Digest," "The Count Of Monte Cristo," "The Adventures Of Jim Bowie," "The Man Called X," "The 20th Century-Fox Hour," "Telephone Time," "The Court Of Last Resort," 'Shirley Temple's Storybook," "Target," "Perry Mason," "Pursuit," "Peter Gunn," 'The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna," "Border Patrol," "The Third Man," 'Playhouse 90," "Rawhide," "Men Into Space," "The Lineup," "Death Valley Days," 'Lock Up," 'The Law And Mr. Jones," "The Lawless Years," "The Untouchables," "Dr. Kildare," "Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre," "Kraft Suspense Theatre," "Ben Casey," "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." "Marcus Welby, M.D." "Adam-12," "QB VII," "Kolchak: The Night Stalker," "S.W.A.T." "Grady," "Police Woman," "Serpico," "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries," "Vision," "Little House On The Prairie," "The White Shadow," and "Strike Force." His last film role was playing 'Hyman' in the romance film drama, "Inside Out" (1986). The film which was directed by and written for the screen by Robert Taicher, which was also written for the screen by Kevin Bartelme, and which also starred Elliott Gould, Howard Hesseman, and Jennifer Tilly, tells the story of an agoraphobic who must give up his sheltered life and venture outside after a series of personal and financial problems. He retired from acting shortly thereafter. During his acting career, he also used the name Jake Bleifer, John M. Bleifer, John Melvin Bleifer, and John Bleifer. During his impressive acting career, he worked with the likes of Ingrid Bergman, Gary Cooper, John Carradine, J. Carrol Naish, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Basil Rathbone, Elisabeth Bergner, Randolph Scott, Cary Grant, Laraine Day, John Wayne, Claudette Colbert, Tyrone Power, Lew Landers, Warner Baxter, Humphrey Bogart, Howard Keel, Ann Blyth, and Kirk Douglas, among many others. He passed away from undisclosed causes in Los Angeles, California, on January 24, 1992, at the age of 91, and he was buried in Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California. He was married to Grace Klestick Bleifer (1892-1989), in Los Angeles, California, on August 28, 1926, and they were together until her death on February 21, 1989, at the age of 96. The couple had three children together including, a son named Daniel Joseph Bleifer (1928-1981).