b. 28 August 1905, Russia, d. 28 December 1980, New York, USA. Some sources suggest that this popular stage and screen character actor was born in New York. However, it seems more likely that he was taken to the USA in 1907, and became a naturalized citizen some 30 years later. After graduating from high school, Levene attended the American Academy of Dramatic Art in New York from 1925-27, and made his Broadway debut almost immediately in Wall Street (1927). The Depression made work scarce, but Levene persevered, and after making an impression in Dinner At Eight (1932), he est...