Background
Wertimer was born on October 27, 1923 in Buffalo, New New York
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Ned Wertimer
Edit ProfileEducation
He served as a Navy pilot in World World War II, and later received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from University of Pennsylvania"s Wharton School.
Career
He was best known for his role as Ralph Hart, the doorman on the sitcom The Jeffersons, one of the longest-running sitcoms in American television history. Early years
Theater, television and film
After graduating college, Wertimer went to New York City to perform Broadway theatre in such shows as Texas Li"l Darlin", a 1949 musical by Robert East. Dolan and Johnny Mercer. 1950"s The Live Wire by Garson Kanin.
1950"s The Disenchanted, by Budd Schulberg, with Jason Robards.
And 1963"s All in Good Time by Bill Naughton. He also began performing in small roles in television, a new medium at the time.
He was able to show his improvisational skills as a regular guest on The Shari Lewis Show. In the mid-1960s, Wertimer moved to Los Angeles to continue his burgeoning television career.
He had over 100 guest-star credits on such shows as Gunsmoke, McMillan & Wife, Carolina 54, Where Are You?, The Debbie Reynolds Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, A Touch of Grace, WKRP in Cincinnati, Mork & Mindy, He & She and Family Law.
He also appeared in such films as Mame, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, The Impossible Years, Pinocchio, The Strongest Manitoba in the World, The Pack and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World"s End. = The Jeffersons Wertimer appeared as doorman Ralph Hart in a 1975 All in the Family episode titled "The Jeffersons Move on Up," which was the pilot for the spin-off series The Jeffersons. The Hart character carried over and Wertimer appeared as the doorman who always sought a gratuity for his services in 57 of the 253 episodes.
Wertimer loved traveling around the world, from riding a camel in Egypt to riding an elephant in Thailand to swimming in Australia"s Great Barrier Reef.
In addition to his performers" union work, Wertimer was also a voting member for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences" Emmy Awards. According to Wertimer"s manager, he had fallen at his home in Burbank, California in November 2012.
He never recovered from it and died on January 2, 2013, at the Sherman Village Health Care Center in Los Los Angeles He was 89 years old.
Membership
While at the school, he became a member of its "Mask and Wig Club," an all-male comedy and musical troupe. He became a longtime member of the performers" trade unions Screen Actors Guild and American Federation TV and Radio Artists, which merged in 2012.
