Remains Of Charles Levin, Actor Who Played ‘Seinfeld’ Mohel, Believed Found In Oregon
Police tape Image by Getty/Stephen Maturen/Stringer
By PJ Grisar July 15, 2019
Nearly a week after Charles Levin was reported missing, authorities believe they have located the remains of the actor who is perhaps best known for his turn as a neurotic mohel on “Seinfeld.”
Actor Charles Levin Image by Courtesy of the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety
According to The Oregonian, a body believed to be that of the 70-year-old actor was found near a remote road in the town of Selma, Oregon. Levin’s son reported his father missing on July 8 in nearby Grants Pass after not having heard from him for several days. Using GPS data from Levin’s cell phone, rescue teams narrowed their search perimeter to the area around Selma.
On the evening of July 13, a resident found Levin’s 2012 orange Fiat down an “almost impassable road,” according to a news release from the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety. The car was off the road and not drivable due to the surrounding terrain. Inside the car were the remains of Levin’s dog and regular travel companion, a pug named Boo Boo Bear.
After several hours of searching the rough and steep terrain near the vehicle, rescue crews discovered human remains.
“Based on the circumstances, there is a high probability that the remains are those of Charles Levin,” the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety said July 14. For several decades, Levin had a prolific career on sitcoms and films. He played the jittery, liability-obsessed mohel in the Season 5 “Seinfeld” episode “The Bris,” was featured in Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” and “Manhattan” (he played an actor rehearsing a play in the former and a TV actor in the latter). In the 1980s, Levin landed recurring parts on the sitcom “Alice” and the police drama “Hill Street Blues” and appeared as a record store manager in Rob Reiner’s “This is Spinal Tap.” He is also remembered for playing the role of Coco in the pilot of “The Golden Girls.”
Police said the final identification by a medical examiner is forthcoming.
PJ Grisar is the Forward’s culture fellow. He can be reached at [email protected].
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