Portly and grandfatherly, with what some might consider stereotypical Jewish mannerisms, Finkel was a fifty-year veteran of Yiddish theater whose career received a shot in the arm in his early 70s as he became a regular on the acclaimed CBS dramatic series "Picket Fences" (1992-96).

Finkel first appeared on the stage at the age of nine, acting for almost thirty-five years in the thriving Yiddish theaters of the Lower East Side as well as performing as a standup comic in the Catskill's so-called Borscht Belt. While never a big star, he worked regularly until the venues began dying out in the