Otto Berman

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Otto "Abbadabba" Berman alias Otto Biedermann (* 1889 in New York City , † October 24, 1935 in Newark , New Jersey ) was an accountant of the " Kosher Nostra ", who was particularly known for his ability to forge account books .

biography

Berman was born Otto Biederman to Jewish immigrants . He first came into conflict with the law at the age of 15 and was arrested on charges of attempted rape . He was acquitted of this allegation, however. Later he took up the job of accountant, for which he was particularly suitable due to his talent for numbers. He was able to solve complex math equations in his head in seconds.

In the 1930s, Berman finally joined the underworld and became an accountant and advisor to the infamous New York gangster Dutch Schultz , who is part of the Bugs and Meyer Mob of Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel .

On the evening of October 23, 1935, Berman attended a meeting in a restaurant in Newark, New Jersey, along with two other members of the Dutch Schultz's gang and the latter himself. During this meeting, some heavily armed men suddenly stormed the place. The hit men who were probably acting on instructions from Lucky Luciano , including Charles Workman and Emanuel Weiss from Murder, Inc. , immediately opened fire on Dutch Schultz and his men. Berman was hit by several projectiles and seriously injured. He passed out at the scene of the attack and died a few hours later in a Newark hospital.

Film and literature quotes

  • The saying, known from various gangster films: “Nothing personal, it is just business” (English: “It's nothing personal, just business”) is attributed to him.
  • In 1934 the film Little Miss Marker was released . As a regular participant in New York nightlife, Berman met the author Damon Runyon , with whom he became friends. This took Berman as a template for the recurring character Regret in his works . On the occasion of the filming of Runyon's story in 1934, Berman was memorialized by the haunting portrayal of the character actor Lynne Overman .
  • Allen Garfield plays him in Francis Ford Coppola's film Cotton Club (1984) .
  • In 1989 the novel Billy Bathgate by EL Doctorow , later awarded the PEN / Faulkner Award , appeared ; Berman appears as a wise advisor to the main character in the role of the antihero .
  • 1991: Steven Hill embodies the character in the film Billy Bathgate and is mentor of the fictional film character "Billy Bathgate", for whom there are no real role models.

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personal data
SURNAME Berman, Otto
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Abbadabba
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Mafioso in New York, member of the Dutch Schultz gang
DATE OF BIRTH 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH October 24, 1935
Place of death Newark