Early life
The son of Jewish immigrants from Poland and Romania, Judka Herpstu was born in Paris. He was among the children saved from the Holocaust by the OSE, but his mother was murdered in Auschwitz. He studied acting at the Cours Simon and started his career on stage under the name Jean Herbert.Career
In 1968, Herpstu created the character of Popeck, a grumpy Eastern-European immigrant dressed in a 3-piece suit, wearing a bowler hat and speaking French with a strong Yiddish accent. Sketches featuring Popeck made Herpstu known to the larger public, and the actor identified with his character so far as to adopt the name Popeck for himself in 1978. Popeck has also acted in movies. He had a small role inReferences
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* 1936 births Living people French male comedians French people of Polish-Jewish descent French people of Romanian-Jewish descent Male actors from Paris French Holocaust survivors 20th-century French Jews Comedians from Paris {{France-actor-stub