Mishkin was born and raised on New York's
Lower East Side. After dropping out of the
City College of New York to support his family, he obtained a job as errand boy at
Fox Movietone News He was promoted to Fox's talent department, where he was assigned to monitor small theaters, nightclubs and vaudeville shows for new screen talent Marvin, who was recommended to him by Hathaway, was one of his first clients in 1949.
Variety reported at his death that Mishkin had a reputation as an honest man and tough negotiator, and that he remained independent during his forty-year career despite offers from major talent agencies, such as William Morris. Among his later discoveries was Richard Dreyfuss, whom Mishkin first saw as a 15-year-old at
Beverly Hills High School. Dreyfuss "was viewed as 'too short, too Jewish, too ethnic' until Mishkin convinced studios otherwise", Mishkin recounted in a 1978 profile. Mishkin took credit for reviving Skerritt's career. The actor received positive attention for his movie roles in the early 1970s, but moved to Europe at the behest of a large talent agency and appeared in minor westerns. Under Mishkin's guidance he co-starred with
Shirley MacLaine in
The Turning Point (1977) and other prestigious films. ==References==