[1] He served as a Navy pilot in World War II,[2] and later received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

[1] After graduating college, Wertimer went to New York City to perform Broadway theatre in such shows as Texas Li'l Darlin', a 1949 musical by Robert E. Dolan and Johnny Mercer; 1950's The Live Wire by Garson Kanin; 1950's The Disenchanted, by Budd Schulberg, with Jason Robards; and 1963's All in Good Time by Bill Naughton.

He was a longtime member of the performers' trade unions—Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which merged in 2012.

[3] In addition to his performers' union work, Wertimer was also a voting member for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Emmy Awards.

[3] Wertimer died on January 2, 2013, at the Sherman Village Health Care Center in Los Angeles, at the age of 89.