Chaim Topol, Who Was Famous For Playing Tevye In The Film And Stage Versions Of 'Fiddler On The Roof' Has Died At Age 87
Image Source: Wall Street Journal
Chaim Topol, most known for playing Tevye in the stage musical Fiddler on the Roof and in the 1971 film adaption, passed away on March 8th at the age of 87 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. The singer/actor’s death was confirmed by the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, and he described him as a “gifted actor who conquered many stages in Israel and overseas, filled the cinema screens with his presence and especially entered deep into our hearts.”
Born on September 8, 1935, in Tel Aviv, Israel, he initially wanted to be a commercial artist when he was a young child. However, writer Yemima Avidar-Tchernovitz saw a theatrical side to him and encouraged him to act in school plays and read stories to the class. He began working as a printer at the Davar newspaper when he was 14 while pursuing his high school studies at night. Topol graduated at age 17 and enlisted in the armed forces a year later, where he became part of the Nahal entertainment troupe. He was discharged from the service on October 2, 1956, and 23 days later, he was called up for reserve duty in the Sinai campaign, performing for soldiers stationed in the desert.
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Topol and his wife Galia Finkelstein settled in Kibbutz Mishmar David after the war, where he worked as a mechanic. He assembled a kibbutz theatre troupe consisting of many of his former Nahal troupe-mates. Topol acted and sang with the troupe, doing both “loudly.”
He made his film debut in the 1961 film I Like Mike, followed by the 1963 Israeli El Dorado. However, his breakout role was as the lead character in the 1964 film Sallah Shabati. The film won the Golden Globe award for Best Foreign language film, and Topol won both the 1964 Golden Gate Award for Best Actor in 1964 and the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer-Male in 1965.
Image Source: Evening Standard
Topol first played the role of Tevye in a 1966 Israeli production of Fiddler on the Roof, replacing Shmuel Rodensky for 10 weeks when the actor fell ill. He was seen by Harold Prince, the producer of the 1964 original Broadway production, and he asked Topol to audition for the role for a then-new production scheduled to open at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. The actor was not yet fluent in English, so he memorized his lines by listening to the original cast album and studying the lyrics with a British native. He was the original actor for Tevye in the 1967 West End Production, and he reprised his role in the 1971 film adaption, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
His other film appearances included Dr. Hans Zarkov in the 1980 Flash Gordon film and Milos Columbo in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only. Topol was awarded the Israel prize for Lifetime Achievement in 2015. He is survived by his wife and three children.
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Sources: Variety, Chicago Sun-Times, Wikipedia
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