Golden Globe winner Chaim Topol, the Israeli actor famed for his depiction of Tevye within the film “Fiddler on the Roof,” has died at 87, Israeli officers mentioned on Thursday.
Born in Tel Aviv in 1935, Topol grew up there earlier than becoming a member of a navy leisure troupe the place he was a singer and actor.
Following his military service, he moved to a kibbutz along with his spouse and labored as a mechanic whereas persevering with performing in a theatre group he fashioned.
He rose to nationwide fame along with his 1964 depiction of Sallah Shabati in an Israeli movie by that identify, a comedy in regards to the difficulties dealing with Jewish immigrants from Arab nations, profitable a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer.
In 1966 Topol appeared within the Hollywood movie “Cast a Giant Shadow,” and the subsequent yr started starring within the London stage model of the musical “Fiddler on the Roof” because the protagonist Tevye after taking part in the identical character in an Israeli theatre for a number of years.
Fiddler was made right into a film in 1971 with Topol, who received a second Golden Globe for his efficiency of Tevye the milkman, a Jew in a village within the Russian Empire marrying off his daughters.
He continued performing within the theatre and cinema over time, together with as Milos Columbo within the 1981 James Bond movie “For Your Eyes Only,” and recorded a lot of musical albums as a singer.
Topol was awarded the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement in 2015 from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Thursday expressed “deep sorry” on the passing of one of many nation’s “greatest artists”.
“Topol was a multi-faceted artist, with great charisma and energy,” Netanyahu mentioned in a press release. “He proudly represented Israel around the world and received international recognition of a kind that few have received.”
President Isaac Herzog referred to as Topol “a giant of Israeli culture” who “we’ll miss dearly”.
Topol was additionally the Israeli president of the Jordan River Village, a year-round camp for youngsters in Israel with persistent sickness.
Just a few years in the past Topol had been recognized with Alzheimer’s illness, his son Omer mentioned in a 2022 interview with Yediot Aharonot newspaper.
© 2023 AFP