Photo: Ariel Schalit/AP/Shutterstock
Chaim Topol, the Israeli actor behind the iconic portrayal of Tevye inFiddler On the Roofhas died. He was 87.
Topol died in Tel Aviv, Israel, according to Israeli leaders. No cause of death was immediately given, but the actorhad been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s diseaseseveral years ago, his son confirmed tomultiple outlets.
“FromFiddler on the Roofto the roof of the world, Haim Topol, who has passed away from us, was one of the most outstanding Israeli stage artists, a gifted actor who conquered many stages in Israel and overseas, filled the cinema screens with his presence and above all entered deep into our hearts,” Israel’s ceremonial presidentIsaac Herzog wrote on Twitterlate Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also acknowledged the star’s death, saying that Topol’s “contribution to Israeli culture will continue to exist for generations.”
The actor would go on to perform the role more than 3,500 times, according to Associated Press, and his embodiment of the character won him generations of fans.
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“I wasn’t brought up in Hollywood.I was brought up in a kibbutz,” he told AP in 2015. “Sometimes I am surprised when I come to China or when I come to Tokyo or when I come to France or when I come wherever and the clerk at the immigration says ‘Topol, Topol, are you Topol?”
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Topol’s career began in an acting troupe during his military service in Israel. He got his break in the 1964 hit filmSallah Shabati, for which he won his first Golden Globe. The movie was also the first film from Israel to receive anAcademy Awardnomination.
He later featured in movies includingCast a Giant Shadow(withKirk Douglas),Galileo,Flash Gordon,and in the James Bond movieFor Your Eyes Only.
In 2015, the actor received the Israel Prize,his country’s highest cultural honor,The New York Timesreported.
Yet he became synonymous with the character of Tevye — a role he said that he never tired of playing.
“Let’s face it, it’s one of thebest parts ever writtenfor a male actor in the musical theater,” he toldThe Boston Globein 1989. “It takes you to a wide range of emotions, happiness to sadness, anger to love.”
source: people.com
