R.I.P. Chaim Topol, one of Fiddler On The Roof's most beloved Tevyes
Known for portraying Fiddler On The Roof's existential dairyman Tevye, the actor was 87 years old
Chaim Topol, the Israeli actor known for his portrayal on stage and screen of Fiddler On The Roof’s tradition-touting patriarch and lover of proverbs Tevye, has died in Tel Aviv, Israeli leaders confirmed on Thursday per The Associated Press. No cause of death has yet been released; the actor was 87 years old.
One of Israel’s most decorated actors of all time, Topol’s accolades include two Golden Globe awards and nominations for both an Academy Award and a Tony Award. In 2015, Topol was honored with Israel’s most prestigious honor, the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement, for his contributions to the country’s cultural record. In the wake of his death, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Topol’s “contribution to Israeli culture will continue to exist for generations,” and Israel’s ceremonial president Isaac Herzog emphasized how Topol “filled the movie screens with his presence and above all entered deep into our hearts.”
Born September 9, 1935, Topol got his start in acting in the 1950s as part of a theatre troupe in the Israeli army; around the same time he met his wife, Galia, to whom he remained married until his passing. His first major role was in the 1964 Israeli hit Sallah Shabati—the film became the first Israeli film ever to earn an Academy Award nomination and also gave Topol his first Golden Globe Award. From there, it only took two years for Topol to make his English language film debut alongside Kirk Douglas in 1966's Cast a Giant Shadow.
The role of Topol’s career, however, was Tevye, the Jewish father at the center of Fiddler On The Roof, who embodies a generational struggle to maintain tradition while welcoming change in his Russian shtetl, all against the backdrop of the rise of early-1900's anti-Jewish sentiment in the country.