Chaim Topol

Chaim Topol
Born	September 9, 1935 (1935-09-09) (age 74) Tel Aviv, British Mandate of Palestine
Other name(s)	Topol
Occupation	Film, stage actor
Spouse(s)	Galia Topol

Chaim Topol (Hebrew: חיים טופול‎; born September 9, 1935), often billed simply as Topol, is an Israeli theatrical and film performer.

Early life

Topol was born in Tel Aviv, in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine, to Rel (née Goldman) and Jacob Topol.^[1] He first practiced acting in amateur theatrical plays staged by the Israeli Army. Subsequently he established his own theatre troupe in Tel Aviv, and in 1961, he significantly contributed to the foundation of the Haifa Municipal Theatre.

Acting career

Among Topol's earliest film appearances was the lead role in the 1964 film Sallah Shabati by Ephraim Kishon — a play, later adapted for film, depicting the hardships of a Mizrachi Jewish immigrant family in Israel of the early 1960s. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and earned the actor the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actor. In 1966, Topol made his first English-language screen appearance as Abou Ibn Kaqden in the big-budget Mickey Marcus biopic Cast a Giant Shadow.

He came to greatest prominence in the role of Tevye the milkman in the long-running musical show Fiddler on the Roof, at Her Majesty's Theatre.^[2] After scoring a major success on the West End stage, he later starred in the 1971 film version.

In 1972, Topol won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his performance in the film. He was on active service with the Israeli army at the time, but was granted permission to attend the awards ceremonies. Some of his other notable appearances were in Galileo (1975), Flash Gordon (1980), and the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only (1981).

In 1983, he reprised the role of Tevye in a London revival of Fiddler on the Roof. In the late 1980s, he played the role in a touring United States production. He was by now the approximate age of the character, and in fact the actress playing his wife Golde in the production, Rosalind Harris, had played his oldest daughter Tzeitel in the film.

In 1990, he again played the part in a Broadway revival of Fiddler, and was nominated for 1991 a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, losing to Jonathan Pryce. He played the part again in a 1994 London revival, which became a touring production. He has since played the part in various productions including stages in Europe, Australia and Japan.

His most recent film roles were in Left Luggage (1998) in the role of Mr. Apfelschnitt, and Time Elevator (1998) as Shalem.

In November 2005, Topol had a two month season once again playing Tevye in Fiddler On the Roof at Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia and in April 2007, played the role in Wellington, New Zealand.

In September 2008, Topol played the part of Honore in Gigi at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park, London

On 20 January 2009, Topol began a farewell tour of Fiddler on the Roof as Tevye, opening in Wilmington, Delaware.

On November 15, 2009 Topol made his last appearence as Tevye in Boston, Massachusetts

Author

His autobiography, Chaim Topol on Topol, was published in London and Israel.

Topol is also an illustrator, responsible for drawings in several books, including A Treasury of Jewish Humour.

Filmography

• I Like Mike (1961)
• El Dorado (1963), Benny Sherman
• Sallah Shabbati (1964), Sallah Shabbati
• Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), Abou Ibn Kader
• Ervinka (1967), Ervinka
• A Talent for Loving (1969)
• Before Winter Comes (1969), Janovic
• The Going Up of David Lev (1971) (TV), Chaim
• Ha-Tarnegol (1971)
• Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Tevye
• The Public Eye (aka Follow Me!) (1972), Julian Cristoforou
• Galileo (1975), Galileo Galilei
• The House on Garibaldi Street (1979) (TV), Michael
• Flash Gordon (1980), Dr. Hans Zarkov
• For Your Eyes Only (1981), Milos Columbo
• The Winds of War (1983) (TV Mini-Series), Berel Jastrow.
• Roman Behemshechim (1985), Effi Avidar
• Queenie (1987) (TV), Dimitri Goldner
• Tales of the Unexpected "Mr Knowall" (1988) (TV), Professor Max Kelada
• War and Remembrance (1988) (TV), Berel Jastrow
• SeaQuest DSV "Treasure of the Mind" (1993) (TV), Dr. Rafik Hassan
• Time Elevator (1998), Shalem
• Left Luggage (1998), Mr. Apfelschnitt
• Shalom Shabbat (1998), Eliyahu the Fisherman

References

External links

• Chaim Topol at the Internet Movie Database
• Chaim Topol at the TCM Movie Database
• Chaim Topol at the Internet Broadway Database

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