Chaim Topol | |
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חיים טופול | |
.jpg) Topol in 1967 | |
| Born | (1935-09-09)9 September 1935 |
| Died | 8 March 2023(2023-03-08) (aged 87) Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Other names |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1957–2015 |
| Notable work |
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| Spouse | |
| Children |
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| Relatives | Yali Topol Margalith (granddaughter) |
| Awards |
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Chaim Topol (Hebrew:חיים טופול; 9 September 1935 – 8 March 2023),mononymously known asTopol,[1] was an Israeli actor and singer. He is best known for his portrayal ofTevye, the lead character in the stage musicalFiddler on the Roof. Topol estimated that he played Tevye more than 3,500 times on stage from 1967 through 2009, and he also portrayed the character in the1971 film adaptation of the play.[1]
Topol began acting during hisIsraeli army service as a member of theNahal entertainment troupe. He later toured Israel withkibbutz theatre and satirical theatre companies. He was a co-founder of theHaifa Theatre. His breakthrough film role came in 1964 as thetitle character inSallah Shabati, by Israeli writerEphraim Kishon, for which he won aGolden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer—Male. Topol went on to appear in more than 30 films in Israel and the United States, includingGalileo (1975),Flash Gordon (1980), and theJames Bond franchise filmFor Your Eyes Only (1981). He was described as Israel's only internationally recognized entertainer from the 1960s through the 1980s. He won aGolden Globe for Best Actor and was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Actor for his 1971 film portrayal of Tevye, and was nominated for aTony Award for Best Actor for a 1991 Broadway revival ofFiddler on the Roof.
Topol was a founder of Variety Israel, an organization serving children with special needs, andJordan River Village, a year-round camp for Arab and Jewish children with life-threatening illnesses, for which he served as chairman of the board. In 2015 he was awarded theIsrael Prize for lifetime achievement.
Chaim Topol was born on September 9, 1935, inTel Aviv,[2][3] in what was thenMandatory Palestine. His father Jacob Topol was born inRussia and in the early 1930simmigrated to Palestine, where he worked as a plasterer;[4] he also served in theHaganah paramilitary organization.[5] His mother Imrela "Rel" (née Goldman) Topol was a seamstress.[6]
Topol's parents had been members of theBetar Zionist youth movement inWarsaw.[7] His father hadHasidic roots, with a mother coming from a family ofGerrer Hasidim and a father fromAleksander Hasidim.[8]
Topol and his two younger sisters grew up in the South Tel Aviv working-class neighborhood ofFlorentin.[9] As a young child, although he wanted to become a commercial artist, hiselementary school teacher, the writerYemima Avidar-Tchernovitz, saw a theatrical side to him, and encouraged him to act in school plays and read stories to the class.[1]
At age 14, he began working as a printer atDavar newspaper while pursuing his high school studies at night.[1] He graduated at age 17 and moved toKibbutzGeva.[1] A year later, he enlisted in theIsraeli army and became a member of theNahal entertainment troupe, singing and acting in traveling shows.[1][10] He rose in rank to troupe commander.[1]
Twenty-three days after being discharged from military service on October 2, 1956, and two days after marrying Galia Finkelstein, a fellow Nahal troupe member, Topol was called up forreserve duty in theSinai Campaign.[1] He performed for soldiers stationed in the desert.
After the war, he and his wife settled in KibbutzMishmar David, where Topol worked as a garage mechanic.[1] Topol assembled a kibbutz theatre company made up of friends from his Nahal troupe; the group toured four days a week, worked on their respective kibbutzim for two days a week, and had one day off.[1] The theatre company was in existence from early 1957 to the mid-1960s. Topol both sang and acted with the group, doing both "loudly".[1]
Topol and his wife Galia Finkelstein had three children: a son, Omer, and two daughters, Anat and Adi.[1] The couple resided in Galia's childhood home in Tel Aviv.[11] Topol's hobbies included sketching and sculpting.[1] Through Adi, his granddaughterYali Topol Margalith is an actress.[12]
In June 2022, Topol's son, Omer, revealed that his father was suffering fromAlzheimer's disease.[13]
On March 8, 2023, Topol's family notified the press that he was near death and "living his final hours", and asked the public to respect the family's privacy.[14][15][16] He died overnight at the age of 87.[17][18][19] The day before his burial atKvutzat Shiller on March 10, a memorial was held at theCameri Theater in Tel Aviv.
Between 1960 and 1964, Topol performed with theBatzal Yarok ("Green Onion") satirical theatre company, which also toured Israel.[1][20] Other members of the group includedUri Zohar,Nechama Hendel,Zaharira Harifai,Arik Einstein, andOded Kotler.[21] In 1960, Topol co-founded theHaifa Municipal Theatre with Yosef Milo, serving as assistant to the director and acting in plays byShakespeare,Ionesco, andBrecht.[1][22] In 1965 he performed in theCameri Theatre in Tel Aviv.[22]
Haim Topol, then a young man and of Ashkenazi heritage, plays the old Sephardic manipulator with such consummate skill that even aged immigrants from Morocco and Tunisia were convinced that he was one of them.
Topol's first film appearance was in the 1961 filmI Like Mike, followed by the 1963 Israeli filmEl Dorado.[1][21] His breakthrough role came as the lead character in the 1964 filmSallah Shabati.[24] Adapted for the screen byEphraim Kishon from his original play, the social satire depicts the hardships of aSephardic immigrant family in the rough conditions ofma'abarot, immigrant absorption camps in Israel in the 1950s, satirizing "just about every pillar of Israeli society: theAshkenazi establishment, the pedantic bureaucracy, corrupt political parties, rigid kibbutz ideologues and ... theJewish National Fund's tree-planting program".[23][25] Topol, who was 29 during the filming,[26] was familiar playing the role of the family patriarch, having performed skits from the play with his Nahal entertainment troupe during his army years.[1][21] He contributed his ideas to the part, playing the character as a more universalMizrahi Jew instead of specifically aYemenite,Iraqi, orMoroccan Jew, and asking Kishon to change the character's first name fromSaadia (a recognizably Yemenite name) to Sallah (a more general Mizrahi name).[1]
The film won theGolden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and Topol won the 1964Golden Gate Award for Best Actor at theSan Francisco International Film Festival and the 1965Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer—Male,[1][20][21][27] alongsideHarve Presnell andGeorge Segal.Sallah Shabati was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, losing to the Italian-languageYesterday, Today and Tomorrow.[1]
In 1966, Topol made hisEnglish-language film debut as Abou Ibn Kaqden in theMickey Marcus biopicCast a Giant Shadow.[11]
Topol came to greatest prominence in his portrayal ofTevye the Dairyman on stage and screen. He first played the lead role in the Israeli production of the musicalFiddler on the Roof in 1966,[21] replacingShmuel Rodensky for 10 weeks when Rodensky fell ill.[1]Harold Prince, producer of the originalFiddler on the Roof that opened onBroadway in 1964, had seen Topol inSallah Shabati and called him to audition for the role of the fifty-something Tevye in a new production scheduled to open atHer Majesty's Theatre in London on February 16, 1967.[28] Not yet fluent in English, Topol memorized the score from listening to the original Broadwaycast album and practiced the lyrics with a British native.[28]
When Topol arrived at the audition, Prince was surprised that this 30-year-old man had played Shabati, a character in his sixties.[1] Topol explained, "A good actor can play an old man, a sad face, a happy man. Makeup is not an obstacle".[1] Topol also surprised the producers with his familiarity with the staging, since he had already acted in the Israeli production, and was hired.[1][29] He spent six months in London learning his partphonetically with vocal coachCicely Berry.[29]Jerome Robbins, director and choreographer of the 1964 Broadway show who came over to direct the London production, "re-directed" the character of Tevye for Topol and helped the actor deliver a less caricatured performance.[30][31] Topol's performance received positive reviews.[31]
A few months after the opening, Topol was called up for reserve duty in theSix-Day War and returned to Israel. He was assigned to an army entertainment troupe on theGolan Heights.[31] Afterward he returned to the London production, appearing in a total of 430 performances.[32]
It was during the London run that he began being known by his last name only, as the English producers were unable to pronounce thevoiceless uvular fricative consonantḤet at the beginning of his first name,Chaim, instead calling him "Shame".[1]
Chaim Topol breathed life into Tevye.
In casting the 1971film version ofFiddler on the Roof, directorNorman Jewison and his production team sought an actor other thanZero Mostel for the lead role. This decision was a controversial one, as Mostel had made the role famous in the long-running Broadway musical and wanted to star in the film.[34] But Jewison and his team felt Mostel would eclipse the character with his larger-than-life personality.[35][36][37] Jewison flew to London in February 1968 to see Topol perform as Tevye during his last week with the London production, and chose him overDanny Kaye,Herschel Bernardi,Rod Steiger,Danny Thomas,Walter Matthau,Richard Burton, andFrank Sinatra, who had also expressed interest in the part.[1][36][38]
Then 36 years old, Topol was made to look 20 years older and 30 pounds (14 kg) heavier with makeup and costuming.[4] As in his role as Shabati, Topol used the technique of "locking his muscles" to convincingly play an older character.[1][39] He later explained:
As a young man, I had to make sure that I didn't break the illusion for the audience. You have to tame yourself. I'm now someone who is supposed to be 50, 60 years old. I cannot jump. I cannot suddenly be young. You produce a certain sound [in your voice] that is not young.[1]
For his performance, Topol won theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy,[40] theSant Jordi Award for Best Performance in a Foreign Film,[41] and the 1972David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor, sharing the latter withElizabeth Taylor.[21] He was also nominated for the 1971Academy Award for Best Actor, losing toGene Hackman inThe French Connection.[11][24]
In 1983 Topol reprised the role of Tevye in a revival ofFiddler on the Roof on theWest End in London.[32] In 1989, he played the role in a 30-city U.S. touring production.[42] As he was by then the approximate age of the character, he commented, "I didn't have to spend the energy playing the age".[42] In 1990–1991, he again starred as Tevye in aBroadway revival ofFiddler at theGershwin Theatre.[42][43] In that productionRosalind Harris, who had played eldest daughter Tzeitel in the film, played Tevye's wife Golde opposite Topol. In 1991, Topol was nominated for aTony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical,[44] losing toJonathan Pryce inMiss Saigon. Topol again played Tevye in a 1994 London revival,[32] which became a touring production. In that production, the role of one of his daughters was played by his own daughter, Adi Topol Margalith.[1][45]
Topol reprised the role of Tevye for a 1997–1998 touring production in Israel, as well as a 1998 show at theRegent Theatre inMelbourne.[46] In September 2005 he returned to Australia for aFiddler on the Roof revival at theCapitol Theatre inSydney,[47] followed by an April 2006 production at theLyric Theatre inBrisbane,[48] and a June 2006 production atHer Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne.[46] In May 2007, he starred in a production at theAuckland Civic Theatre.[49]
In 2009, Topol began a farewell tour ofFiddler on the Roof as Tevye, opening inWilmington, Delaware.[50] He was forced to withdraw from the tour inBoston owing to a shoulder injury, and was replaced byTheodore Bikel andHarvey Fierstein, both of whom had portrayed Tevye on Broadway.[1] Topol estimated that he performed the role more than 3,500 times.[1][11][24]
In 2014, he appeared inRaising the Roof, a 50th-anniversary tribute toFiddler at New York City's Town Hall produced byNational Yiddish Theatre.[51] The evening featuredChita Rivera,Joshua Bell,Sheldon Harnick,Andrea Martin,Jerry Zaks, and more, and was co-directed by Gary John La Rosa andErik Liberman.[51]
In 1976, Topol played the lead role of the baker, Amiable, in the new musicalThe Baker's Wife, but was fired after eight months by producerDavid Merrick. In her autobiography,Patti LuPone, his co-star in the production, claimed that Topol had behaved unprofessionally on stage and had a strained relationship with her off-stage.[52][53] The show's composer,Stephen Schwartz, claimed that Topol's behavior greatly disturbed the cast and directors and resulted in the production not reaching Broadway as planned.[54] In 1988, Topol starred in the title role inZiegfeld at theLondon Palladium.[22] He returned to the London stage in 2008 in the role of Honoré, played byMaurice Chevalier in the 1958 filmGigi.[1]
Topol appeared in more than 30 films in Israel and abroad.[11] Among his notable English-language appearances are the title role inGalileo (1975), Dr.Hans Zarkov inFlash Gordon (1980),[55] andMilos Columbo in the James Bond filmFor Your Eyes Only (1981).[55][56] He was said to be Israel's "only internationally recognized entertainer" from the 1960s through to the 1980s.[1]
In Israel, Topol acted in and produced dozens of films and television series.[21] As a voice artist, he dubbed the voice ofBagheera in the Hebrew-language versions ofThe Jungle Book and the2003 sequel as well asRubeus Hagrid in the first two films of theHarry Potter film series.[11][24] He was also a playwright and screenwriter.[25]
Topol was featured on twoBBC One programmes, the six-part seriesTopol's Israel (1985) and earlierIt's Topol (1968).[20][57] AHebrew-language documentary of his life,Chaim Topol – Life as a Film, aired on Israel'sChannel 1 in 2011, featuring interviews with his longtime actor friends in Israel and abroad.[6]
Abaritone,[6] Topol recorded several singles and albums, including film soundtracks, children's songs, and Israeli war songs. His albums includeTopol With Roger Webb And His Orchestra - Topol '68 (1967),Topol Sings Israeli Freedom Songs (1967),War Songs By Topol (1968), andTopol's Israel (1984). He appeared on the soundtrack album for the film production ofFiddler on the Roof (1971) and the London cast album (1967).[58][59]
After Topol's death, the family revealed that he had been involved inMossad missions in the 1960s and 1970s. They said he went on unexplained trips abroad while equipped with a miniature state-of-the-art camera and tape recorder, and that he was in regular contact with Mossad officerPeter Malkin, who came on visits to the family home through the backyard in disguise.[60] On several occasions, Topol carried out wiretapping and other operations with Malkin, using his international acclaim to divert attention from Malkin.[61]
His autobiography,Topol by Topol, was published in London by Weindenfel and Nicholson (1981).[20][46] He also authoredTo Life! (1994) andTopol's Treasury of Jewish Humor, Wit and Wisdom (1995).[46]
Topol illustrated approximately 25 books in both Hebrew and English.[21] He also produced drawings of Israeli national figures. His sketches ofIsraeli presidents were reproduced in a 2013 stamp series issued by theIsrael Philatelic Federation,[21] as was his self-portrait as Tevye for 2014commemorative stamp marking the 50th anniversary of the Broadway debut ofFiddler on the Roof.[62]
In 1967, Topol founded Variety Israel, an organization serving children with special needs.[21][63] He was also a co-founder and chairman of the board ofJordan River Village, a vacation village for Arab and Jewish children with life-threatening illnesses, which opened in 2012.[21][64] It was inspired byPaul Newman'sHole in the Wall Gang Camp.[65] The village is operated almost entirely by volunteers. Topol described it as the project he was "most connected to."[66]
Topol was a recipient of Israel'sKinor David award in arts and entertainment in 1964.[67] He received a Best Actor award from theSan Sebastián International Film Festival for his performance in the 1972 filmFollow Me![21] In 2008, he was named an Outstanding Member of theIsrael Festival for his contribution to Israeli culture.[21][68]
In 2014, theUniversity of Haifa conferred upon Topol anhonorary degree in recognition of his 50 years of activity in Israel's cultural and public life.[21] In 2015, he received theIsrael Prize for lifetime achievement.[11][63]
In 2015, Chaim Topol was honoured by the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, RabbiMoshe Reuven Azman and the Ukrainian Jewish Community. Topol's portrayal of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof led to the inspiration for theAnatevka Refugee Village which was named in commemoration of the fictional village.[69]
Shortly after Topol's death, PresidentIsaac Herzog issued a statement honouring "one of the most prominent Israeli stage artists, a gifted actor who conquered many stages in Israel and overseas, filled the cinema screens with his presence and, above all, deeply entered our hearts". Prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu stated "his wide smile, warm voice, and unique sense of humour made him a folk hero who won the hearts of the people" and former prime ministerYair Lapid remarked "He and his smile will continue to accompany Israeli culture, his rich legacy will forever remain a part of Israel".[70]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | I Like Mike | Mikha | |
| 1962 | Etz O Palestina (The True Story of Palestine) | Narrator | |
| 1963 | El Dorado | Benny Sherman | Credited as Haim Topol |
| 1964 | Sallah Shabati | Sallah Shabati | Credited as Haym Topol Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male San Francisco International Film Festival Award for Best Actor |
| 1966 | Cast a Giant Shadow | Abou Ibn Kader | |
| 1967 | Ervinka | Ervinka | Credited as Haim Topol. Also co-producer |
| 1968 | Kol Mamzer Melekh (Every Bastard a King) | Co-producer | |
| Ha-Shehuna Shelanu (Fish, Football, and Girls) | |||
| 1969 | Before Winter Comes | Janovic | |
| A Talent for Loving | General Molina | ||
| 1970 | Nikki: Wild Dog of the North | Narrator | Hebrew dub |
| 1971 | Fiddler on the Roof | Tevye | David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Sant Jordi Award for Best Performance in a Foreign Film Nominated –Academy Award for Best Actor |
| The Going Up of David Lev | Chaim | TV movie | |
| Hatarnegol (The Boys Will Never Believe It;The Rooster) | Gadi Zur | Also co-producer | |
| 1972 | Follow Me! | Julian Cristoforou | San Sebastián International Film Festival award for Best Actor |
| 1975 | Galileo | Galileo Galilei | |
| 1979 | The House on Garibaldi Street | Michael | TV movie |
| 1980 | Flash Gordon | Dr.Hans Zarkov | |
| 1981 | For Your Eyes Only | Milos Columbo | |
| 1983 | The Winds of War | Berel Jastrow | TV miniseries |
| 1985 | Roman Behemshechim (Again, Forever) | Effi Avidar | |
| 1987 | Queenie | Dimitri Goldner | TV movie |
| 1988 | Tales of the Unexpected | Professor Max Kelada | Episode:Mr. Know-All |
| The Jungle Book | Bagheera | Hebrew dub | |
| 1988–1989 | War and Remembrance | Berel Jastrow | TV miniseries, 11 episodes |
| 1993 | SeaQuest DSV | Dr. Rafik Hassan | Episode:Treasure of the Mind |
| 1998 | Left Luggage | Mr. Apfelschnitt | |
| Time Elevator | Shalem | ||
| 2000 | Inside For Your Eyes Only | Documentary | |
| 2001 | Fiddler on the Roof: 30 Years of Tradition | ||
| Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Rubeus Hagrid | Hebrew dub | |
| 2002 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | ||
| 2003 | The Jungle Book 2 | Bagheera | |
| 2019 | Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles | Documentary | |
| Sources:[20] | |||
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