Topol, Who Starred as Tevye, Dies at 87

Chaim Topol, who became known simply as “Topol,” and best known for playing Tevye in the iconic film “Fiddler on The Roof” died at the age of 87 in Tel Aviv.

Topol was born September 9, 1935 in Tel Aviv. His  parents — Jacob, a laborer, and Rel (nee Goldman) a seamstress — were Hassidic Jews, and had moved to Palestine from Poland in the early 1930s. The oldest of three children (he had two younger sisters),  Topol thought of becoming an artist, but a teacher directed him toward acting. He joined the Israeli army when he turned 18 and became part of the IDF’s Nahal entertainment troupe (he served during the 1956 Sinai campaign, 1967’s Six-Day War, and the Yom Kippur War in 1973). He met his wife, Galia Finkelstein, while in the troupe; they married on October 5th, 1956.

He never thought of becoming a professional actor, but in 1961 co-founded Haifa’s municipal theater, where he performed in plays by Shakespeare, Bertolt Brecht and Ionesco.

His film debut was in the 1961 movie “I Like Mike,” about an Israeli woman who wants her daughter to marry Mike, an American and the son of a rich oil tycoon, and experienced his first taste of stardom playing the title role in the 1964 Israeli film, “Sallah Shabati.”  It was one of the most successful Israeli films and showcased Topol as a man in the new state of Israel trying to build a better life for himself and his family. The film won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and Topol himself was recognized as Most Promising Newcomer. International fame followed with his role as Abou Ibn Kader in 1966’s “Cast a Giant Shadow,” an epic retelling of Israel’s War of Independence.

He first played Tevye in the 1966 Israeli production of “Fidder,” where he understudied for Shmuel Rodensky and played the role for 10 weeks while Rodensky was ill.  A year later, he was cast as the original Tevye  in “Fiddler’s” London West End production. He left the production to serve in the IDF during the Six-Day War, returning to London to play the part for 430 performances.

Based on the stories by Sholem Aleichem, Fiddler tells the story of Tevye the milkman in the Ukrainian shtetl of Anatevka. The original Broadway production, which starred Zero Mostel, was a massive hit, running until 1972 after over 3,000 performances. Many well-known actors had played the role, including Mostel, Theodore Bikel, Herschel Bernardi and Harry Goz. But Norman Jewison, who directed the 1971 film adaptation, decided to cast Topol as his Tevye, beating out Mostel, Danny Kaye, Bernardi, Rod Steiger, Danny Thomas, Walter Matthau, Richard Burton, and Frank Sinatra for the part. According to Alisa Solomon’s history of the play, “Wonder of Wonders,” Jewison decided against casting Mostel, the actor most closely identified as Tevye, because he felt Mostel’s performance was too caricatured and larger-than-life. The movie version was both a critical and commercial success, and nominated for eight Academy Awards, including a Best Actor nomination for Topol.

Topol became identified with the role as much as Mostel, playing the milkman for over 3,500 performances, including revivals on Broadway and the West End. His final performance as Tevye was on November 19, 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts. Other notable performances include Dr. Hans Zarkov in “Flash Gordon,” and the James Bond film “For Your Eyes Only.”

Topol’s death was mourned by both his fellow actors and Israeli politicians. Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced Topol’s death, noted the actor’s charity work, including Kfar Nahar Jordan, a fund for sick and disabled children. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who awarded Topol The Israel Prize in 2015, tweeted “My wife and I and all the citizens of Israel, with deep pain are parting from our dear Chaim Topol — loved by the audience and one of the great artists of Israel.” Rena Strober, a cantoral student who played opposite Topol as Tevye’s daughter Tzeitel in a 2009 production, told the Journal: “It is a sad day. He was an icon but also just my papa.”

Topol is survived by his wife, Galia and their three children, Omer, Adi and Anat.