JERUSALEM, Israel – Chaim Topol, better known to the world by his last name, who played the legendary character Tevye in the smash stage and film versions of Fiddler on the Roof, has passed away in Tel Aviv at the age of 87 after suffering for years from Alzheimers.
Topol won two Golden Globe awards, and was nominated for both an Oscar and a Tony.
He also won the Israel Prize for his contributions to culture, the highest honor Israel bestows.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Topol a “multifaceted artist with great charisma and energy,” who “proudly represented Israel around the world. Sadly, the fiddler on the roof is no longer with us,” he added. “The strings of the fiddle have fallen silent.”
President Isaac Herzog heralded Topol as “one of the most outstanding Israeli stage artists,” who was a “giant of Israeli culture and will be greatly missed.”
Topol performed the role of Tevye, the milkman, in more than 3,500 stage productions of Fiddler on the Roof.
He was born in Tel Aviv in 1935, and was known in Israel not only for his acting skills, but also for his philanthropic and charity work.
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