Topol passes away at 87

Chaim Topol, the spirited Israeli actor and singer who, one season following another, portrayed Tevye the milkman in Fiddler on the Roof on stages all around the world and in an Oscar-nominated turn in Norman Jewison’s 1971 film adaptation, has died. He was 87.

Topol by his own estimation connected with Tevye more than 3,500 times over more than four decades, starting with a Hebrew-language production in his home country when he was 30.

“How many people are known for one part? How many people in my profession are known worldwide? So, I am not complaining,” he said in a 2015 interview. “Sometimes I am surprised when I come to China or when I come to Tokyo or when I come to France or when I come wherever and the clerk at the immigration says, ‘Topol, Topol, are you Topol?’ So yes, many people saw it [Fiddler], and it is not a bad thing.”

Read his obituary here.

Such an amazing and iconic performer. It didn’t even dawn on me until reading this that he was only 35 when he did “Fiddler”. Insane.

R.I.P...to this day the movie FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, remains my most watched movie musical...Topol's number LITTLE BIRD..https://youtu.be/juuhx884ylM always makes me tear up...always!!

Such a loss. That film was so influential to me as a kid, especially his sensational performance. May his memory be a blessing.

Jarethan said: "I think his performance in the film is a top 10 greatest performance ever in a movie musical. Such warmth, such strength, and that twinkle in his eyes. I also think the movie is one of the top 10 movie musicals ever, maybe the best adaptation of a Broadway musical."

Completely agree. Maybe except I'd place him in the top 5!
His performance was masterful. He became Tevye.

Yes he could act and yes he could sing but it was the wry smile, the twinkle in the eyes as someone said, the way his face fell with anger/rage/grief in an instant. The way he could convincingly telegraph rage or hostility that melts into parental love--at the age of 35! The way he looked at Golde.

And he did all this (to Jewison's credit) as a tooootally different character from what Zero Mostel gave us, as an unknown Israeli in the major film of a then-popular musical. Remarkable.

What A Loss.