Editing Chaim Topol (section)

==Singing and acting career==
Between 1960 and 1964, Topol performed with the [[Batzal Yarok]] ("Green Onion") satirical theatre company, which also toured Israel.<ref name=jp/>{{sfn|Kronish|Safirman|2003|p=215}} Other members of the group included [[Uri Zohar]], [[Nechama Hendel]], [[Zaharira Harifai]], [[Arik Einstein]], and [[Oded Kotler]].<ref name=Haifa/> In 1960, Topol co-founded the [[Haifa Theatre|Haifa Municipal Theatre]] with Yosef Milo, serving as assistant to the director and acting in plays by [[Shakespeare]], [[Eugène Ionesco|Ionesco]], and [[Brecht]].<ref name=jp/>{{sfn|Hartnoll|Found|1996}} In 1965 he performed in the [[Cameri Theatre]] in Tel Aviv.{{sfn|Hartnoll|Found|1996}}

{{Quote box
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 |quote= 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.
 |source=–Tom Tugend on Topol's portrayal of ''[[Sallah Shabati]]''<ref name=journal/>
}}
Topol's first film appearance was in the 1961 film ''[[I Like Mike (film)|I Like Mike]]'', followed by the 1963 Israeli film ''[[El Dorado (1963 film)|El Dorado]]''.<ref name=jp/><ref name=Haifa/> His breakthrough role came as the lead character in the 1964 film ''[[Sallah Shabati]]''.<ref name=toi>{{cite web |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/iconic-actor-chaim-topol-reflects-on-long-career/|title=Iconic actor Chaim Topol reflects on long career|first=Aron|last=Heller|date=April 21, 2015|access-date=August 21, 2018|work=[[The Times of Israel]]}}</ref> Adapted for the screen by [[Ephraim Kishon]] from his original play, the social satire depicts the hardships of a [[Sephardic]] immigrant family in the rough conditions of [[ma'abarot]], immigrant absorption camps in Israel in the 1950s, satirizing "just about every pillar of Israeli society: the [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] establishment, the pedantic bureaucracy, corrupt political parties, rigid kibbutz ideologues and ... the [[Jewish National Fund]]'s tree-planting program".<ref name=journal>{{cite web |url= http://jewishjournal.com/old_stories/541/|title=Israeli Satire and Mystery|first=Tom|last=Tugend|date=November 13, 1997|access-date=November 26, 2017|work=[[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]]}}</ref><ref name=rivka>{{cite web|url=http://playstosee.com/chaim-topol-in-conversation-with-rivka-jacobson/|title=Chaim Topol in conversation with Rivka Jacobson|work=Plays to See|date=September 17, 2015|access-date=November 26, 2017|archive-date=April 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405055512/http://playstosee.com/chaim-topol-in-conversation-with-rivka-jacobson/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Topol, who was 29 during the filming,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9400EFDE1730E33ABC4B52DFB667838E679EDE|title='Sallah,' Comedy, Opens at Little Carnegie|first=A.H.|last=Weiler|date=October 13, 1965|access-date=November 26, 2017|work=The New York Times}}</ref> was familiar playing the role of the family patriarch, having performed skits from the play with his Nahal entertainment troupe during his army years.<ref name=jp/><ref name=Haifa/> He contributed his ideas to the part, playing the character as a more universal [[Mizrahi Jew]] instead of specifically a [[Yemenite Jews|Yemenite]], [[History of the Jews in Iraq|Iraqi]], or [[Moroccan Jews|Moroccan Jew]], and asking Kishon to change the character's first name from [[Saadia (given name)|Saadia]] (a recognizably Yemenite name) to Sallah (a more general Mizrahi name).<ref name=jp/>

The film won the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film]], and Topol won the 1964 [[San Francisco International Film Festival#Golden Gate Awards|Golden Gate Award]] for Best Actor at the [[San Francisco International Film Festival]] and the 1965 [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor|Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer—Male]],<ref name=jp/>{{sfn|Kronish|Safirman|2003|p=215}}<ref name=Haifa/>{{sfn|Franks|2004|p=280}} alongside [[Harve Presnell]] and [[George Segal]]. ''[[Sallah Shabati]]'' was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best International Feature Film|Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]], losing to the Italian-language ''[[Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow]]''.<ref name=jp/>

In 1966, Topol made his [[English language|English-language]] film debut as Abou Ibn Kaqden in the [[Mickey Marcus]] biopic ''[[Cast a Giant Shadow]]''.<ref name=ap/>

===Tevye the Dairyman===
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Topol came to greatest prominence in his portrayal of [[Tevye|Tevye the Dairyman]] on stage and screen. He first played the lead role in the Israeli production of the musical ''[[Fiddler on the Roof]]'' in 1966,<ref name=Haifa/> replacing [[Shmuel Rodensky]] for 10 weeks when Rodensky fell ill.<ref name=jp/> [[Harold Prince]], producer of the original ''Fiddler on the Roof'' that opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in 1964, had seen Topol in ''Sallah Shabati'' and called him to audition for the role of the fifty-something Tevye in a new production scheduled to open at [[Her Majesty's Theatre]] in [[London]] on February 16, 1967.{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|p=86}} Not yet fluent in English, Topol memorized the score from listening to the original Broadway [[Cast recording|cast album]] and practiced the lyrics with a British native.{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|p=86}}

When Topol arrived at the audition, Prince was surprised that this 30-year-old man had played Shabati, a character in his sixties.<ref name=jp/> Topol explained, "A good actor can play an old man, a sad face, a happy man. Makeup is not an obstacle".<ref name=jp/> Topol also surprised the producers with his familiarity with the staging, since he had already acted in the Israeli production, and was hired.<ref name=jp/>{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|p=87}} He spent six months in London learning his part [[phonetically]] with vocal coach [[Cicely Berry]].{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|p=87}} [[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.{{sfn|Lawrence|2001|p=248}}{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|p=88}} Topol's performance received positive reviews.{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|p=88}}

A few months after the opening, Topol was called up for reserve duty in the [[Six-Day War]] and returned to Israel. He was assigned to an army entertainment troupe on the [[Golan Heights]].{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|p=88}} Afterward he returned to the London production, appearing in a total of 430 performances.{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|p=89}}

It was during the London run that he began being known by his last name only, as the English producers were unable to pronounce the [[voiceless uvular fricative]] consonant [[Heth#Hebrew Ḥet|Ḥet]] at the beginning of his first name, [[Haim|Chaim]], instead calling him "Shame".<ref name=jp/>

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 |source=–[[Norman Jewison]], 2011{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|p=103}}
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In casting the 1971 [[Fiddler on the Roof (film)|film version]] of ''Fiddler on the Roof'', director [[Norman Jewison]] and his production team sought an actor other than [[Zero 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.{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|pp=103–104}} But Jewison and his team felt Mostel would eclipse the character with his larger-than-life personality.{{sfn|Bial|2005|p=78}}{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|p=102}}{{sfn|Vogel|2003|p=289}} Jewison flew to London in February 1968 to see Topol perform as Tevye during his last week with the London production, and chose him over [[Danny Kaye]], [[Herschel Bernardi]], [[Rod Steiger]], [[Danny Thomas]], [[Walter Matthau]], [[Richard Burton]], and [[Frank Sinatra]], who had also expressed interest in the part.<ref name=jp/>{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|p=102}}{{sfn|Bial|2005|pp=78–79}}

Then 36 years old, Topol was made to look 20 years older and {{convert|30|lb}} heavier with makeup and costuming.{{sfn|Bonfante|1971|p=90}} As in his role as Shabati, Topol used the technique of "locking his muscles" to convincingly play an older character.<ref name=jp/>{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|pp=87–88}} He later explained:

<blockquote>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.<ref name=jp/></blockquote>

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For his performance, Topol won the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy]],{{sfn|Franks|2004|p=283}} the [[Sant Jordi Award]] for Best Performance in a Foreign Film,<ref name=greer>{{cite web |url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/Grapevine-Between-the-Negev-and-the-Galilee-396472|title=Grapevine: Between the Negev and the Galilee|first=Greer Fay|last=Cashman|date=April 7, 2015|work=The [[Jerusalem Post]]|access-date=August 22, 2018}}</ref> and the 1972 [[David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor]], sharing the latter with [[Elizabeth Taylor]].<ref name=Haifa>{{cite web |url=http://bogcms.haifa.ac.il/images/stories/honor_2014/Chaim_Topol.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421143424/http://bogcms.haifa.ac.il/images/stories/honor_2014/Chaim_Topol.pdf |archive-date=April 21, 2015 |url-status=live|title=University of Haifa|date=May 27, 2014|access-date=November 24, 2017|publisher=[[University of Haifa]] Board of Governors}}</ref> He was also nominated for the 1971 [[Academy Award for Best Actor]], losing to [[Gene Hackman]] in ''[[The French Connection (film)|The French Connection]]''.<ref name=ap/><ref name=toi/>

In 1983 Topol reprised the role of Tevye in a revival of ''Fiddler on the Roof'' on the [[West End theatre|West End]] in London.{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|p=89}} In 1989, he played the role in a 30-city U.S. touring production.<ref name=theater>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/18/theater/theater-sunrise-sunset.html|title=THEATER; Sunrise, Sunset|first=Richard F.|last=Shepard|date=November 18, 1990|access-date=November 23, 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> As he was by then the approximate age of the character, he commented, "I didn't have to spend the energy playing the age".<ref name=theater/> In 1990–1991, he again starred as Tevye in a [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] revival of ''Fiddler'' at the [[Gershwin Theatre]].<ref name=theater/>{{sfn|Dietz|2016|p=33}} In that production [[Rosalind Harris]], who had played eldest daughter Tzeitel in the film, played Tevye's wife Golde opposite Topol. In 1991, he was nominated for a [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical]],{{sfn|Dietz|2016|p=34}} losing to [[Jonathan Pryce]] in ''[[Miss Saigon]]''. Topol again played Tevye in a 1994 London revival,{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|p=89}} which became a touring production. In that production, the role of one of his daughters was played by his daughter, Adi Topol Margalith.<ref name=jp/>{{sfn|Isenberg|2014|p=142}}

Topol reprised the role of Tevye for a 1997–1998 touring production in Israel, as well as a 1998 show at the [[Regent Theatre, Melbourne|Regent Theatre]] in [[Melbourne]].<ref name=list/> In September 2005 he returned to Australia for a ''Fiddler on the Roof'' revival at the [[Capitol Theatre, Sydney|Capitol Theatre]] in [[Sydney]],<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.theage.com.au/news/arts/topols-model-role/2005/08/23/1124562863587.html|title=Topol's Model Role|first=Monica|last=Nye|date=August 24, 2005|access-date=November 26, 2017|work=[[The Age]]}}</ref> followed by an April 2006 production at the [[Lyric Theatre, Brisbane|Lyric Theatre]] in [[Brisbane]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Munro-Wallis |first=Nigel |date=April 7, 2006 |title=Fiddler on the Roof |url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/reviews/2006/04/07/1611265.htm |access-date=November 26, 2017 |work=[[ABC Radio Brisbane]]}}</ref> and a June 2006 production at [[Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne|Her Majesty's Theatre]] in Melbourne.<ref name=list>{{cite web|url= https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/400539|title=Chaim Topol|publisher=AusStage|year=2017|access-date=November 26, 2017}}</ref> In May 2007, he starred in a production at the [[Civic Theatre (Auckland)|Auckland Civic Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0705/S00206/topol-auckland-has-in-its-midst-a-champion.htm|title= Topol – Auckland Has In Its Midst A Champion|first=Selwyn|last=Manning|date=May 10, 2007|access-date=November 26, 2017|work=[[Scoop (website)|Scoop News]]}}</ref>

In 2009, Topol began a farewell tour of ''Fiddler on the Roof'' as Tevye, opening in [[Wilmington, Delaware]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sierra |first1=Gabrielle |title=FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Opens National Tour In Providence 2/10 |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/FIDDLER-ON-THE-ROOF-Opens-National-Tour-In-Providence-210-20090123 |website=Broadway World |access-date=March 9, 2023}}</ref> He was forced to withdraw from the tour in [[Boston]] owing to a shoulder injury, and was replaced by [[Theodore Bikel]] and [[Harvey Fierstein]], both of whom had portrayed Tevye on Broadway.<ref name=jp/> Topol estimated that he performed the role more than 3,500 times.<ref name=jp/><ref name=toi/><ref name=ap/>

In 2014, he appeared in ''Raising the Roof'', a 50th-anniversary tribute to ''Fiddler'' at New York City's Town Hall produced by [[National Yiddish Theatre]].<ref name=hetrick/> The evening featured [[Chita Rivera]], [[Joshua Bell]], [[Sheldon Harnick]], [[Andrea Martin]], [[Jerry Zaks]], and more, and was co-directed by Gary John La Rosa and [[Erik Liberman]].<ref name=hetrick>{{cite web|last=Hetrick|first=Adam|date=June 2, 2014|title=Chita Rivera, Karen Ziemba and More Join Fiddler on the Roof at Town Hall|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/chita-rivera-karen-ziemba-and-more-join-fiddler-on-the-roof-at-town-hall-com-219034|access-date=October 8, 2020|website=Playbill|language=en}}</ref>

===Other stage and film roles===
[[File:Chaim Topol as Sallah Shabati, drawing by Chaim Topol.JPG|thumb|200px|Topol's sketch of himself as ''[[Sallah Shabati]]'']]

In 1976, Topol played the lead role of the baker, Amiable, in the new musical ''[[The Baker's Wife]]'', but was fired after eight months by producer [[David 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.{{sfn|LuPone|2010|pp=84–86}}<ref>{{cite web |last1=McNulty |first1=Charles |title=Book review: 'Patti LuPone: A Memoir' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-oct-07-la-et-1007-book-20101007-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |date=October 7, 2010 |access-date=March 9, 2023}}</ref> The show's composer, [[Stephen Schwartz (composer)|Stephen Schwartz]], claimed that Topol's behavior greatly disturbed the cast and directors and resulted in the production not reaching Broadway as planned.{{sfn|De Giere|2008|p=121ff}} In 1988, Topol starred in the title role in ''Ziegfeld'' at the [[London Palladium]].{{sfn|Hartnoll|Found|1996}} He returned to the London stage in 2008 in the role of Honoré, played by [[Maurice Chevalier]] in the 1958 film ''[[Gigi (1958 film)|Gigi]]''.<ref name=jp/>

Topol appeared in more than 30 films in Israel and abroad.<ref name=ap/> Among his notable English-language appearances are the title role in ''[[Galileo (1975 film)|Galileo]]'' (1975), [[Dr. Hans Zarkov]] in ''[[Flash Gordon (film)|Flash Gordon]]'' (1980),{{sfn|Smith|Lavington|2002|p=171}} and [[List of James Bond allies#Film allies|Milos Columbo]] in the James Bond film ''[[For Your Eyes Only (film)|For Your Eyes Only]]'' (1981).{{sfn|Smith|Lavington|2002|p=171}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/18146/For-Your-Eyes-Only/cast|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615212854/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/18146/For-Your-Eyes-Only/cast|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 15, 2013|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=2013|title=For Your Eyes Only}}</ref> He was said to be Israel's "only internationally-recognized entertainer" from the 1960s through to the 1980s.<ref name=jp/>

In Israel, Topol acted in and produced dozens of films and television series.<ref name=Haifa/> As a voice artist, he dubbed the voice of [[Bagheera]] in the Hebrew-language versions of ''[[The Jungle Book (1967 film)|The Jungle Book]]'' and the [[The Jungle Book 2|2003 sequel]] as well as [[Rubeus Hagrid]] in the first two films of the [[Harry Potter (film series)|''Harry Potter'' film series]].<ref name=ap/><ref name=toi/> He was also a playwright and screenwriter.<ref name=rivka/>
  
Topol was featured on two [[BBC One]] programmes , the six-part series ''Topol's Israel'' (1985) and earlier ''It's Topol'' (1968).{{sfn|Kronish|Safirman|2003|p=215}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.pebblemill.org/blog/topols-israel/|title=From Minefields to Massada|first=Peter |last=Hercombe|year=1984|newspaper=[[Pebble Mill Studios|Pebble Mill News]]}}</ref> A [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]-language documentary of his life, ''Chaim Topol – Life as a Film'', aired on Israel's [[Channel 1 (Israel)|Channel 1]] in 2011, featuring interviews with his longtime actor friends in Israel and abroad.<ref name=news/>

===Musical recordings===
A [[baritone]],<ref name=news/> Topol recorded several singles and albums, including film soundtracks, children's songs, and Israeli war songs. His albums include ''Topol With Roger Webb And His Orchestra - Topol '68'' (1967), ''Topol Sings Israeli Freedom Songs'' (1967), ''War Songs By Topol'' (1968), and ''Topol's Israel'' (1984). He appeared on the soundtrack album for the film production of ''[[Fiddler on the Roof (film)|Fiddler on the Roof]]'' (1971) and  the London cast album (1967).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thayer |first=Caroline |title=Chaim Topol, 'Fiddler on the Roof' star, dead at 87 |url=https://news.yahoo.com/chaim-topol-fiddler-roof-star-165058126.html |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/965958799 |title=The International Who's Who 2008 |date=2007 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-85743-415-6 |edition=71st |location=London |pages=2201 |oclc=965958799}}</ref>