Editing Chaim Topol (section)

===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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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>