THEODORE BIKEL as “Tevye”

Born in 1924 in Vienna, Austria, Theodore Bikel and his family left for Israel (then Palestine) at the age of 13. Fluent in Hebrew, Yiddish, and German with a respectable command of English and French, he intended to study and eventually teach comparative linguistics. He was drawn to the theatre, however, and joined the Habimah Theatre at the age of 19 as an apprentice actor and one year later, co-founded the Israel Chamber Theater (the “Cameri”).

Graduating with honors from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, Mr. Bikel appeared in several West End plays including A Streetcar Named Desire, under the direction of Sir Laurence Olivier and The Love of Four Colonels, by Peter Ustinov. In the United States, his roster of memorable stage appearances include The Lark, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well…, Threepenny Opera, Zorba, and of course, Fiddler on the Roof, in which he played the role of Tevye over 1,600 times – more than any other actor. He has made more than 35 films, among which are The African Queen, The Enemy Below, The Little Kidnappers, My Fair Lady, the Russians Are Coming, and The Defiant Ones (for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor). 

Mr. Bikel has starred in virtually every top dramatic show on television, receiving numerous Emmy nominations and winning the award in 1988 for the role of Harris Newmark in “Harris Newmark’s Los Angeles” on PBS. His television appearances include “Dynasty”, “Falcon Crest”, “Murder She Wrote”, “L.A. Law”, and “Law and Order”. Mr. Bikel has also recorded over 20 albums, all but four on the Elektra label.

Theodore Bikel has been active for many years in Actor’s Equity Association, serving for nine years as First Vice President and from 1973 to 1982 as President. He also held the post of Vice President of the Associated Actors and Artistes of America (4A’s), President Emeritus of Actor’s Equity Association, a Senior Vice President of the American Jewish Congress, and a Board Member of the American Council for the Arts (ACA). He has served on the Board of Amnesty International and in 1977, was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve a five-year term on the National Council for the Arts.