Israeli entertainer Chaim Topol in Tel Aviv, Israel on November 29, 1987. He was part of a charitable project of the Variety Clubs International. Among his most notable roles as a film actor was his lead in the Israeli social satire, `Sallah Shabati,` which depicts the challenging adaptation to life in Israel experienced by the vast migration of Moroccan Jews to Israel in the 1950s. His role as an international star came as the result of his brilliant performance on the London stage in the acclaimed musical `Fiddler on the Roof,` in that the young actor, who did not know much English, played the role of `Tevye,` a man over 3 decades his actual age. He learned his lines phonetically. Hollywood clamored for Topol to play the part on the big screen which he did in an Oscar nominated performance. He did not go home empty-handed, taking the Golden Globe for the part. The versatile Topol had a career as a comedian, voice-over artist, singer, film producer, author and illustrator. In 2015 he was awarded the highest civilian prize in his nation, the Israel Prize. Topol died in Tel Aviv, Israel, from Alzheimer's at the age of 87 on March 9, 2023.
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