Theodore Bikel

Birth Name:

Theodore Meir Bikel

Birth Place:

Vienna, Austria

Profession

Actor, Composer

Graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London in 1948
Began performing at a Jewish community theater in Palestine and had his first paid role as the Czarist constable in a Hebrew production of Sholem Aleichem's stories about Tevye
First learned about the character Tevye as a child, when his father would read Sholem Aleichem stories to him from the family's 20-volume collection
Originated the role of Baron von Trapp in "The Sound of Music" on Broadway in 1959 and played Tevye for the first time in Las Vegas in 1967
Quote: "[on acting] "If I learned anything, it's that less is more, don't overdo things․ It's richer if you're spare․""
Quote: "[on Tevye] "The dark side depicted by Sholem Aleichem is just as important, if not more․ He has wonderful sides․ On a dime, he can turn from a hilarious description of the shtetl and its people, to squalor, suffering, hunger and tragedy․""
Best known as an actor, folk singer and composer who played the role of Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof" for more than 40 years
During his 42 years acting in "Fiddler on the Roof," he played the role of Tevye more than 2,100 times
Even after retiring from "Fiddler on the Roof," he continued playing the role of Tevye in the one-man show "Sholem Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears," based on Aleichem's early 1900s Yiddish stories on which "Fiddler" was based
Has also had a number of film roles, including the First Officer in "The African Queen" and Zoltan Karpathy in "My Fair Lady․"

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