‘Fiddler on the Roof’ Icon Chaim Topol Dies at 87

Israeli actor Chaim Topol. best known for his stage and screen depiction of Tevye the milkman in Fiddler on the Roof, died Thursday at the age of  87 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1935, Topol (the mononym by which he was commonly known) started acting during his military service in the Israel Defense Forces. He first drew international attention for his eponymous performance in the 1964 Israeli movie Sallah Shabati, for which he won a Golden Globe award. His other international movie roles included Hans Zarkov in Flash Gordon in 1980 and Milos Columbo in 1981 James Bond outing For Your Eyes Only.

But it was for his iconic performance as Tevye that Topol is best remembered. He first performed the part on stage in his native Hebrew, before landing the role for the 1971 critically acclaimed movie version that earned him an Oscar nomination and another Golden Globe win for best actor. A Broadway revival of the musical in 1991 saw him nominated for a Tony award for best actor. The actor said that he had played the role more than 3,500 times.

In 2015, the actor was awarded the Israel Prize, considered the “Israeli Nobel,” for lifetime achievement.

“Topol was one of the giants of Israeli culture and will be greatly missed,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Thursday, while Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu hailed the actor as “one of the greatest artists of the State of Israel.”

Topol is survived his wife Galia, his three children and his grandchildren. He was to be laid to rest at Kibbutz Kvutzat Shiller in central Israel on Friday.