In addition to performing in “Fiddler on the Roof” on stage and screen, Chaim Topol also costarred in the James Bond classic “For Your Eyes Only,” as well as the science fiction film “Flash Gordon.”
Chaim Topol passed away on Thursday in Tel Aviv after a struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Age-wise, he was 87.
Israel’s president Isaac Herzog announced Topol’s passing and praised him as a “talented actor who dominated numerous stages in Israel and abroad, filled the cinema screens with his presence, and especially delved deep into our hearts.”
In 1967, Topol made his stage debut in the West End production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” which ran for 2,030 performances.
Chaim Topol Obituary
In what was then Mandatory Palestine (now Israel), Chaim Topol was born in Tel Aviv.
Jacob Topol, his father, was born in Russia and came to Mandatory Palestine in the early 1930s. He worked as a plasterer and was a paramilitary member of the Haganah.
Imrela “Rel” Topol, his mother, was a seamstress.