‘Fiddler on the Roof’ star Chaim Topol is dead at 87

Chaim Topol, the award-winning actor known to audiences around the world for his leading performance in “Fiddler on the Roof” on both stage and screen, has died at age 87.

His death was announced Thursday by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who remembered Topol (photo) in a tweet as “one of the most outstanding Israeli stage artists, a gifted actor who conquered many stages in Israel and overseas, filled the cinema screens with his presence and above all entered deep into our hearts.”

Born in Tel Aviv in 1935, Topol portrayed the Jewish milkman Tevye in more than 3,500 “Fiddler on the Roof” performances. He was part of the musical’s original West End cast in 1967 before reprising the role for the classic 1971 film adaption directed by Norman Jewison.

Topol, as he was mononymously known, received an Oscar nomination for his performance in the movie and won honors at the Golden Globe Awards and the David di Donatello Awards, Italy’s top film ceremony.

He again starred as Tevye in a 1980 revival in London and later played the character in Broadway revivals in 1990 and 1994. He most recently appeared in the role in 2009.

“I wasn’t brought up in Hollywood,” Topol told The Associated Press during a 2015 interview in Tel Aviv. “I was brought up in a kibbutz here, and I started to work at the age of 14 in a printing house. Obviously, when you are successful in a film and the money flows, yes, obviously, it is very nice. But to tell you that is the most important thing, I am not sure.”

The actor also won a Golden Globe for the 1964 Israeli comedy “Sallah Shabati,” in which he played the title role. He later appeared as a professor in the 1980 superhero space opera “Flash Gordon” and starred as James Bond’s ally Milos Columbo in 1981’s “For Your Eyes Only.”

Topol, who is survived by his wife and three kids, received Israel’s top cultural honor, the Israel Prize, in 2015 to commemorate his life and career.

“He greatly loved the land of Israel, and the people of Israel loved him in return,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted Thursday.

“Topol was a multi-faceted artist, with great charisma and energy. He proudly represented Israel around the world and received international recognition of a kind that few have received. His plays and films were extraordinary experiences.”