TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) – He was Tevye the milkman of “Fiddler on the Roof” fame, James Bond’s wingman in “For Your Eyes Only” and a nutty professor in the 1980’s cult classic “Flash Gordon.”
Long before Israelis like supermodel Bar Refaeli and Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot made their names internationally, Chaim Topol was winning Golden Globe awards as his country’s most famous ambassador to Hollywood. Now, nearly 80 and still involved in theater, he is being awarded the Jewish state’s most prestigious honor this week – the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement.
In an era when many Israeli entertainers try to make it big in the English-speaking world – and even the most minor global achievements of Israelis in the arts are championed as a source of national pride – it is often forgotten that a generation ago one of their own was so successful that he came to be known by a single name: Topol.
Still living in the Tel Aviv childhood home of his wife of 60 years, Topol is taking his latest recognition in stride, just as he has the various highlights of his storied career.
“I wasn’t brought up in Hollywood. I was brought up in a kibbutz here and I started to work at the age of 14 in a printing house,” he said, seated in a living room adorned with paintings, sculptures and Judaica. “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.”