Theodore Bikel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Theodore Bikel Authorized photo from bikel.com.

Theodor Meir Bikel (b. May 2, 1924, Vienna, Austria) is a Jewish character actor, folk singer and musician. He made his film debut in The African Queen (1951) and was nominated for an Academy award for his role as the Southern Sheriff in The Defiant Ones (1958).

He was the U-boat first officer to Curt Jurgens in The Enemy Below (1957) and played the captain of the Russian submarine in The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966).

On Broadway he originated the role of Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music in 1959. Since his first appearance as Tevye in the musical Fiddler on the Roof in 1967, Bikel has performed the role more often than any other actor (2094 times to date). Bikel was screentested for the role of Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond film Goldfinger(1964). The screentest can be seen on the "Ultimate Edition" DVD released in 2006

Bikel was a co-founder of the Newport Folk Festival (together with Pete Seeger and George Wein) in 1961. In 1962 he heard Bob Dylan give his premiere performance of "Blowin' in the Wind." Bikel then went to his scheduled performance and became the first singer besides Dylan to perform the song in public. He also appeared in Frank Zappa's 200 Motels.

In the early 1990s, he appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation, in the episode "Family", playing Sergey Rozhenko, the Russian-born adopted father of Worf, who, as a petty officer on the Starfleet vessel Intrepid, had found Worf at the site of the Khitomer Massacre, and taken him home and to raise as his son. Bikel performed two roles in the Babylon 5 universe. The first was as Rabbi Koslov in the first season episode TKO. He later appeared in the TV movie, Babylon 5: In the Beginning as Anla'Shok leader Entil'Zha Lenonn.

Theodore made a most memorable guest appearance in the 1992 PBS special, Chanukkah at Grover's Corner. Bikel made latkes with a talking puppet named "Mozart" and wore a pink sweater, much to the delight of "Terry A La Berry".

[edit] Other work

Bikel is President of the Associated Actors and Artistes of America, and was president of Actors' Equity in the late 1970s and early 1980s. President Jimmy Carter appointed him to serve on the National Council for the Arts in 1977 for a six year term. On January 28, 2007, he was elected to serve as Chair of the Board of Directors of Meretz USA. Bikel is also a lecturer. Bikel's autobiography Theo was published in 1995 by Harper Collins, and re-issued in an updated version by the University of Wisconsin Press in 2002.

[edit] Interview

Theodore Bikel: "In der Mariahilferstraße hatten wir Nachbarn, die waren sehr nette und anständige Menschen". In: Christian Cargnelli, Michael Omasta (eds.): Aufbruch ins Ungewisse. Österreichische Filmschaffende in der Emigration vor 1945. Vienna: Wespennest, 1993.