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Theodore Bikel
Theodore Bikel is an actor, singer, songwriter, musician, photographer, writer, lecturer, political activist, and union leader.  Theodore Bikel Biographical fast facts
Full or original name at birth: Theodor Meir Bikel* Error corrections or clarifications
* The original spelling of his first name came about as a result of the fact he was named after Theodor Herzl, journalist and founder of the modern, political Zionist movement. He also happens to share his May 2nd date of birth with Herzl as
well. Sources
The most in-depth of more than two dozen sources consulted in preparing this profile, was his 1994 autobiography, Theo: The Autobiography of Theodore Bikel. If you find the above data useful, please link to this page from your webpage, blog or website. Alternatively, consider recommending us to your friends and colleagues. Thank you in advance! Copyright © 2005-2012 INTERNET ACCURACY PROJECT. All rights reserved. All content, is the exclusive property of Internet Accuracy Project and may not be reproduced (on the Web, in print, or otherwise) without the express written permission of our organization. BY ACCESSING THIS SITE YOU ARE STATING THAT YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS regardless of whether you reside in the United States of America or not. Our Privacy Policy. This page was last updated January 25, 2012.
Biography - Credits
Born in Vienna, Austria, Theodore Bikel spent his teenage years in Palestine. It was there that he began acting, and even helped found a local theater. In 1946, he entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. By the time he graduated two years later, he'd also developed a passion for folk music and the
guitar. When Theo first arrived in America on December 11th, 1954, he already had an impressive list of stage credits. He quickly became known for his mastery of several languages, his acting versatility, and singing. His guitar was never far away, and his skill as a singer/musician was utilized in numerous stage, television and film roles. Notable films include The African Queen (1951), The Enemy Below (1957), and The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966). Star Trek fans may remember him as Worf's adoptive father in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Bikel also created the role of Captain Von Trapp in the original 1959 Broadway cast of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music. Later in his career, the stage role that he became most identified with, was Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. He surpassed his thousandth performance as Tevye in 1990, and eventually went on to appear in that role more than 2000 times. Bikel received a 1958 Academy award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Southern Sheriff in The Defiant Ones. He was the recipient of two Tony Award nominations: in 1958 as Best Supporting or Featured Actor in a dramatic role for The Rope Dancers, and two years later, as Best Supporting or Featured Actor in a musical for The Sound of Music. On more than one occasion, this versatile actor/singer even tried his hand at opera. As had been the case with most of his stage and screen roles, his reviews were quite respectable. In 1957, with Herb Cohen as his partner, Theo opened the first folk music coffeehouse in Los Angeles. The Unicorn on Sunset Boulevard proved so popular with the folk music crowd, they opened a second venue. Cosmo Alley offered a more traditional club atmosphere, presenting not only folk music, but poetry readings and comedy acts as well. Theodore Bikel himself, Lenny Bruce, Glenn Yarbrough, and Maya Angelou were among the performers appearing there. On the personal front, he and his second wife Rita suffered through two miscarriages before the birth of their first son Robert Simon Bikel in 1969. Son Dan Bikel soon followed. Though his second son, Dr. Daniel M. Bikel, is better known for his work in the computer field, he also inherited some of his father's musical talent. Theo Bikel was a prominent civil rights activist, co-founder of the Newport Folk Festival, and host of his own radio show back in the late fifties, and early sixties. He served as vice president of Actors' Equity (a union for stage performers) from 1964-73, then as president from 1973-82. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed him to the National Council on the Arts, a position he held until 1982. Theo: The Autobiography of Theodore Bikel, was published in 1994. He divided his time between Los Angeles and New York City until 1971, when he moved his family to Connecticut. In 2002, Bikel hosted the wedding of his eldest son, Robert, at his Connecticut home. He was finally able to deliver the lines he'd so often sung on stage as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, saying, "I've been waiting a long time to do this," and began singing: "They look so natural together Just like two newlyweds should be Is there a canopy in store for me? Sunrise, sunset Sunrise, sunset Swiftly fly the years One season following another Laden with happiness and tears." Selected film credits: The African Queen (1951) (his motion picture debut) Moulin Rouge (1952) A Day to Remember (1953) Desperate Moment (1953) The Little Kidnappers (1953) Never Let Me Go (1953) Melba (1953) Betrayed (1954) The Love Lottery (1954) The Divided Heart (1954) The Colditz Story (1955) The Pride and the Passion (1957) The Vintage (1957) The Enemy Below (1957) Fraulein (1958) I Want to Live! (1958) A Dog of Flanders (1959) The Angry Hills (1959) The Blue Angel (1959) Woman Obsessed (1959) My Fair Lady (1964) Sands of the Kalahari (1965) The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966) My Side of the Mountain (1969) Darker Than Amber (1970) 200 Motels (1971) The Little Ark (1972) Very Close Quarters (1986) Dark Tower (1987) Selected stage credits: Tevye, the Milkman (his stage debut, in the role of the Constable) The King of Lampedusa A Servant of Two Masters The Insect Play Blood Wedding Charley's Aunt You Can't Take It with You A Streetcar Named Desire The Love of Four Colonels The Thistle and The Rose Dear Charles The Lark The Rope Dancers Fiddler on the Roof Cafe Crown Pousse Cafe Brecht on Brecht Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris The Rothschilds The Marriage-Go-Round I Do, I Do The Sunshine Boys The Chosen The Inspector General Threepenny Opera Zorba Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears Lies My Father Told Me Visiting Mr. Green Selected TV-movies/Miniseries/Pilots/Miscellaneous TV: The Diary of Anne Frank (1967) Murder on Flight 502 (1975) Victory at Entebbe (1976) A Stoning in Fulham County (1988) Selected TV guest appearances: The DuPont Show of the Month Play of the Week Studio One Appointment with Adventure Naked City The Twilight Zone Alfred Hitchcock Presents Wagon Train Dr. Kildare Combat! Gunsmoke Mission: Impossible Cannon The Mod Squad Ironside Hawaii Five-O Ellery Queen Little House on the Prairie Columbo Police Woman Fantasy Island Trapper John, M.D. Knight Rider All in the Family The Paper Chase Charlie's Angels Hotel Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Falcon Crest (recurring role) The Equalizer Dynasty (recurring role) Murder, She Wrote Star Trek: The Next Generation L.A. Law Law & Order Babylon 5 Selected recordings: Folksongs of Israel (his debut album in 1955) An Actor's Holiday (1958) A Young Man and a Maid (a collaboration with Cynthia Gooding) (1958) Theodore Bikel Sings Jewish Folk Songs (1958) Songs of a Russian Gypsy (1958) Folk Songs From Just about Everywhere (a collaboration with Geula Gill) (1958) Songs of a Russian Gypsy (1958) More Jewish Folk Songs (1959) Bravo Bikel! (Live From Carnegie Hall) (1959) Songs of Russia Old And New (1960) From Bondage to Freedom (1961) A Harvest Of Israeli Folk Songs (1962) The Poetry and Prophesy of The Old Testament (1962) Theodore Bikel on Tour (1963) A Folksinger's Choice (1964) The King and I (1964) Songs of the Earth (a collaboration with The Pennywhistlers) (1967) Theodore Bikel Is Tevye (1968) A New Day (1970) Silent No More (1972) Theodore Bikel for the Young (1973) Theodore Bikel Sings Jewish Holiday Songs (1987) A Passover Story (1991) A Chanukah Story (1992) A Taste Of Passover (1998) A Taste of Chanukah (2000) In My Own Lifetime: 12 Musical Theater Classics (2006)
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