THEODORE BIKEL
ACTOR – SINGER - MUSICIAN - RACONTEUR.
THEODORE BIKEL has often been described as a “General Practitioner in the World of
Artistic Endeavors.”
Born in Vienna, he left his native Austria for Palestine at the age of thirteen (13). Being
fluent in Hebrew, Yiddish and German, he intended to teach comparative linguistics,
until the theatre beckoned and in 1943 he joined the international famous Habimah
Theatre. He left a year later to help found the Israel Chamber Theatre.
In 1946 Theodore entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, for which he
graduated with honors. While working in several small theatre productions in London,
he was seen by Sir Laurence Olivier who offered him a role in his production “A
Streetcar Named Desire”, starring Vivian Leigh. This was only the beginning; a prelude
to something great.
His memorable stage portrayals include “Fiddler On The Roof”, “Zorba”, and “The
Sound of Music”, in which he created the role of Baron von Trapp.
With 37 films to his credit including “My Fair Lady”, “The African Queen” and :The
Enemy Below”, Theodore considers his role as the Southern Sheriff in “The Defiant
Ones”, for which he received an Academy Award nomination, his most satisfying screen
performance.
Bikel who starred in virtually every top dramatic show on television (Murder She Wrote,
Falcon Crest and Dynasty just to name a few) in the United States as well as Canada and
England, has repeatedly been nominated for “Emmy” awards and received an Emmy in
1988 for his portrayal of Harris Newmark, one of the early immigrant pioneers of the
West.
For many years a recording artist for Elktra Records, Mr. Bikel is considered to be one of
the worlds best-known folk singers and maintains an active concert schedule of over sixty
performances throughout the country and abroad.