Theodore Bikel starred in stage productions 'The Sound of Music' and 'Fiddler on the Roof'
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
Actor Theodore Bikel, who appeared in such films as 鈥淭he Defiant Ones鈥� and 鈥淢y Fair Lady鈥� and appeared onstage in the musicals 鈥淭he Sound of Music鈥� and 鈥淔iddler on the Roof,鈥� among others, has died.
Mr. Bikel, who was born in Vienna, played the role of Captain von Trapp in the original 1959 Broadway production of 鈥淭he Sound of Music鈥� opposite Mary Martin and portrayed protagonist Tevye in the musical 鈥淔iddler on the Roof鈥� more than 2,000 times onstage.
In addition, he appeared in the 1955 Broadway show 鈥淭onight in Samarkand,鈥� the 1955 show 鈥淭he Lark,鈥� and the 1978 show 鈥淭he Inspector General,鈥� among other work.聽
In film, he had an early role in the 1951 Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn movie 鈥淭he African Queen鈥� and earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his work in the 1958 movie 鈥淭he Defiant Ones.鈥� He later appeared in the 1964 movie musical 鈥淢y Fair Lady鈥� as well as the 1966 film 鈥淭he Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming,鈥� among other movies.
He guest-starred on many TV programs, including 聽鈥淎lfred Hitchcock Presents,鈥� 鈥淭he Twilight Zone,鈥� 鈥淢ission: Impossible,鈥� 鈥淎ll in the Family,鈥� 鈥淟ittle House on the Prairie,鈥� 鈥淒ynasty,鈥� 鈥淪tar Trek: The Next Generation,鈥� and 鈥淢urder, She Wrote鈥� (as different characters, no less).聽
Bikel also performed as a folk singer and released various albums.
Many of the musicals in which Bikel appeared most famously have endured over time. The film version of 鈥淢usic鈥� has become a classic and was the choice of NBC when the network revived the live musical format with 鈥淭he Sound of Music Live!鈥� in 2013, with 鈥淭rue Blood鈥� actor Stephen Moyer taking on the role of Captain von Trapp for the NBC production (actor Christopher Plummer portrayed the Captain in the 1965 film version). In addition, the movie was recently honored at the Oscars for its fiftieth anniversary, with singer Lady Gaga performing a medley of the most famous songs, including 鈥淓delweiss,鈥� the song performed by Bikel鈥檚 character Captain von Trapp in the musical.
鈥淔iddler鈥� has been a perennial favorite on Broadway, with the show having been revived four times since its original 1964 debut. Another revival is set to open later this year starring actor Danny Burstein of 鈥淐abaret.鈥�
