Theodore Bikel

Born May 2, 1924, in Vienna, Austria, Theodore Meir Bikel was the son of Miriam and Josef Bikel. He began his training in 1943 as an apprentice at the Habimah theater in Tel Aviv before going on to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. On Broadway, he created the role of Baron von Trapp in the original production of The Sound of Music.

Beyond the stage, Theodore Meir Bikel hosted a radio show on WBAI in New York and co-founded the Newport Folk Festival alongside Pete Seeger. He served as president of Actors' Equity from 1973 to 1982 and held a seat on the National Council on the Arts from 1977 to 1982. His autobiography, "Theo," was published in 1994, with revised editions following in 2002 and 2014.

Theodore Meir Bikel married Ofra Ichilov, then Rita Weinberg Call, with whom he had two children. He later married conductor and pianist Tamara Brooks, who died in 2012, and subsequently married journalist Aimee Ginsburg.

His film credits include "The African Queen," "My Fair Lady," "The Defiant Ones," "I Want to Live!," "The Enemy Below," "Crime and Punishment," "Shattered," "Shadow Conspiracy," "My Side of the Mountain," and "Sands of the Kalahari." On television, he appeared in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Law & Order," "Columbo," "Little House on the Prairie," "The Twilight Zone," "Murder, She Wrote," and "Gunsmoke."

In 1989, he received an Emmy Award for "Los Angeles History Project," and in 2005 he was given a star on the Walk of Fame.

For decades, Theodore Meir Bikel toured as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, performing the role more than 2,000 times. A singer in 21 languages, he also opened two espresso cafes in Hollywood. Broadway theater marquees were dimmed in his honor on July 24, 2015.