Theodore Bikel Rank
About Theodore Bikel
He was an actor and folk singer from Austria. With a career that spanned several decades, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Rhode Island International Film Festival in August, 2014.
Family and Education
He was the son of Josef and Miriam Bikel. His father was a strong activist for a nationality movement “Zionism”. This explains how he came to be named after the founder of modern Zionism Theodore Herzl.
Bikel studied at Mikve Yisrael agricultural School and also went to Royal Academic of dramatic Art.
He married four times and had two children with his second wife.
Acting Career
Growing up, he acted in several theatres like the Habima Theatre located in Israel. Michael Redgrave, an English film actor and director, introduced Bikel to Laurence Olivier to act as an understudy for the role of Harold Mitch Mitchell in a theatre for the premiere of “A Streetcar Named Desire”.
The Austrian performer was mostly known for playing characters from different nationalities. According to him, he adapted that style so his acting wouldn’t move in the same direction.
He acted in films like “The Young Lovers”, “Betrayed”, “There Shall Be No Night” and “The Pride and the Passion”.
He also appeared in television series “The United States Steel Hour”, “Armstrong Circle Theatre” and “The Alcoa Hour”.
Aside from acting, he was a folk singer who performed with famous American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in the song “Blowin in the Wind”.
Achievements
He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Foundation for Jewish culture.
Bikel got a nomination from the Academy Awards in the category “Best Supporting Actor” for his performance in “The Defiant Ones”. In the 1958 film, he was cast as Sheriff Max Muller.
Trivia
He was the 9th person to lead the American Actors’ Equity Association.
Death
He died from natural causes and was survived by his children.
Theodore Bikel Rank
F.A.Q. about Theodore Bikel
When is his birthday?
Theodore Bikel's birthday is on May 2, 1924.
In how many days is his birthday?
Theodore's birthday is in 7 days
How old was Theodore when he died?
He was 91 years old.
When did he die?
He died in July 21, 2015.
How old would he be today?
Theodore Bikel would be 99 years old if he was alive today.
Where was Theodore from?
He was born in Vienna, Austria.