Fiddler on the Roof actor Chaim Topol dies aged 87
Fiddler on the Roof actor Chaim Topol has died at the age of 87.
The Israeli actor is best known for the portrayal of Tevye in the popular musical, for which he earned an Oscar nomination.
His death was confirmed in a Twitter post by Israeli president Isaac Herzog on Wednesday, in which he said Topol was “one of the giants of Israeli culture”.
The president described Topol as “a gifted actor who conquered many stages in Israel and overseas, filled the cinema screens with his presence and above all entered deep into our hearts”.
The Oscar-nominated actor was diagnosed with dementia last year.
Born in 1935, he grew up in a working-class area of Tel Aviv.
Chaim Topol has died at the age of 87
Topol’s career took off after starring as the titular character in the 1964 Israeli comedy Sallah Shabati, for which he won a Golden Globe award for most promising male newcomer.
He picked up a second Golden Globe in 1971 for best actor for his role in the musical Fiddler on the Roof, which was adapted for the screen after Topel starred in a successful run on London’s West End.
He went on to be nominated for a Tony Award for best actor when he starred in a 1991 Broadway revival of the musical.
He toured across the world playing the role of Tevye. By 2009, he had performed the role more than 3,500 times both on stage and screen.
Topol starred in several Israeli and American films including the 1975 adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s Galileo, the 1980 sci-fi film Flash Gordon and 1981 James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only.
He was awarded the Israel Prize – the country’s most prestigious award – in 2015 for lifetime achievement and special contribution to society and the state.
Topol is survived by his wife Galia, who he married in 1965, and their daughters Anat and Ady and son Omer.
Omer told an Israeli news outlet in recent days that his father was an “amazing actor who developed all kinds of tactics to cover up the problems that began to arise”.
“When he won the Israel Prize, his Alzheimer’s was in its early stages,” Omer said.
“He spoke wonderfully at the ceremony, and also at other events, and no one even felt it.”
“Super high-IQ revolutionaries” who are willing to work 80+ hours a week are being urged to join Elon Musk’s new cost-cutting department in Donald Trump’s incoming US government.
The X and Tesla owner will co-lead the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
And in a post on X, the official DOGE account put out a call to arms for people to sign up and help “dismantle government bureaucracy”.
The post said: “We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE.
“We don’t need more part-time idea generators.
“We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting.
“If that’s you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”
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Elon Musk speaking at an event held at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
In a reply to an interested party, Mr Musk suggested the lucky applicants would be working for free.
“Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lost of enemies & compensation is zero,” the world’s richest man wrote.
“What a great deal!”
When announcing the new department, President-elect Donald Trump said Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”.
Mr Musk has previously made clear his desire to see cuts to “government waste” and in a post on his X platform suggested he could axe as many as three-quarters of the more than 400 federal departments in the US, writing: “99 is enough.”
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
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The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
Read more from Sky News:
Mass displacement in Gaza – people unsure where to go
Donald Trump picks vaccine sceptic as health secretary
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
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