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Topol, known by his last name alone, won
worldwide fame talking and singing and dancing his way through
"If I Were A Rich Man" and other hits from the show on stage and
on screen in the 1971 film version.
"My wife and I, and all the citizens of Israel, with deep pain
are parting from our dear Chaim Topol - loved by the audience
and one of the great artists of Israel," Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu wrote on Twitter.
Topol was born in Tel Aviv in 1935 and founded a comedy troupe
after completing military service as a member of an
entertainment troupe.
His first on-screen role was in "I Like Mike" in 1961, and his
part in the Israeli comedy film Sallah Shabbati in 1964 won him
his first Golden Globe, for most promising male newcomer.
His performance as Tevye won him his second - a Golden Globe for
Best Actor in a Film Comedy or Musical - and an Oscar nomination
for Best Actor.
Topol initially rejected the leading role in an earlier staged
production of "Fiddler on the Roof", thinking it would not
resonate with Israeli audiences, according the Israeli National
Library archives.
But the show's setting and storyline in a Jewish community in
Imperial Russia gave it a resonance far beyond its catchy
musical numbers and striking staging.
Topol, who eventually changed him mind and was chosen above the
likes of Walter Matthau and Danny Kaye for the film role, grew
to embody the character of Tevye clinging to his traditional
roots as the world exploded around him.
Other film roles - including slightly mad scientist Dr Hans
Zarkov in "Flash Gordon" and smuggler Milos Columbo in the James
Bond outing "For Your Eyes Only" - won him cult fans.
But for most people, he was forever the bearded father figure,
blasting out "Tradition!" while watching his daughters heading
out to make their own choices in life.
Israel's President Isaac Herzog described Topol as a "gifted
actor who conquered many stages in Israel and overseas, filled
the cinema screens with his presence and especially entered deep
into our hearts."
Israeli media reported he died at home on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Emily Rose; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Andrew
Heavens)
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