Theodor Meir Bikel is an Academy Award- and Tony Award-nominated character actor, folk singer and musician. He made his film debut in The African Queen (1951) and was nominated for an Academy award for his role as the Southern Sheriff in The Defiant Ones (1958).
Bikel started acting as a teenager in Israel, and began a small theater there before moving to London to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. After several plays and films in Europe, he moved to the United States in 1954.
On Broadway he originated the role of Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music in 1959, for which he received his second Tony nomination. In 1964, he played Zoltan Karpathy, the dialect expert, in the film version of My Fair Lady. Bikel was screentested for the role of Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond film Goldfinger (1964). The screentest can be seen on the "Ultimate Edition" DVD released in 2006.
In the 1950's, Thedore Bikel produced and sang in several albums of Jewish folk songs, as well as Songs of a Russian Gypsy, in 1958. In 1962 he heard Bob Dylan give his premiere performance of "Blowin' in the Wind." Bikel then went to his scheduled performance and became the first singer besides Dylan to perform the song in public.
Theodore Bikel - Di Grine Kuzine
Tsu mir is gekumen a kusine,
schejn wi gold is si gewen, di grine:
Bekelech wi rojte pomerantsn,
fiselech wos bejtn sich tsum tantsn.
Herelech, wi sejdn-web gelokte,
tsejndelech, wi perelech getokte.
Ejgelech, wi himl-bloj in friling,
lipelech, wi karschelech a tswiling.
Nischt gegangen is si, nor geschprungen,
nischt geredt hot si, nor gesungen,
lebedik un frejlech jeder mine,
ot asoj gewen is majn kusine.
Un asoj ariber senen jorn,
fun majn kusine is a tel geworn,
pejdes hot si wochenlang gekliben,
bis fun ir is gornischt mer gebliben.
Hajnt as ich bagegn majn kusine,
un ich freg ir: s machstu epes grine?
Siftst si op un ch’lejen in ir mine:
Brenen sol kolumbuses medine!
