Shaike Ophir (Hebrew: שייק×" × ×•×¤×™×¨â€Ž; November 4, 1928 â€"
August 17, 1987) was an Israeli film and theater actor, comedian,
playwright, screenwriter, director, and the country's first
mime.Yeshayahu (Shaike) Goldstein-Ophir was born in Jerusalem. His
family roots in the city go back to the mid-19th century. He studied
acting as an adolescent, but left school in the 1940s to join the
Palmach. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War he escorted convoys to the
besieged city of Jerusalem, and took part in naval battles.Thanks to
his comic skills he was accepted to the Chezbatron, an army
entertainment troupe. In the 1950s, he made a name for himself as a
multi-talented performer. He had even recorded a few hit songs during
this period.During the late 1950s and early 1960s Ophir occasionally
guest-starred in American TV shows such as Shirley Temple's Storybook
and Alfred Hitchcock Presents (in the episode "The Waxwork," where he
was billed as Shai K. Ophir). Ophir acted in 28 films, wrote, directed
and starred in several variety shows and was an accomplished mime,
appearing alongside Marcel Marceau. He reached the peak of his
international fame in the title role of Ha-Shoter Azoulay (literally,
Policeman Azoulay, translated as The Policeman), a film-vehicle by
Ephraim Kishon which won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign-Language Film
(1972) and was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Academy Award the
same year. He also starred in other Ephraim Kishon films, including
Ervinka, Blaumilch Canal and The Fox in the Chicken Coop, and the 1973
Moshé Mizrahi film Daughters, Daughters. In 1977 he starred opposite
Melanie Griffith in The Garden.
August 17, 1987) was an Israeli film and theater actor, comedian,
playwright, screenwriter, director, and the country's first
mime.Yeshayahu (Shaike) Goldstein-Ophir was born in Jerusalem. His
family roots in the city go back to the mid-19th century. He studied
acting as an adolescent, but left school in the 1940s to join the
Palmach. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War he escorted convoys to the
besieged city of Jerusalem, and took part in naval battles.Thanks to
his comic skills he was accepted to the Chezbatron, an army
entertainment troupe. In the 1950s, he made a name for himself as a
multi-talented performer. He had even recorded a few hit songs during
this period.During the late 1950s and early 1960s Ophir occasionally
guest-starred in American TV shows such as Shirley Temple's Storybook
and Alfred Hitchcock Presents (in the episode "The Waxwork," where he
was billed as Shai K. Ophir). Ophir acted in 28 films, wrote, directed
and starred in several variety shows and was an accomplished mime,
appearing alongside Marcel Marceau. He reached the peak of his
international fame in the title role of Ha-Shoter Azoulay (literally,
Policeman Azoulay, translated as The Policeman), a film-vehicle by
Ephraim Kishon which won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign-Language Film
(1972) and was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Academy Award the
same year. He also starred in other Ephraim Kishon films, including
Ervinka, Blaumilch Canal and The Fox in the Chicken Coop, and the 1973
Moshé Mizrahi film Daughters, Daughters. In 1977 he starred opposite
Melanie Griffith in The Garden.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.