Gideon Singer ( he, גדעון זינגר; June 29, 1926 – May 11, 2015) was an Israeli actor and singer.

Biography

Born in Brno, Singer emigrated with his family from Czechoslovakia to Israel in 1940 and he was a survivor of the

Patria Patria may refer to: Entertainment * Patria (novel), a 2016 novel by Spanish writer Fernando Aramburu * Patria (TV series), a 2020 limited television series, based on the novel * ''Patria'' (serial), a 1917 American serial film Music * "Pátri ...

shipwreck. Singer lived in Tel Aviv where he started singing as well as learning to play the violin and he also worked as a diamond polisher during his youth. After passing adolescence, Singer served in the

Palmach The Palmach (Hebrew: , acronym for , ''Plugot Maḥatz'', "Strike Companies") was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv (Jewish community) during the period of the British Mandate for Palestine. The Palmach ...

where he also participated in the

Chizbatron The Chizbatron ( he, צ'יזבטרון) was an Israeli musical ensemble under the auspices of the Israel Defense Force (IDF). It operated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, serving within the Palmach. History The Chizbatron troupe was founded in J ...

mainly during the late 1940s and early 1950s and he was also a member of a satire singing group along with Yaakov Ben-Sira, Shimon Bar and

Reuven Shefer Reuven Shefer ( he, ראובן שפר; June 7, 1925 – March 22, 2011) was an Israeli theater and film actor. Biography Shefer was born in Tel Aviv. In 1957 Shefer joined the band "The Theatre Club Quartet" (רביעיית מועדון התיא� ...

. After appearing twice in the

Israel Song Festival Israel Song Festival (in Hebrew: Festival HaZemer VeHaPizmon, he, פסטיבל הזמר והפזמון, lit. Israel Song and Chorus Festival) was an annual music competition organized by public broadcasters Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA). In ...

, Singer appeared frequently at the

Habima Theatre The Habima Theatre ( he, תיאטרון הבימה ''Te'atron HaBima'', lit. "The Stage Theatre") is the List of national theatres, national theatre of Israel and one of the first Hebrew language theatres. It is located in Habima Square in the ce ...

, the

Cameri Theatre The Cameri Theater ( he, התיאטרון הקאמרי, ''HaTeatron HaKameri''), established in 1944 in Tel Aviv, is one of the leading theaters in Israel, and is housed at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center. History The Cameri theater was found ...

and the Beersheba Theatre and appeared in stage adaptations of ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, ''The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with music ...

'', ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' and numerous musical productions. His success on-stage led him to star in European and Broadway theatre productions as well. On films, Singer had notable roles in '' One Pound Only'', '' I Like Mike'' and ''

Blaumilch Canal Blaumilch Canal (international release title: The Big Dig) is a 1969 Israeli comedy satire written and directed by Ephraim Kishon, depicting the madness of bureaucracy through a municipality's reaction to the actions of a lunatic. History To fil ...

''. His television appearances include '' Delet Haksamim'' and he was the Hebrew voice of Mr. Owl in ''

Fabeltjeskrant ''Fabeltjeskrant'' () (or ''De Fabeltjeskrant'', Dutch for "''The Fables Newspaper''") is a Dutch children's television series featuring puppetry and stop motion. Created in 1968 by and produced by Thijs Chanowski (1st series) and Loek de Lev ...

''. In 1983, following his dismissal from the Habima Theatre, Singer moved to Austria and had lived in Vienna since 1987. He found professional opportunities on stage and screen and he heavily contributed to the

Theater in der Josefstadt The Theater in der Josefstadt is a theater in Vienna in the eighth district of Josefstadt. It was founded in 1788 and is the oldest still performing theater in Vienna. It is often referred to colloquially as simply ''Die Josefstadt''. Following ...

. He made his international cameo appearance in the 2015 film '' Woman in Gold''. This was his final film before his death. Singer returned to Israel occasionally. His most notable visit was during his 80th birthday.

Personal life

Singer was married twice. From his first marriage, he had four children. His son, Joel is a lawyer who served as a legal adviser to the Israeli Foreign Minister during the

Oslo Accords The Oslo Accords are a pair of agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993;

. He married Shira Singer ten years before his death.

Death

On May 11, 2015, at the age of 88, Singer died at

Ichilov Hospital Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center ( he, המרכז הרפואי תל אביב ע"ש סוראסקי; commonly referred to as Ichilov Hospital) is the main hospital complex serving Tel Aviv, Israel and its metropolitan area and the second-largest h ...

due to complications from heart surgery he had prior to leaving Austria. He was buried at

Yarkon Cemetery Yarkon Cemetery ( he, בית העלמין ירקון) is the main cemetery for the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area of Israel. It is located within the Petah Tikva city limits, between the Yarkon River in the West, Highway 5 in the North, and the 491 r ...

Partial filmography

*'' I Like Mike'' (1961) - Benjamin Arieli *''Rak Ba'Lira'' (1963) *''Sallah Shabati'' (1964) *'' Dalia And The Sailors'' (1964) - Vice Captain *''Moishe Ventilator'' (1966) *''Haminiyah Leretzach'' (1966) *''Hu Halach B'Sadot'' (1967) *''Ha-Shehuna Shelanu'' (1968) *''Hamisha Yamim B'Sinai'' (1968) - Egyptian Colonel (uncredited) *''

'' (1969) - Police Chief Akiva Levkowicz *''Shod Hatelephonim Hagadol'' (1972) *''Nahtche V'Hageneral'' (1972) *''Ha-Glula'' (1972) *''Azit Hakalba Hatzanhanit'' (1972) - Dr. Haruvi *''HaSandlar HaAliz'' (1973) *''Ha-Balash Ha'Amitz Shvartz'' (1973) *''Abu el Banat'' (1973) - Dr. Mazor *''Rak Hayom'' (1976) - Doctor Lapid *''Another Shadow'' (1976) *''Millioner Betzarot'' (1978) - Gila's Father *''

The Fox in the Chicken Coop ''The Fox in the Chicken Coop'' (Hebrew: , ''Ha Shu'al B'Lul Hatarnegolot'') is a 1978 Israeli film directed by Ephraim Kishon, based on Kishon's satirical book of the same name. It features many prominent Israeli actors of the time, most notably ...

'' (1978) - Prof. Tennebaum / Elifaz hermanovitch *''Imi Hageneralit'' (1979) *''Ta'ut Bamispar'' (1979) - Hotel Manager *''Lo La'alot Yoter'' (1979) - Dr. Singer *''Transit'' (1980) *''

Firefox Mozilla Firefox, or simply Firefox, is a free and open-source web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation. It uses the Gecko rendering engine to display web pages, which implements current and ...

'' (1982) - KGB agent (uncredited) *''Trostgasse 7 - eine Kindheit in Wien 1934-1938'' (1988) - Herr Kohn *''Hund und Katz'' (1991) - Pogosz *''Gospel According to Harry'' (1994) - Jerry *''Ha-Gamal Hame'ofef'' (1994) - Professor Bauman *'' Jailbirds'' (1996) - Opa Steinbock *''Der Bockerer 2'' (1996) - Beamter im Paßamt *''Der Bockerer III - Die Brücke von Andau'' (2000) - Pfalzners assistant *'' Woman in Gold'' (2015) - Restitution witness

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Singer, Gideon 1926 births 2015 deaths Actors from Brno Musicians from Brno Male actors from Tel Aviv Musicians from Tel Aviv Czechoslovak emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Israeli people of Czech-Jewish descent Jewish Israeli male actors Jewish Israeli musicians Shipwreck survivors Palmach members Chizbatron members Israeli male film actors Israeli male television actors Israeli male stage actors Israeli male musical theatre actors 20th-century Israeli male singers Israeli expatriates in Austria 20th-century Israeli male actors Deaths from complications of heart surgery Burials at Yarkon Cemetery Moravian Jews 20th-century Israeli Jews 21st-century Israeli Jews