Sefi Rivlin ( he, ספי ריבלין; November 7, 1947 – December 3, 2013) was an Israeli actor and comedian. He was best known for his roles in the satire show ''Nikui Rosh'' ("Clear Your Head"), the children’s program ''

Rega im Dodley Rega im Dodley ( he, רגע עם דודלי; lit. ''Rega with Dodley'' or ''A Moment with Dodley'') was an Israeli children’s television show. Produced by Israeli Educational Television, the program aired from 1976 to 1981, after which it then a ...

'' ("A Moment with Dodley") and its spin-off '' BaBayit shel Fistuk'' ("At Fistuk's Home").Israeli actor and comedian Sefi Rivlin passes away at age 66
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Biography

Yosef (Sefi) Rivlin born and grew up in Nahalat Yehuda (present-day

Rishon LeZion Rishon LeZion ( he, רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן , ''lit.'' First to Zion, Arabic: راشون لتسيون) is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan ar ...

). He born to the

Rivlin Rivlin ( he, ריבלין) is a primarily Jewish family with origins in Austria and Eastern Europe, which became established in early 19th century Palestine (now Israel). There are also branches of the family in several other countries. The family ...

family. He studied acting at the

Beit Zvi Beit Zvi School for the Performing Arts, and a Theater ( he, בית צבי) is an acting school, and a theater located in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel, established in 1950. History Beit Zvi is the country's first theater school ...

School for the Performing Arts. He was married to Rina, with whom he had four children. Rivlin was diagnosed with

laryngeal cancer Laryngeal cancers are mostly squamous-cell carcinomas, reflecting their origin from the epithelium of the larynx. Cancer can develop in any part of the larynx. The prognosis is affected by the location of the tumour. For the purposes of staging, ...

in 2007. In 2010, he announced that he was cured, but in 2012, he underwent further treatment that left him unable to speak. He died in

Sheba Medical Center Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer ( he, המרכז הרפואי ע"ש חיים שיבא – תל השומר), also Tel HaShomer Hospital, is the largest hospital in Israel, located in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan at Tel HaShome ...

Ramat Gan Ramat Gan ( he, רָמַת גַּן or , ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv and part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. It is home to one of the world's major diamond exchanges, and many ...

at the age of 66 although rumors of his death began to circulate earlier, after the death of Israeli singer

Arik Einstein Arieh Lieb "Arik" Einstein ( he, אָרִיק אַייְנְשְׁטֵייְן, ; 3 January 1939 – 26 November 2013) was an Israeli singer, actor, comedian and screenwriter. He was a pioneer of Israeli rock music and was named "the voice of Is ...

.Veteran Israeli comedian Sefi Rivlin dies at 66

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...

A memorial ceremony held at Habimah Theater in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

on the morning of the funeral was attended by a large crowd of Israeli entertainers and politicians. Rivlin was buried in the old cemetery of Rishon LeZion.Comedian, actor Sefi Rivlin laid to rest after star-studded funeral

Acting career

Rivlin's acting debut was in 1973, when he appeared at the Khan Theater in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Servant of Two Masters A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...

, directed by the British-born director Mike Alfreds. He played the part of the

Archie Bunker Archie is a masculine given name, a diminutive of Archibald. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Archie Alexander (1888–1958), African-American mathematician, engineer and governor of the US Virgin Islands * Archie Blake (mathematici ...

character on ''Itche'' - the Israeli version of ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series '' Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

'' - and starred in the series Sefi, an Israeli version of Britain's

Mr. Bean ''Mr. Bean'' is a British sitcom created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, produced by Tiger Aspect and starring Atkinson as the title character. The sitcom consists of 15 episodes that were co-written by Atkinson alongside Curtis and R ...

. He acted in musicals and often served as master of ceremonies at children’s festivals. Rivlin appeared on the long-running comedy show

Zehu Ze! ''Zehu Ze!'' ( he, זהו זה!, lit. ''This is it!'') is a long-running Israeli entertainment television program, originally produced by Israeli Educational Television (IETV), and broadcast on the Israeli Channel 1 (until 1994) and on Channel ...

. In the 1980s and 1990s, he appeared in a number of films, including director

Avi Nesher Avi Nesher ( Hebrew: אבי נשר; born 13 December 1952) is an Israeli film producer, film director, screenwriter and actor. Biography Avi Nesher was born and raised in Ramat Gan, Israel. The child of a Romanian-born diplomat, and a mother w ...

's HaSodot.

Sports career

He enrolled in the youth football club of

Hapoel Rishon LeZion F.C. Hapoel Rishon LeZion F.C. ( he, הפועל ראשון לציון) is an Israeli Association football, football club based in the city of Rishon LeZion, which currently plays in Liga Leumit, Israel's second football division. Home matches are ho ...

and later on played in the senior side from 1962 until 1969.

Political activism

A supporter of the

Likud Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon ...

party, he appeared in advertisements for the party in the 1984 national elections. He briefly served on the Rishon LeZion City Council. In 2008, he ran in the

primaries Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the c ...

to determine the Likud list for the Eighteenth Knesset, but was placed in an unrealistic place on the list.

Awards and recognition

Rivlin won the Israeli Television Academy award. In 2002, he won the Golden Mask prize for lifetime achievement. A Jerusalem Post columnist who interviewed him said: "Watching him is very simply an audience with a comic artist - hour after hour, he creates comedy. In person, he is much funnier than he is on TV. Face to face, his bug eyes and mugging and comic airs, and, above all, his nonstop improvisatory ability, are explosively funny." Upon the news of his death Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...

called Rivlin a “friend and companion” and a "beloved artist who made generations of Israelis laugh with his witty humor.”Israeli comedian Sefi Rivlin dies at age 66
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivlin, Sefi 1947 births 2013 deaths Israeli Jews Beit Zvi School for the Performing Arts alumni Deaths from cancer in Israel Deaths from laryngeal cancer Jewish Israeli male actors Israeli television personalities Israeli male comedians Israeli entertainers Israeli footballers Footballers from Rishon LeZion People from Rishon LeZion Hapoel Rishon LeZion F.C. players Association footballers not categorized by position