Yaakov Bodo ( he, יעקב (יענק'לה) בודו; born 28 March 1931) is an Israeli actor and comedian.

Biography

Yaakov (Yankele) Bodo was born in Romania in 1931 and spoke only Yiddish until the age of 7. He

immigrated Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

with his family to Israel in 1950 and settled in

Afula Afula ( he, עפולה Arabic: العفولة) is a city in the Northern District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley" due to its strategic location in the Jezreel Valley. As of , the city had a population of . Afula's ancient ...

. His grandparents were

Zionists Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Jew ...

who helped establish

Kfar Hasidim Kfar Hasidim ( he, כְּפַר חֲסִידִים, ''lit.'' Village of Hasidim), also known as Kfar Hasidim Alef to distinguish it from Kfar Hasidim Bet, is a moshav in northern Israel. Located near Kiryat Ata, it falls under the jurisdiction of ...

and Kiryat Haroshet (now part of

Kiryat Tiv'on Kiryat Tiv'on ( he, קִרְיַת טִבְעוֹן, also Qiryat Tiv'on) is a town in the Haifa District of Israel, in the hills between the Zvulun (Zebulon) and Jezreel valleys. Kiryat Tiv'on is situated southeast of Haifa, on the main road t ...

) after they emigrated to

Mandate Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...

in 1933. Bodo is married with three children and has five grandchildren. He is married to his wife and personal manager, Ester, whom he met in

Acting and film career

Dan Hadani collection (990044394360205171)

A year after his arrival in Israel, Bodo joined the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

, where he first assembled and led the Southern Command Troupe. Following the disbanding of that troupe in 1954, he was assigned the creation of the Northern Command troupe, which he led for three-and-a-half years. Meanwhile, he came up with his "Moishe Ventilator"

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

. Upon his release, he starred in a theater show by that name which was a hit in the 1950s—running more than a thousand times—and which was eventually made into a film version. Bodo performed on the stages of the institutionalized theaters Zira Theatre,

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 ...

Haifa Theatre The Haifa Theatre ( he, תיאטרון חיפה; ''Teat'ron Kheifa'') is the first municipal theater company of Haifa, Israel. Background Haifa Theater, Israel's first municipal theater, was established by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi. Together with the ...

as well as commercial theater, mostly in Yiddish, where he was successful. In 1992, he joined the Yiddish-Shpiel theatre, where he mostly performs in leading roles. Among the more notable plays he performed in were ''Maagal HaGir'' (lit. "The Chalk Circle"), and ''Karnafim'' (lit. "Rhinoceroses"). In 1964 he performed in

Ephraim Kishon Ephraim Kishon (: August 23, 1924 – January 29, 2005) was a Hungarian-born Israeli author, dramatist, screenwriter, and Academy Award, Oscar-nominated film director. He was one of the most widely read contemporary satire, satirists in Israel, ...

's film ''

Sallah Shabati ''Sallah Shabati'' ( he, סאלח שבתי) is a 1964 Israeli comedy film about the chaos of Israeli immigration and resettlement. This social satire placed the director Ephraim Kishon and producer Menahem Golan among the first Israeli filmmakers ...

'' ( he, סלאח שבתי), alongside

Chaim Topol Chaim Topol ( he, חיים טופול; born September 9, 1935), also spelled Haym Topol, mononymously known as Topol, is an Israeli actor, comedian, singer, film producer, author, and illustrator. He is best known for his portrayal of Tevye the ...

Gila Almagor Gila Almagor Agmon ( he, גילה אלמגור אגמון; born Gila Alexandrowitz; July 22, 1939) is an Israeli actress, film star, and author. In Israel, she is known as "queen of the Israeli cinema and theatre". Biography Gila Alexandrowitz (A ...

Zaharira Harifai Zaharira Harifai ( he, זהרירה חריפאי; December 12, 1929 – January 2, 2013) was an Israeli film, stage, and television actress and recipient of the Israel Prize in Theater, which she was awarded in 2003. ''The Jerusalem Post'' called ...

Shaike Levi Shaike Levi ( he, שייקה לוי; born December 13, 1939) is an Israeli comedian, singer and actor. He is best known for his role in the Gashash HaHiver (HaGashash HaHiver) comedy trio, which won the Israel Prize in 2000. Biography Yeshayahu ...

, and

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 ...

. The film was a satirical portrayal of the poor conditions and the integration of the Jewish refugees from Arab lands living in the maabara. In 1966, Bodo's character, '' Moishe Ventilator'', was picked up and made into a parody film by the same name ( he, מוישה ונטילטור), where, under the direction of

Uri Zohar Uri Zohar ( he, אורי זוהר; 4 November 1935 – 2 June 2022) was an Israeli film director, actor and comedian who left the entertainment world to become an Orthodox rabbi. Biography Uri Zohar was born in Tel Aviv. His parents were Polis ...

, Bodo, accompanied by

Shaike Ophir Shaike Ophir ( he, שייקה אופיר; November 4, 1928 – August 17, 1987) was an Israeli film and theater actor, comedian, playwright, screenwriter, director, and the country's first mime. Early life Yeshayahu (Shaike) Goldstein-Ophir was b ...

and the Gashah HaHiver trio, portrayed a

frugal Frugality is the quality of being frugal, sparing, thrifty, prudent or economical in the consumption of consumable resources such as food, time or money, and avoiding waste, lavishness or extravagance. In behavioral science, frugality has been ...

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

whose cost-cutting ideas include cutting on maps in the operation room, which are coveted by a spy who infiltrates the IDF ranks.Moishe Ventilator
on tapuz.co.il In 1967, he performed in Kishon's film ''

Ervinka ''Ervinka'' is a 1967 Israeli film written and directed by Ephraim Kishon. The film, starring Chaim Topol (best known for his role as Tevye from ''Fiddler on the Roof'') is a comical tale of a con man who falls in love with a police officer. Plot ...

'' ( he, ארבינקא, Starred by

), about an incorrigible layabout who becomes involved in a robbery of the Israeli lottery under the cover of making a documentary. Bodo also performed ''

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 ...

'' ( he, השועל בלול התרנגולות), ''Nahche and The General'' ( he, נחצ'ה והגנרל), ''Millionaire in Trouble'' ( he, מיליונר בצרות), ''My Margo'' ( he, מרגו שלי), ''Take When They Give'' ( he, כשנותנים קח), ''Five Five'' ( he, חמש חמש), ''A Miracle in The Village'' ( he, נס בעיירה), ''Just Not on Saturday'' ( he, רק לא בשבת), ''Not a Word to Morgenstern'' ( he, אף מילה למורגנשטרן), and others.

Awards and recognition

Bodo was awarded the 2009 Israeli Theater Award lifetime achievement award, the Edith and Israel Pollack Award for 1999, and the Lerner Yiddish Foundation Award for 2000.

References

External links

*
Yaakov Bodo Biography page on habama.co.il

Yaakob Bodo Links on DMC, Haifa University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bodo, Yaakov 1931 births Living people Israeli Ashkenazi Jews Romanian emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Israeli people of Romanian-Jewish descent Romanian Ashkenazi Jews Israeli male film actors Israeli male stage actors Israeli male comedians Jewish Israeli comedians 20th-century Israeli comedians People from Afula Yiddish-speaking people

Biography

Acting and film career

Awards and recognition

See also

References

External links