Quotes by Theodore Bikel

About Theodore Bikel:

Theodore Meir Bikel was an Austrian-American Jewish actor, folk singer, musician, composer, and activist. He made his stage debut in Tevye the Milkman in Tel Aviv, Israel, when he was in his teens. He later studied acting at Britain's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his London stage debut in 1948 and in New York in 1955. He made his film debut in The African Queen in 1951, and in 1958 he was nominated for an Academy Award for his supporting role in The Defiant Ones. For most of his acting career, he played primarily character parts in American and British films, often portraying foreigners, due to his ability to speak numerous languages.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

I glory in the fact that a human being has multiple talents and exercises them all with a degree of integrity and artistic proficiency. That's what I do.

Theodore Bikel

I am not a specialist but a general practitioner in the world of the arts.

Theodore Bikel

I always sang, I always acted, I always played.

Theodore Bikel

But, when I toil in the field of Jewish culture which I frequently do, I am indeed a Jewish artist.

Theodore Bikel

Right up to the middle of this century all perceptions of the world around us were delivered via the bookshelf or the paper route.

Theodore Bikel

I'm exceedingly proud of being an actor, but I never recommend it to anyone.

Theodore Bikel

I created the role of Captain Von Trapp.

Theodore Bikel

I do prefer the stage. It's really the granddaddy of them all.

Theodore Bikel

The play is always fresh to me. It's not the audience's fault that I've said the words before.

Theodore Bikel

I make no claim that Jewish culture is superior to other cultures or that the Jewish song is better than the song of my neighbor.

Theodore Bikel

I remain convinced that I can be a true universalist only when I am a better Jew.

Theodore Bikel

I am not, and have never been, in favor of boycotting Israel.

Theodore Bikel

One might have thought the world would stop ascribing moral equivalence between acts of terrorism and acts of punishing terrorism. It has not happened that way.

Theodore Bikel

I refuse to do shows that are narrowly constructed, that appeal to only one sentiment. I do a lot of Jewish material in front of non-Jews and a lot of non-Jewish material in front of Jews on the simple theory that the non-Jews are entitled to a glimp...

Theodore Bikel

I am first, and foremost, an actor. That's what I am. To me, a song is a mini-drama. My musical ability informs the actor as well because it gives me a sense of timing that non-musicians don't have. So, one hand washes the other.

Theodore Bikel

There is no role I cannot play except a midget.

Theodore Bikel

While we all could agree that the Zionist ideal is alive and well, there is serious doubt whether the Zionist movement can be said to be an ongoing proposition, fragmented as its components are in ideology and in practice.

Theodore Bikel

'Retiring' - within that word is 'tiring,' and I'm not tired. I don't believe in retirement, really.

Theodore Bikel

I tried for a while to be an agricultural worker and was hopelessly bored. I would stand around in heaps of manure and sing about the beauty of the work I wasn't doing.

Theodore Bikel

I am determined to give the Yiddish language a fighting chance to survive.

Theodore Bikel

As an artist I have an even more abiding interest in the compact between the Arts and Government.

Theodore Bikel

Author Bio

  • NameTheodore Bikel
  • DescriptionActor
  • BornMay 2, 1924
  • DiedJuly 21, 2015
  • CountryUnited States Of America; Austria
  • ProfessionTelevision Actor; Film Actor; Actor; Businessperson; Musician