Shaike Ophir (; 4 November 1928 – 17 August 1987) was an Israeli film and theater actor, comedian, playwright, screenwriter, director, and the country's first

mime A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek language, Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a the ...

Early life

Yeshayahu (Shaike) Goldstein-Ophir was born in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. His family were

Masortiim Masortim (, Masortiim lit. "traditional eople, also known as ''Shomrei Masoret'' ; ) is an Israeli Hebrew term for Jews who perceive and define themselves as neither strictly religious (''dati'') nor secular (''hiloni''). Their affinity is mai ...

, and his

Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

ancestry in the city goes back to the mid-19th century. He studied acting as an adolescent, but left school in the 1940s to enlist in the

Palmach The Palmach (Hebrew: , acronym for , ''Plugot Maḥatz'', "Strike Phalanges/Companies") was the elite combined strike forces and sayeret unit of the Haganah, the paramilitary organization of the Yishuv (Jewish community) during the period of th ...

. During the

1948 Arab-Israeli War Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

he escorted convoys to the besieged city of Jerusalem, and took part in naval battles.

Career

Thanks to his comic skills he was accepted to the Chizbatron, an IDF 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 ''Shirley Temple's Storybook'' is a 1958–61 American children's anthology series hosted and narrated by actress Shirley Temple. The series features adaptations of fairy tales like Mother Goose and other family-oriented stories performed by we ...

'' and ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (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 Marcel Marceau (; born Marcel Mangel; 22 March 1923 – 22 September 2007) was a French mime artist and actor most famous for his stage persona, "Bip the Clown". He referred to mime as the "art of silence", performing professionally worldwide ...

. He reached the peak of his international fame in the title role of ''Ha-Shoter Azoulay'' (literally, ''Officer Azoulay'', translated as ''

The Policeman ''The Policeman'' () is a 1971 Israeli feature film, written, directed and co-produced by satirist Ephraim Kishon. The touching protagonist `The Policeman Azoulay` is played by Shaike Ophir (credited as Shay K. Ophir), in what is considered one of ...

''), a film-vehicle by

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 a ...

which won a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

for Best Foreign-Language Film (1972) and was nominated for a Best Foreign Language

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

the same year. He also starred in other Ephraim Kishon films, including '' Ervinka,

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. The film is bas ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'', and the 1973

Moshé Mizrahi Moshé Mizrahi (; 5 September 1931 – 3 August 2018) was an Israeli film director. Biography He was born in Egypt, migrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1946, and studied filmmaking in France in 1950. He directed the Oscar-winning 1977 film '' Mad ...

film ''

Daughters, Daughters ''Daughters, Daughters'' () is a 1973 Israeli film directed by Moshé Mizrahi, who also co-wrote the screenplay. It was entered into the 1974 Cannes Film Festival. Plot Shabtai Alfandari ( Shaike Ophir) is a pure Sephardic Jerusalemite, father ...

''. In 1977 he starred opposite

Melanie Griffith Melanie Richards Griffith (born August 9, 1957) is an American actress. Born in Manhattan to actress Tippi Hedren, she was raised mainly in Los Angeles, where she graduated from the Hollywood Professional School at age 16. In 1975, 17-year-old ...

in '' The Garden''. In 1985, Ophir starred in a stage adaptation of

Janusz Korczak Janusz Korczak, the pen name of Henryk Goldszmit (22 July 1878 or 1879 – 7 August 1942), was a Polish Jewish pediatrician, educator, children's author and pedagogue known as ''Pan Doktor'' ("Mr. Doctor") or ''Stary Doktor'' ("Old Doctor"). He ...

's children's novel ''King Matt the First'', where he played seven different roles. The play was very successful and ran for three years. Over this period Ophir was diagnosed with lung cancer, to which he succumbed in 1987. Ophir was a theatrical director for

HaGashash HaHiver HaGashash HaHiver (, ''lit.'' The Pale Tracker) was an iconic Israeli comedy trio. It was also known as the ''Gashashim.'' Its three members were Yeshayahu Levi ("Shaike"), Yisrael Poliakov ("Poli") (deceased) and Gavriel "Gavri" Banai. Hist ...

. He also directed the Israeli movie ''Hamesh Ma'ot Elef Shahor'', and wrote the screenplay for 4 Israeli movies. He wrote and performed many sketches and comedy routines, many of which are still popular in Israel today. He also did a series of Arabic-instruction TV programs that ran through the 1980s. He also appeared in the

Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. Born in Oklahoma, Norris first gained fame when he won the amateur Middleweight Karate champion title in 1968, which he held for six consecutive years. H ...

film, ''

The Delta Force ''The Delta Force'' is a 1986 American action film starring Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin (in his final film appearance) as leaders of an elite group of Special Operations Forces personnel based on the real life U.S. Army Delta Force unit. Direc ...

''.

Memorial plaque to Shaike Ophir in Tel Aviv

Personal life

Ophir was married twice and had four children, two from each spouse. His daughter, Karin Ophir, is also an actress. Shaike Ophir, a heavy smoker, died from lung cancer on 17 August 1987 in Tel Aviv at the age of 58.

Filmography

*1956: ''B'Ein Moledet'' *1956: ''Ma'aseh B'Monit'' .... Soldier *1959: ''

'' (Season 4 Episode 27: "The Waxwork") .... Bourdette *1963: ''

El Dorado El Dorado () is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions � ...

'' .... Shneider *1964: ''Shemona B'Ekevot Ahat'' *1964: ''Hor B'Levana'' *1964: ''Dalia Vehamalahim'' *1966: ''Moishe Ventilator'' *1967: '' Ervinka'' .... The Sergeant *1968: ''Ha-Shehuna Shelanu'' *1969: ''

'' .... Police Officer *1971: ''

'' .... Constable Sergeant Abraham Azulai *1972: ''Shod Hatelephonim Hagadol'' *1973: ''

'' .... Sabbatai Alfandari *1973: ''The House on Chelouche Street'' .... Haim *1975: ''Yi'ihiyeh Tov Salmonico'' *1975: ''

Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of electricity, and insol ...

'' .... Moshe *1977: ''Hamesh Ma'ot Elef Shahor'' *1977: '' The Garden'' .... Avram *1977: ''Gonev Miganav Patoor'' *1977: '' Operation Thunderbolt'' .... Gadi Arnon *1978: ''Ha-Shu'al B'Lool Hatarnagalot'' .... Amitz Dolniker *1979: '' The Magician of Lublin'' .... Schmul *1979: ''Ta'ut Bamispar'' .... Superintendent Moshe Cohen *1985: ''

King Solomon's Mines ''King Solomon's Mines'' is an 1885 popular fiction, popular novel by the English Victorian literature, Victorian adventure writer and fable, fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. Published by Cassell and Company, it tells of an expedition through an ...

'' .... Kassam *1986: ''

'' .... Father Nicholas *1986: '' America 3000'' .... Lelz *1987: ''

Sleeping Beauty "Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...

'' .... Master Elf (final film role)

Awards and commemoration

The Israeli Film Academy award was renamed to the "Ophir Award" in his honor in 2004.

References

External links

*
Shaike Ophir, filmography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ophir, Shaike 1928 births 1987 deaths Male actors from Jerusalem Writers from Jerusalem Film people from Jerusalem Israeli male film actors Israeli male stage actors Israeli male television actors Israeli male comedians Israeli male dramatists and playwrights Israeli male screenwriters Israeli sketch comedians Israeli theatre directors Israeli film directors Israeli mimes Israeli military personnel of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War Jewish Israeli male actors Jewish Israeli comedians Jewish Israeli dramatists and playwrights Jewish Israeli screenwriters Ashkenazi Jews in Mandatory Palestine Palmach members Deaths from lung cancer in Israel Burials at Nahalat Yitzhak Cemetery 20th-century Israeli male actors 20th-century Israeli male writers 20th-century Israeli comedians 20th-century Israeli screenwriters 20th-century Israeli dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Israeli Jews