Global Courant 2023-04-15 13:27:08
Israeli actor Tool was an international film star celebrated for roles including milkman Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof and Bond villain-turned-collaborator Milos Columbo in For Your Eyes Only.
Now, his family have said that, between acting gigs, he worked as a secret Mossad agent, living a secret double life of “adventure and courage.”
The actor died last month aged 87, and his family have spoken to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, saying Topol used his London home as a base from where he targeted embassies, airports and airlines of his country’s Arab enemies.
They told the paper that Topol’s extra-curricular activities once saw him bugging an Arab country’s embassy using the flat next door, and pretending to be a dental patient to cover for drilling noise.
His son Omer said: “I don’t know exactly what the appropriate definition is for the missions and duties he performed.
“But what is clear is that Dad was involved in secret missions on behalf of the Mossad.
“His status in those years was that of an international star, and he could go anywhere he wanted.
“He had the ability to deliver documents and take pictures without anyone questioning anything.
“But he was no James Bond or anything like that!”
During his long career, Topol appeared in more than 30 films in Israel and the United States, including Gallileo (1975), Flash Gordon (1980), and For Your Eyes Only (1981).
He is best known for his portrayal of Tevye, the lead role in the stage musical Fiddler on the Roof and the 1971 film adaptation, performing this role more than 3,500 times from 1967 through 2009.
