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Tevye is the protagonist of several of Sholom Aleichem's stories, originally written in Yiddish, most famously the fictional memoir Tevye and his Daughters, about a pious Jewish milkman in Tzarist Russia, and the troubles he has with his daughters (Tevye has six daughters — in the first story there is also mention of a seventh daughter. The six daughters are: Tzeitel, Hodel, Chava, Shprintze, Bielke and Teibel.). The story was adapted for stage and film several times, including several Yiddish-language musicals. Most famously, it was adapted as the Broadway musical and later film Fiddler on the Roof (but in "Fiddler," Tevye has only five daughters).

Tevye is both a tragic and a comic figure. By the end of each story, he has always experienced a mix of good and bad fortune. In good times he befriends the same gentile neighbors who assail him in bad times. Barely in the middle class himself, he is often mildly disdainful of those with a lesser social position. He sees himself through hard times by a quiet resignation and by recalling Talmudic or biblical quotations, usually rather garbled, and he is always true to his generous heart, even when reason tells him to do otherwise.

Zero Mostel and Chaim Topol are the two actors most associated with the role of Tevye. Mostel and Topol, both of whom had long played the role onstage, fought over the lead in the 1971 film version of Fiddler. The part ultimately went to Topol, as director Norman Jewison felt that Mostel's portrayal was too broadly comic.

Tevye is also the name of a 1939 film adaptation of Sholom Aleichem's story (also known as Tevya and Tevye der Milchiker, and Tevye the Milkman). It stars Maurice Schwartz, Miriam Riselle, Rebecca Weintraub, Paula Lubelski, Leon Liebgold, Vicki Marcus, Betty Marcus and Julius Adler. The movie was adapted by Marcy Klauber and Schwartz from the Sholom Aleichem play based on his own book. Schwartz also directed the film. The production is in Yiddish. The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

External links

• Tevye the Milkman at IMDb
• Tevye and His Seven Daughters at IMDb
  • (German TV movie)
• Fiddler on the Roof at IMDb
• ​Fiddler on the Roof​ at the Internet Broadway Database

References

• Liptzin, Sol, A History of Yiddish Literature, Jonathan David Publishers, Middle Village, NY, 1972, ISBN 0-8246-0124-6. 68-70.

• 1939 films
• Drama films
• Yiddish
• United States National Film Registry
• Yiddish literature
• Jewish film and theatre