Fiddler on the Roof actor Theodore Bikel dies

Theodore Bikel, best known for his role as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, has died in Los Angeles aged 91, his agent has said.

First taking the role in 1967, Bikel went on to play Tevye more than 2,000 times on Broadway.

He created the stage role of Captain von Trapp in the original 1959 Broadway production of The Sound of Music.

A prominent film actor, he starred in over 150 films including The African Queen and My Fair Lady.

In 1958 he was nominated for an Oscar for his role as Sheriff Max Muller in The Defiant Ones.

Born in Vienna, he fled with his family to Palestine after the Nazi annexation of Austria in 1938. He went on to study drama in London before moving to the United States.

Bikel with his Sound of Music co-star Renee Guerin in 1960

As well as acting, he was an accomplished folk musician. He recorded songs in over 20 languages.

He died of "natural causes", according to his spokesman Harlan Boll.

Bikel is survived by his wife, Aimee Ginsburg, sons Rob and Danny Bikel, and stepsons Zeev and Noam Ginsburg.

David Willis, BBC News, Los Angeles

Famous for playing either Russians or Germans because of his talent with accents, Theodore Bikel was also one of the most versatile actors of his generation.

Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote the song Edelweiss for him to sing in the stage version of The Sound of Music - that performance earned him a Tony award nomination.

After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, he graduated from understudy to play opposite Vivian Leigh in a Streetcar Named Desire directed by Laurence Olivier.

He combined theatre work with guest appearances in such TV staples as Mission Impossible, Hawaii Five-O, Charlie's Angels and Ironside.

He also became well known in later life for playing the adopted father of the Klingon "Worf" in Star Trek: The Next Generation.