| Gideon Singer | |
| Native Name: | גדעון זינגר |
| Native Name Lang: | Hebrew |
| Birth Name: | Harry Singer |
| Birth Date: | 29 June 1926 |
| Birth Place: | Brno, Czechoslovakia |
| Death Place: | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Yearsactive: | 1949–2015 |
Gideon Singer (Hebrew: גדעון זינגר; June 29, 1926 – May 11, 2015) was an Israeli actor and singer.[1]
Born in Brno, Singer emigrated with his family from Czechoslovakia to Israel in 1940 and he was a survivor of the Patria shipwreck. Singer lived in Tel Aviv where he started singing as well as learning to play the violin and he also worked as a diamond polisher during his youth. After passing adolescence, Singer served in the Palmach where he also participated in the Chizbatron mainly during the late 1940s and early 1950s and he was also a member of a satire singing group along with Yaakov Ben-Sira, Shimon Bar and Reuven Shefer.[2]
After appearing twice in the Israel Song Festival, Singer appeared frequently at the Habima Theatre, the Cameri Theatre and the Beersheba Theatre and appeared in stage adaptations of The Threepenny Opera, Twelfth Night and numerous musical productions. His success on-stage led him to star in European and Broadway theatre productions as well. On films, Singer had notable roles in One Pound Only, I Like Mike and Blaumilch Canal. His television appearances include Delet Haksamim and he was the Hebrew voice of Mr. Owl in Fabeltjeskrant.[3]
In 1983, following his dismissal from the Habima Theatre, Singer moved to Austria and had lived in Vienna since 1987.[4] He found professional opportunities on stage and screen and he heavily contributed to the Theater in der Josefstadt.[5] He made his international cameo appearance in the 2015 film Woman in Gold. This was his final film before his death. Singer returned to Israel occasionally. His most notable visit was during his 80th birthday.
Singer was married twice. From his first marriage, he had four children. His son, Joel is a lawyer who served as a legal adviser to the Israeli Foreign Minister during the Oslo Accords. He married Shira Singer ten years before his death.
On May 11, 2015, at the age of 88, Singer died at Ichilov Hospital due to complications from heart surgery he had prior to leaving Austria.[6] He was buried at Yarkon Cemetery.[7]