Sefi Rivlin

Sefi Rivlin
Born	Yosef Rivlin (1947-11-07)November 7, 1947 Nahalat Yehuda,Mandatory Palestine
Died	December 3, 2013(2013-12-03)(aged 66) Ramat Gan,Israel
Occupation(s)	Actor,comedian
Spouse	Rina Rivlin
Children	4

Yosef "Sefi" Rivlin(Hebrew:ספי ריבלין;November 7, 1947 – December 3, 2013) was an Israeli actor and comedian.

He was best known for his roles in the satire showNikui Rosh( "Clear Your Head" ), the children’s programRega im Dodley( "A Moment with Dodley" ) and its spin-offBaBayit shel Fistuk( "At Fistuk's Home" ).

Personal life and death

Yosef "Sefi" Rivlin born and grew up in Nahalat Yehuda (present-dayRishon LeZion). He born to theRivlinfamily. He studied acting at theBeit ZviSchool for the Performing Arts. He was married to Rina, with whom he had four children.

Rivlin was diagnosed withlaryngeal cancerin 2007. In 2010, he announced that he was cured, but in 2012, he underwent further treatment that left him unable to speak.He died inSheba Medical CenterinRamat Ganat the age of 66 although rumors of his death began to circulate earlier, after the death of Israeli singerArik Einstein.A memorial ceremony held atHabimah TheaterinTel Avivon the morning of the funeral was attended by a large crowd of Israeli entertainers and politicians. Rivlin was buried in the old cemetery of Rishon LeZion.

Acting career

Rivlin's acting debut was in 1973, when he appeared at theKhan TheaterinJerusaleminServant of Two Masters,directed by the British-born director Mike Alfreds.He played the part of theArchie Bunkercharacter onItche- the Israeli version ofAll in the Family- and starred in the seriesSefi,an Israeli version of Britain'sMr. Bean.He acted in musicals and often emceed children's festivals.Rivlin appeared on the long-running comedy showZehu Ze!.In the 1980s and 1990s, he appeared in a number of films, including directorAvi Nesher'sHaSodot.

Sports career

Sefi Rivlin

Personal information
Full name	Yosef (Sefi) Rivlin
Youth career
	Hapoel Rishon LeZion F.C.
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1962–1969	Hapoel Rishon LeZion F.C.
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He enrolled in the youth football club ofHapoel Rishon LeZion F.C.and later on played in the senior side from 1962 until 1969.

Political activism

A supporter of theLikudparty, he appeared in advertisements for the party in the 1984 national elections. He briefly served on the Rishon LeZion City Council.In 2008, he ran in theprimariesto determine the Likud list for theEighteenth Knesset,but was placed in an unrealistic place on the list.

Awards and recognition

Rivlin won the Israeli Television Academy award.In 2002, he won the Golden Mask prize for lifetime achievement.

A Jerusalem Post columnist who interviewed him said: "Watching him is very simply an audience with a comic artist - hour after hour, he creates comedy. In person, he is much funnier than he is on TV. Face to face, his bug eyes and mugging and comic airs, and, above all, his nonstop improvisatory ability, are explosively funny."

Upon the news of Rivlin's death, Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahucalled Rivlin a “friend and companion” and a "beloved artist who made generations of Israelis laugh with his witty humor.”

Personal life

Rivlin lived in Nahalat Yehuda, a workers'moshavthat became a neighborhood inRishon LeZionin 1988. His wife was Rina (née Nathan) and they have three daughters and a son. After Rivlin's death, Adi Zino, the daughter of actress Effi Ben Israel, claimed that Rivlin was her biological father.

See also

• Television in Israel
• Culture of Israel

External links

• Sefi RivlinatIMDb