Theodore Bikel (1924-2015) Tribute List

Actor and folksinger Theodore Bikel died on July 21, 2015 at the age of 91. Bikel had many memorable roles in films, including a role in "The African Queen" and the film version of "My Fair Lady," but he was perhaps best known for his work on stage, where he created the role of Captain Von Trapp in "The Sound of Music" on Broadway and was well-known for his touring version of Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof."

As the quotes below demonstrate, Bikel could speak his mind on complicated issues and make his position clear without making the opposition into a caricature, a rare talent among people in the public eye. Here are ten vocabulary words from quotes by Theodore Bikel.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. muzzle
    prevent from speaking out
    I don't speak out because I am an actor nor will I keep silent because I am an actor. I respect my profession, but it endows me with no special privileges; but it also does not limit me or muzzle me. I am a person and a citizen with the attendant responsibilities of voice and vote.
  2. tome
    a large and scholarly book
    We Jews have a special attachment to the Book. The study of page after page in tomes yellowing with age was obligatory.
  3. abiding
    unceasing
    As an artist I have an even more abiding interest in the compact between the Arts and Government.
  4. epistemology
    the philosophical theory of knowledge
    Epistemology is the study of knowledge. By what conduit do we know what we know?
  5. conduit
    a passage through which water or electric wires can pass
    Epistemology is the study of knowledge. By what conduit do we know what we know?
  6. strive
    attempt by employing effort
    No doubt unity is something to be desired, to be striven for, but it cannot be willed into being by mere declarations.
  7. sectarian
    of or relating to a subdivision of a larger religious group
    What moves me is neither ethnocentric pride nor sectarian arrogance. I make no claim that Jewish culture is superior to other cultures. But it is mine.
  8. deprivation
    a state of extreme poverty
    By showing hunger, deprivation, starvation and brutality, as well as endurance and nobility, documentaries inform, prod our memories, even stir us to action. Such films do battle for our very soul.
  9. exceeding
    far beyond what is usual in magnitude or degree
    I'm exceedingly proud of being an actor, but I never recommend it to anyone.
  10. proficiency
    the quality of having great facility and competence
    I glory in the fact that a human being has multiple talents and exercises them all with a degree of integrity and artistic proficiency. That's what I do.
Created on Tue Jul 21 17:38:59 EDT 2015 (updated Tue Jul 21 19:18:41 EDT 2015)

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