Dudu Topaz

Dudu Topaz, 2006

Dudu Topaz (also: Dudu Topas or Doudou Topaz ; born September 20, 1946 in Haifa as David Goldenberg ; † August 20, 2009 in Ramla ) was an Israeli actor , television presenter , talk show host and entertainer , a colorful, ambivalent, eccentric personality and too Known in his prime as the king of the audience in Israel.

Life

After his military service, Dudu Topaz studied acting in London and on his return took roles at the theater in Haifa and toured the country with various shows. He had his first TV presence as an English teacher as part of an educational program. In the 1980s he was a frequent TV host on the first public television channel and the central figure in several successful stage comedy shows.

In 1981 Dudu Topaz gained notoriety when he made very derogatory comments on Oriental Jews during a conference of the Israeli Workers' Party. As a result, he was practically avoided by everyone and banned from all television and radio channels for almost three years. He used the time to develop new, successful comedy shows.

In the 1990s he hosted the popular Friday night "Raschut-Habidur" (English: "King of Entertainment") show, which ran on the second private television channel until 2004 and was one of the most-watched entertainment programs in the country . He developed a very close and emotional bond with his audience, was highly regarded and enjoyed great trust. He was also considered the sexiest man in Israel at the time . At the same time, he was extremely self-indulgent, fearful and vulnerable, and reacted aggressively and unpredictably to the slightest criticism. In 1995, he attacked TV critic Meir Schnitzer, injured him and broke his glasses - in response to an unfavorable review. He was also known as a drug user in the late 1990s. In 2002, Dudu Topaz bit the Argentine telenovela star Natalia Oreiro on the arm. Criticized for these and other known sexist attacks and assaults, he showed no remorse.

After the successful "Raschut-Habidur-Show" ended in 2004, Dudu Topaz still acted as a presenter of various shows on various channels, but announced in May 2007 that he would henceforth devote himself to acting and documentary film.

Relegation, arrest and death

For many years, Dudu Topaz was a nationally known and very popular figure in Israel. After his successful show ran out in 2004, he succeeded less and less in achieving success on television. After all, he could no longer gain access to television at all, despite countless attempts and ever new proposals for different TV formats that he tried to place on competing broadcasters. Not only were these suggestions rejected, but also his offers to write guest columns for various newspapers. The persistent failure led him to seek refuge in illegal means, so he hired, among other things, thugs from mafia-like structures that were supposed to put various TV officials under pressure to re-engage him and allow him access to television again. As a result, TV directors and producers Avi Nir and Shira Margalit as well as Boaz Ben-Zion, a TV show agent, were the target of attacks in 2008: They were not only threatened with death on the phone, but also knocked down by strangers and sometimes seriously injured. There is also said to have been an order to destroy Shira Margalit's face with acid. He had already planned attacks on other television stars that he blamed for his downfall.

In May 2009, Dudu Topaz was arrested by Israeli police and sent to Abu Kabir Prison in Tel Aviv , where he attempted to commit suicide in the cell with insulin in June . The authorities failed to prevent the suicide a second time : at the Nitzan Detention Center in Ramla, where Dudu Topaz had meanwhile been transferred while preparing for his trial, he was seen by a guard on August 20, 2009 at around 7:00 a.m. Found dead in a shower cubicle - the only room without video surveillance. There he had hanged himself with the electric cable of a boiler while sitting on the fittings of the shower.

Just one day after his violent death, Dudu Topaz was buried in the Hayarkon Cemetery in Tel Aviv, attended by hundreds of people. He leaves three sons and a brother.

Web links

Commons : Dudu Topaz  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Dudu Topaz in the Internet Movie Database (English)