Born Meir Bikel in Vienna, Austria. Emigrated to Palestine (Israel) in his teens and made his stage debut in Tevye the Dairyman at the Habimah Theater in Tel Aviv. Following studies at Britain's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he made his London stage debut in 1948 and his first New York appearance in 1955. Since the early 1950s, starting with John Huston's THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951), he has played character parts in many British and American films, typically portraying foreigners. Bikel is also an established folk singer and guitarist and is active in New York City politics with the Greenwich Village Independent Democrats. He is a past president of Actors' Equity Association.  Nominated for Supporting Actor 1958: THE DEFIANT ONES 1 nomination