MoviesMr. Bikel made his film debut in The African Queen (1951) concurrently with his career on the London stage. This was followed by a number of roles in British and films shot in England and on the Continent. In America his motion picture career encompassed such varying roles as the French general in The Pride and the Passion, the Russian Colonel in Fraülein, the psychiatrist in I Want To Live and the Southern Sheriff in The Defiant Ones which earned him an Academy Award nomination.

Other film roles followed: The impresario and owner of The Blue Angel, the Hungarian language expert (‘the hairy hound from Budapest’) in MyFair Lady, the submarine captain in The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, the Indian doctor in The Sands of the Kalahari, the American folklorist in My Side of the Mountain, the Greek collaborator in The Angry Hills, the philosopher pal in Darker Than Amber , the Dutch sea captain in The Little Ark, the rock group manager in Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels, among many others.

In all, Mr. Bikel has appeared in over thirty motion pictures. In recent years his film engagements have been fewer (given scheduling constraints due to concert and theatre bookings.) He did appear in Alan Pakula’s See You in the Morning , Wolfgang Peterson’s Shattered, Crisis in the Kremlin, Benefit of the Doubt, a remake of Crime and Punishment, and Shadow Conspiracy.

 Very recently a documentary film was completed that chronicles the work and lives of the musical quartet Theodore Bikel is part of. The quartet goes by the name of Serendipity 4 (the other members are Tamara Brooks, Merima Kljuço and Shura Lipovsky.) The film was produced and directed by Michele Noble and is entitled JOURNEY – FOUR ARTISTS.

In addition, the filmmaker Michele Noble is separately working on a film biography of Theodore Bikel, the man, the actor, the musician, the activist.

As is evident from the array of film roles, Theodore Bikel is not only a gifted actor but an accomplished linguist and dialectician as well. He speaks seven languages and masters innumerable dialects.

Motion Pictures (in chronological order):

  • The African Queen (1951)
  • Desparate Moment (1951)
  • Moulin Rouge (1951)
  • Melba (1952)
  • A Day to Remember (1953)
  • The Colditz Story (1953)
  • Never Let Me Go (1953)
  • The Love Lottery (1953)
  • The Little Kidnappers (1953)
  • Forbidden Cargo (1954)
  • The Vintage (1957)
  • I Bury the Living (1957)
  • The Pride and the Passion (1957)
  • The Enemy Below (1957)
  • Fraülein (1958)
  • The Defiant Ones (1958) [Academy Award Nomination in the Best Supporting Category]
  • I Want To Live (1958)
  • Dog of Flanders (1958)
  • A Woman Obsessed (1959)
  • The Blue Angel (1959)
  • The Angry Hills (1959)
  • My Fair Lady (1964)
  • The Sands of the Kalahari (1965)
  • The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (1965)
  • The Desperate Ones (1966)
  • Sweet November (1967)
  • My Side of the Mountain (1967)
  • Darker Than Amber (1969)
  • The Little Ark (1970)
  • 200 Motels (1971)
  • Prince Jack (1983)
  • Very Close Quarters (1985)
  • Dark Tower (1987)
  • See You in the Morning (1989)
  • Shattered (1991)
  • Crisis in the Kremlin (1992)
  • Benefit of the Doubt (1992)
  • Family Jewels (1992)
  • Crime and Punishment (1993)
  • Shadow Conspiracy (1995)
  • Second Chances (1997)