Meir Margalit

Meir Margalit was born in 1906 in Ostrołęka

Margalit was born on 3 May 1906 in Ostrołęka, Poland, and grew up in a Zionist home. He began acting in his home town at the age of 13. In 1922 he moved to Mandate Palestine with the Hechalutz movement.

He first worked in construction in Tel Aviv and Rishon LeZion and in farming in Hadera. He then joined the Jerusalem unit of Gdud HaAvoda and worked in a quarry.

In 1925 he entered the Ohel Theater drama school under Moshe Halevi, and in 1929 he joined its cast. He was known for comic roles, above all Schweik, which opened on 22 December 1935. At the end of World War II he toured to perform for Jewish soldiers in the British Army, Holocaust survivors in Italy and detainees in the camps in Cyprus.

In 1961 he appeared in Ephraim Kishon's comedy Ha'ketubah. After a short time at Habima he returned to Ohel and acted there until it closed in 1969. In 1964 he played Noah Simchon in the film Simchon Family.

His last stage work was Where is the Land of Israel? by Ada Ben Nachum in 1972 and 1973. He died on 30 January 1974 and was buried in Kiryat Shaul cemetery in Tel Aviv. A street in Tel Aviv is named after him.