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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.

-Theodore Bikel

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I Don't Speak Out

Theodore Bikel

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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.

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In My World, History Comes Down To Language And Art.

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No Heirloom Of Humankind Captures The Past As Do Art And Language.

Despite A Large Body Of Work In Films, Tv, Theatre And Concerts, I Am Viewed By Many As A Jewish Artist. I Do Not Resent The Label, Except For The Fact That I Disapprove Of Labels In General.

I'm Exceedingly Proud Of Being An Actor, But I Never Recommend It To Anyone.

An Actor Is Supposed To Emulate Life. Instead, Alas, Many Are Imitating Other Actors. You Don't Fashion Your Knowledge Of Theatre Or Your Approach To A Role On The Basis Of What Other Actors Have Done. This Kind Of Thinking Is A Great Danger, Especially In Dealing With Tv Producers Who Frequently Say Things Like, 'this Is A Sean Connery Type.'

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I Am Not A Specialist But A General Practitioner In The World Of The Arts.

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Retiring' - Within That Word Is 'tiring,' And I'm Not Tired. I Don't Believe In Retirement, Really.

For I Firmly Believe That Jewish Life, Indeed Any Communal Life, Can Only Be Organized According To Democratic Principles.

Must We Be Put To Shame By Much Smaller And Poorer Countries, By Ireland, France, Austria Or Sweden, Who Have Understood That A Nation's Support Of Its Arts Is A Matter Of Both National Pride And Cultural Survival?

But, When I Toil In The Field Of Jewish Culture Which I Frequently Do, I Am Indeed A Jewish Artist.

I Refuse To Do Shows That Are Narrowly Constructed, That Appeal To Only One Sentiment. I Do A Lot Of Jewish Material In Front Of Non-jews And A Lot Of Non-jewish Material In Front Of Jews On The Simple Theory That The Non-jews Are Entitled To A Glimpse Of A Jewish World And The Jews Are Entitled To A Glimpse Of The World.

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.

Accents. I'm Very Good With Accents. I'm Exceedingly Good.

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If I Have One Vanity Wish, It Would Be To Direct. It's The Only Thing I Haven't Done Yet That I Would Like To.

I Created The Role Of Captain Von Trapp.

I Tried For A While To Be An Agricultural Worker And Was Hopelessly Bored. To Me It Was Meaningless. I Would Stand Around In Heaps Of Manure And Sings About The Beauty Of The Work I Wasn't Doing.

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