![Tuvia Tzafir [R] in a theater show meant for children (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)](https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_537,w_822/455506 "Tuvia Tzafir [R] in a theater show meant for children")
Actor Tuvia Tzafir, 74-years-old, was reported on Friday night to have the novel coronavirus. The actor is reported to be at home and to be under medical care there.
Tzafir is well known in Israel for his long career during which he was a popular entertainer, famous for his ability to mimic voices, a children-oriented actor and also in high-brow roles in television and theater shows meant for adults.
When the 1993 Disney film Aladdin was released it was clear that his talent is Israel’s answer to the versatility that the late Robin Williams brought to the role of the supernatural wish-granting genie.
While this is the first case of an Israeli actor to reportedly be infected with COVID-19, the virus has infected US actor Tom Hanks and British actor Idris Elba.