Tzvi Shissel, an actor, writer, director and music producer best known for collaborating with Arik Einstein on a number of projects, died in Tel Aviv at the age of 75 on Wednesday.
Shissel was an integral part of what was known as the Lool gang, a group of artists that included Einstein and Uri Zohar. He appeared with them and wrote for the irreverent comedy/music 1970s television series Lool, which was later released as a movie. He acted alongside them in a number of classic Israeli movies, including Peeping Toms and Big Eyes.
In the 1970 film, Shablul (Snail) by Boaz Davidson, ostensibly a documentary about Einstein and Shalom Hanoch making the album of the same title, but which included comedy sketches as well, he appeared as himself. In a scene that many consider one of the highlights of Israeli comedy, he played an increasingly befuddled student who takes a karate lesson from a Yiddish-speaking, homosexual instructor played by Zohar.
He produced a number of Einstein’s albums, including Sa Le’at (Drive Slowly), and in the beloved title song, Einstein addresses a friend named Tzvi riding in the car with him, and it was clear that he was referring to Shissel.
He also had a directing career, in Israel and abroad, for both movies and television. He directed the final Einstein sketch-and-song movie, Cables, in 1992 and also helmed the final installment in the Lemon Popsicle series 20 years ago. In the early ’80s he made commercials in the US and worked for the Cannon Group run by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.
In recent years, he acted in a number of television shows, including Hanahala (The Endowment), and the movies Hunting Elephants, Kicking Out Shoshana and Apples from the Desert.
As the legacy of the Lool gang was reevaluated in today’s political climate, he spoke in a recent television interview about the Peeping Toms mural at a Tel Aviv beach which was painted as a tribute to the movie, but which was removed because it is now considered offensive. He said that while making the movie, they had not meant to hurt anyone.
Culture and Sport Minister Chili Tropper praised Shissel: “Tzvi Shissel, was an exceptional Israeli director and actor with rare talent. His fingerprints and works remain in the hearts of many Israelis who know how to quote many great lines he created. Shissel has a place of honor in Israeli culture. May his memory be blessed.”
Many Israeli entertainment figures, among them musician Aviv Geffen and director Yuval Adler, eulogized Shissel.
Musician Miki Gavrilov, who composed “Sa Le’at,” gave him a tribute on Twitter by tweeting the famous lyrics from this song that mention him: “‘Tzvi says rains like this harm agriculture... Tzvi says his head is cold, close the window... Tzvi says it’s hard for him to breathe and he’s out of his drops... Tzvi says they’ve discovered a star where there is life... and I think, I think of you...’ I already miss you.”