The condition of the winner of the Israel Film Academy Award has deteriorated in recent days until doctors were forced to determine his death. • For about a month he fought for his life at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.
He died at the age of 75. Yehuda Barkan
Photography:
Coco
Actor and creator Yehuda Barkan passed away on the night between Friday and Saturday, after his medical condition deteriorated.
The news of his death was published online already during the day, but at the request of the family, it was officially published only at the end of Shabbat.
In September, Barkan contracted the corona virus and was hospitalized at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in a moderate and stable condition.
At the end of last month the family asked to pray for his well-being following a worsening of his condition.
Barkan is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Israeli Film Academy.
Upon his death he left behind two sons and two daughters from a previous marriage.
In recent years he has lived with his third wife in Moshav Beit Gamliel.
Only a few years ago, Barkan added the letter Alef to his family name. He was born in Netanya as Yehuda Yechezkel Berkovich. In the IDF, he served in the Combat Engineering Corps and continued his service in the Northern Command.
Upon his release, he joined the "Dizengoff Command" band, which was composed of veterans of a military band, alongside Edna Lev, Shashi Keshet, Arie Moscone, Tzila Dagan and others.
Beginning in the 1970s, Arkan built an entire career of comedy pranks, beginning with "The Little Prank Corner" which aired on the radio program "Hot and Delicious" edited and presented by Gadi Livna.
Barkan along with Moshik Timur, Shlomo Braba and others, performed a live phone prank.
Eventually, Barkan based his thriller films on it, which became an Israeli cinematic saga that was a success.
In 1980, he co-wrote and directed with Yigal Shilon the film "Your Life You Ate It."
Throughout his long career, especially in the ’70s and’ 80s, Barkan directed and starred in countless Borax and other films.
"Charlie and a Half", "Stolen Daddy" and "Snooker Celebration" became films that reached every home and over time took their place as an Israeli classic.
Yehuda Barkan with Mani Peer on "Stolen Father"
Yehuda Barkan's name appears in a long list of Israeli films.
The first film he starred in was "He Went to the Fields" from 1967 based on Moshe Shamir's book.
Barkan played the character of Lupo Abramovitch in the movie "Lupo" directed by Menachem Golan, was "Valentino" in the movie "The Big Break" and played the character of Eric alongside Gila Almagor in the immortal movie "Queen of the Road".
In the film "Katz and Carasso", one of the most watched films in the history of Israeli cinema, he starred as Carasso's glorious son.
He also appeared in the films "Let's Blow Up a Million", "Millionaire in Trouble", "Shoe Compote" and "Kiss in the MPC".
In 1993, he starred in the film "Looking for a Husband on All Fours" based on a script based on his idea, which was a box office failure and led to bankruptcy.
In 2011, he was convicted of tax evasion in the amount of NIS 1.6 million, and was sentenced to six months of community service and one year of probation and a fine.
With the rise of Channel 2 his suspense show got on stage with the show "Do Not Knock an Account" which went down shortly after, but over the years he continued to participate in TV series like "Another Family and a Half".
One of his best-remembered dramatic roles is Meir Rotenberg, the grandfather of Omri the Autistic Child, in the acclaimed series "Yellow Peppers" by Keren Margalit.
In 2017, Barkan starred in the TV drama series "Iron Dome" as the head of the Viznich Yeshiva.
Yehuda Barkan on "Love in Shlakes"
Influenced by the first Gulf War, Judah Barkan began the process of repentance.
In an interview with News 12, he said that it all started after a meeting with a pair of Chabad followers, who made it clear to him that the fact that 39 Scuds fell on the state and nothing happened to anyone is a matter of supreme supervision. In that interview, Barkan said his stay in Torah helped him greatly. Bankruptcy, as well as the hard days he went through when his son Roy was in jail for drug trafficking.
His conversion also influenced his artistic endeavors.
He went on to star in ultra-Orthodox films, including "Child's Heroism" and "Every Golden Jew," and embarked on a lecture tour called "Stolen Father in Heaven" in which he recounted the process of his conversion.
Yehuda Barkan, Hidden Camera, "The Matchmakers"
More than a year ago, he returned to the cinema screen when he played alongside actress Nitza Shaul, his girlfriend from the days of "Katz and Kerso," in the movie "Love in Shlakes" about late love.
"At this point I do not want to say anything. I pray for the well-being of my beloved friend and hope for good news," Shaul said when informed of his difficult situation.