Aharon Ipalé obit

Aharon Ipalé Dies: ‘The Mummy’ Actor Was 74

 

He was not on the list.

Aharon Ipalé, the Morocco-born actor whose 50-year career stretched from early 1960s soap operas to Ray Donovan but is perhaps best remembered as the Pharaoh in the Brendan Fraser-starring Mummy franchise, has died at his home in Israel. The 74-year-old actor’s death was confirmed by his manager Susan Ferris.

With 1960s appearances on Search for Tomorrow and General Hospital, Ipalé later had roles in 1971’s Fiddler on the Roof and the 1974 mini-series Moses the Lawgiver. He became a frequent presence on TV for the next several decades, with appearances on comedies (One Day at a Time, The Love Boat) and dramas (Hawaii Five-O, Wise Guy, Miami Vice to Alias and Ray Donovan).

Apalé’s feature credits include 2007’s Charlie Wilson’s War and 1987’s Ishtar, but he’s probably most known for Universal Pictures’ The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001), in which he played the Pharaoh Seti.

“For the past 15 years I have had the honor, and the pleasure, of working with Aharon Ipalé,” said manager Ferris. “We are deeply saddened by his loss. In 2012, Ipalé had moved back to Israel to be with his family and work on film and TV projects from there. The film and TV world has gotten smaller and smaller, with projects being filmed all over the world, so his decision to move out of Hollywood made no impact on his continuing to work regularly. The entertainment industry has lost a true titan today, whose work will live on for years to come. Aharon Ipalé will be missed by us all.”

Ferris said she learned of the actor’s death today. No cause of death has been released.

Ipalé was born in Morocco on December 27, 1941. He arrived in present-day Israel with his family when he was just two years old as part of the early migration of Moroccan Jews to Israel. Ipalé enrolled in a theater school in London following his service in the Israeli Army.

He began his acting career by appearing in British television series and theater productions, including the television mini-series, Christ Recrucified, in which he played the title role of Jesus Christ.

Ipalé was cast as Joshua in the 1973–1974 British mini-series, Moses the Lawgiver, which starred Burt Lancaster as Moses. His work in Moses the Lawgiver earned attention from Hollywood and led to his later work in the United States. His American television credits during the 1970s and 1980s included Hawaii Five-O, Wonder Woman, Dynasty, Kojak, The Love Boat, Knight Rider, MacGyver, Miami Vice and Charlie's Angels. In Knight Rider, he played the role of Durant, the man who killed Michael Knight's fiance Stephanie Maison, at the ceremony of his wedding, in the season four episode, "Scent of Roses".

In 1985, Ipalé appeared in the British dramatic film, The Shooting Party, which starred James Mason and John Gielgud. That same year, Ipalé appeared in the Israeli film, Gesher Tzar Me’od (1985). Two years later, he co-starred in the 1987 film, Ishtar, which was a notorious critical and box-office failure. More recently, Ipalé was best known for his recurring role as Pharaoh Seti I in The Mummy and its sequel, The Mummy Returns, both of which were directed by Stephen Sommers. In 2007, he appeared in Charlie Wilson's War.

Ipalé returned to Israel around 2012 after decades residing and working in London and Los Angeles. However, he was unable to recreate the professional success in Israel that he had enjoyed abroad. 

 

Filmography

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1970      Madron                Singer   Uncredited

1971      Fiddler on the Roof          Sheftel

1972      Innocent Bystanders       Gabrilovitch       

1976      Raid on Entebbe               Major David Grut             TV movie

1977      Too Hot to Handle           Domingo De La Torres   

1978      The Immigrants                 Joseph Lavetta

1978      Hawaii Five-O    Rashid   Episode: My Friend, the Enemy"

1979      The Concorde ... Airport '79         French Reporter              

1980      The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood         Raul      

1980      Xanadu                 Photographer   

1982      Who Dares Wins               Malek   

1985      Gesher Tzar Me'od (On Narrow Bridge) Unknown           

1985      The Shooting Party          Sir Reuben Hergesheimer            

1987      Ishtar    Emir Yousef       

1988      Vibes     Alejandro De La Vivar    

1989      One Man Out     General               

1991      Eye of the Widow             Soltaneh             

1993      American Ninja V              Dr. Strobel         

1993      Son of the Pink Panther General Jaffar   

1993      Invisible: The Chronicles of Benjamin Knight         Petroff

1999      The Mummy      Pharaoh Seti I   

2001      The Mummy Returns     

2006      The Ten Commandments: The Musical    Seti       

2007      Charlie Wilson's War       Egyptian Defense Minister          

2013      The Bible             Pharaoh               TV Mini-Series documentary

2016      The Promise       Dr. Nazim            (final film role)