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.

 

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Charles Bronson, Yaphet Kotto, and Peter Finch in Raid on Entebbe (1976)

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1975

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7.0

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6.7

technical advisor

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Soundtrack

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5.3

performer: "Setis command"

2006

 

Self

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8.7

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2005

 

Archive Footage

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Video

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2006

 

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Video

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2006