Reuven Bar-Yotam obit

Actor Reuven Bar Yotam ("Solomonico") has passed away

Actor Reuven Bar Yotam, who became famous when he wrote and starred in the successful 1972 film "Solomonico" and guest-starred in American series such as "Seinfeld" and "Shameless," has passed away at the age of 85.

 He was not on the list.

Actor Reuven Bar Yotam ("Solomonico") has passed away

Actor Reuven Bar Yotam, who became famous when he wrote and starred in the successful 1972 film "Solomonico" and guest-starred in American series such as "Seinfeld" and "Shameless," has passed away at the age of 85.

Actor and screenwriter Reuven Bar Yotam passed away today (Monday) at the age of 85 in a Los Angeles hospital. Bar Yotam is best remembered as the star of the 1972 film "Solomonico," which became a huge success in Israel. His son Nissan confirmed the news to Ynet: "My father was ambitious, smart and a good man. I had a good time with him in life, he was a good father. I said goodbye to him."

Bar Yotam was born in 1935 and grew up in Haifa to a family of Turkish origin. He began acting in theater as a teenager, and in the late 1960s he began appearing in films, in the films "He Walked in the Fields," "The Target Tiran," "The Canal in Leumilich" by Ephraim Kishon, and "Operation Jonathan" by Menachem Golan. In 1972, he achieved great success when he wrote (along with Eli Tavor) and starred in the film "Solomonico," which sold about 690,000 tickets in Israel. "Solomonico," directed by Alfred Steinhardt, is about a Tel Aviv porter who deals with the positive and negative aspects of the Israeli melting pot, and the generational gaps that emerge between him and his children. Bar Yotam starred in the role of the family patriarch, Solomonico, whom he based on the character of his real father.

The success of "Solomonico" continued throughout the 1970s, with Bar Yotam writing and starring in additional films such as "The Convincing Inc.", "Let's Blow a Million" with Yehuda Barkan, and the sequel "May Solomonico Be Well," which was also a great success among Israeli audiences.

In 1980, Bar Yotam left for the United States to work in the American film industry, and worked in various productions, mainly in small roles. He made guest appearances in the well-known series "Taxi", "Falcon Crest", "MacGyver", "LA Lawyers", "Murder by the Pen", and "Arlys". In 2016, he was also cast in the successful series "Shameless" alongside William H. Macy, in which he appeared in two episodes. Furthermore, Bar Yotam appeared in the films "Sadat" (1983) alongside Lou Ghost Jr. and John Rhys Davis, "Moon Over the Parador" by Paul Mazursky (1988) alongside Raoul Julia and Richard Dreyfuss, "The Favourite" (1989) alongside P. Murray Abraham, and "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" (2008) alongside Adam Sandler, John Turturro and Rob Schneider.

The pinnacle of Bar Yotam's American career is probably his appearance on the series "Seinfeld," where he guested several times in the 1990s. His most memorable appearance on the series is when he played a truck driver named Shlomo. "Seinfeld is my friend. I introduced him to Israel," he said in an interview with Ynet in 2016 , and went on to talk about the difficulties that the move to America brought him. "In Israel, I was a king, and here you can't get what you want... I was lucky. I have friends, and now they've called me to do 'Shameless.' I didn't expect it. George Burns played until he was over a hundred, so who knows."

Bar Yotam had three children, one of whom died of an illness a few years ago. Additionally, in 2016, Hila Levy Bar Yotam claimed in the documentary "My Little Birth" that she was the actor's daughter. Throughout the film, Bar Yotam denies her existence.

 

Actor

William H. Macy, Steve Howey, Cameron Monaghan, Shanola Hampton, Jeremy Allen White, Ethan Cutkosky, and Emma Kenney in Shameless (2011)

Shameless

8.5

TV Series

Pawnbroker

2016

2 episodes

 

Adam Sandler in You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)

You Don't Mess with the Zohan

5.6

Levi

2008

 

Arli$$ (1996)

Arli$$

7.1

TV Series

Igor (as Reuven Bar)

2002

1 episode

 

The Invisible Man (2000)

The Invisible Man

7.4

TV Series

Ukakdropov

2001

1 episode

 

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards in Seinfeld (1989)

Seinfeld

8.9

TV Series

Foreign GuyShlomo (as Reuven Bar)

1997–1998

2 episodes

 

James Garner and Stuart Margolin in The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise (1995)

The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise

7.2

TV Movie

Milovan D'Sant

1995

 

Rita Moreno in Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? (1994)

Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?

7.2

TV Series

(voice, as Rueven Bar Yotam)

1994

10 episodes

 

Heather Tom, Thorsten Kaye, and Katherine Kelly Lang in The Bold and the Beautiful (1987)

The Bold and the Beautiful

3.5

TV Series

Musar

1994

1 episode

 

Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote (1984)

Murder, She Wrote

7.3

TV Series

Chef Robert

1992

1 episode

 

The Famous Teddy Z (1989)

The Famous Teddy Z

7.0

TV Series

Mr. Karakon

1989

1 episode

 

F. Murray Abraham, Maud Adams, and Amber O'Shea in Intimate Power (1989)

Intimate Power

4.6

Algerian Captain

1989

 

Richard Dreyfuss and Sonia Braga in Moon Over Parador (1988)

Moon Over Parador

6.0

Menachem Fein

1988

 

Steal the Sky (1988)

Steal the Sky

5.6

TV Movie

Dr. Taupe (as Reuven Bar Yotam)

1988

 

L.A. Law (1986)

L.A. Law

7.1

TV Series

Joseph Ludlum (as Reuven Bar Yotam)

1987

1 episode

 

Denzel Washington, Ed Begley Jr., David Morse, Howie Mandel, Cynthia Sikes Yorkin, Ellen Bry, William Daniels, and Ed Flanders in St. Elsewhere (1982)

St. Elsewhere

8.0

TV Series

Nikos Papandrao

1986–1987

2 episodes

 

Tiffany Brissette in Small Wonder (1985)

Small Wonder

7.0

TV Series

Abdul

1987

1 episode

 

Richard Dean Anderson in MacGyver (1985)

MacGyver

7.6

TV Series

Krug (as Reuven Bar Yotam)

1987

1 episode

 

Nell Carter in Gimme a Break! (1981)

Gimme a Break!

6.5

TV Series

Mr. Pappalardo

1986

1 episode

 

Hail to the Chief (1985)

Hail to the Chief

6.9

TV Series

Nikita

1985

2 episodes

 

Falcon Crest (1981)

Falcon Crest

6.2

TV Series

Captain Alexis

1985

2 episodes

 

Mimi Rogers, Jim Varney, and Chad Everett in The Rousters (1983)

The Rousters

7.5

TV Series

Boris Trotsky

1984

1 episode

 

Getting Physical (1984)

Getting Physical

6.0

TV Movie

Jorgen

1984

 

Louis Gossett Jr. in Sadat (1983)

Sadat

6.4

TV Mini Series

Sibai

1983

2 episodes

 

Casablanca (1983)

Casablanca

5.5

TV Series

Ferrari

1983

5 episodes

 

Rock Hudson and Jack Scalia in The Devlin Connection (1982)

The Devlin Connection

6.2

TV Series

Hubert

1982

1 episode

 

Robert Clohessy, Michael Warren, and Bruce Weitz in Hill Street Blues (1981)

Hill Street Blues

8.2

TV Series

Mr. Popovich

1981

1 episode

 

Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner, Jeff Conaway, Tony Danza, Andy Kaufman, and Judd Hirsch in Taxi (1978)

Taxi

7.7

TV Series

Oumas

1981

1 episode

 

Masada (1981)

Masada

7.8

TV Mini Series

Butcher (as Reuben Bar Yotam)

1981

3 episodes

 

A Whale for the Killing (1981)

A Whale for the Killing

6.4

TV Movie

1981

 

Let's Blow a Million (1977)

Let's Blow a Million

6.3

1977

 

Operation Thunderbolt (1977)

Operation Thunderbolt

6.5

Avraham Ben-David

1977

 

The Father (1975)

The Father

6.5

Salamoniko

1975

 

The Persuader (1973)

The Persuader

7.1

1973

 

Salomonico (1972)

Salomonico

7.6

Salamoniko

1972

 

The Hero (1970)

The Hero

5.1

Menachem

1970

 

Hell Boats (1970)

Hell Boats

5.5

C.P.O. Yacov (as Reuven Bar Yotam)

1970

 

The Big Dig (1969)

The Big Dig

7.7

Foreman

1969

 

Sinai Commandos: The Story of the Six Day War (1968)

Sinai Commandos: The Story of the Six Day War

5.5

Pvt. Bulgaro (as Reuben Bar-Yotam)

1968

 

He Walked Through the Fields (1967)

He Walked Through the Fields

6.5

Zander

1967

 

Writer

Let's Blow a Million (1977)

Let's Blow a Million

6.3

Writer

1977

 

The Father (1975)

The Father

6.5

Writer

1975

 

The Persuader (1973)

The Persuader

7.1

writer

1973

 

Salomonico (1972)

Salomonico

7.6

Writer

1972

 

Self

Actors Entertainment (2009)

Actors Entertainment

7.5

TV Series

Self

2014

1 episode

 

Black White Film - History of the Bourekas Film in Israel (2011)

Black White Film - History of the Bourekas Film in Israel

TV Mini Series

Self

2011

3 episodes

 

Archive Footage

The Bigger Bubble (2025)

The Bigger Bubble

Self - Shlomo (Seinfeld) (archive footage)

2025