Since we reported the death of famed Israeli Producer Menachem Golan yesterday, a growing list of people in Israel’s entertainment industry have voiced their sadness and condolences in addition to the states.

Golan has been called the founder of Israeli cinema by the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Several actors say they owe their careers to Menachem. One of them was Yehoram Gaon. He became known throughout the country for his role in the 1973 film, Kazablan. “I always said he’d die on set, between cameras, among the lighting and set design, among his actors,” Gaon said. “That was the most fitting place for him because it was 90 percent of his life.” Golan’s film Operation Thunderbolt, which starred Gaon, earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1978.

Yoram Globus, Golan’s cousin and cinematic partner of 28 years, says that their family tells them that they complete each other. “Although we separated after Cannon broke apart, we worked together again over the last several years,” Globus said, “and the love between us was never once interrupted.” Their complex relationship became a documentary, called, “The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films.” the last Cannes Festival featured a screening of it.

Before returning to Israel, Golan had great success in Hollywood. Together with Globus, the two created Cannon Group. The company produced films such as Delta Force and Missing in Action. The company and its films helped launch the careers of Charles Bronson, Sylvester Stallone, and Chuck Norris.

A public viewing was held today at the Tel Aviv Cinemateque before his funeral. Golan collapsed outside of his home in Tel Aviv on Friday, and never regained consciousness. He was 85 years old.