The Most Famous

ACTORS from Israel

This page contains a list of the greatest Israeli Actors. The pantheon dataset contains 13,578 Actors, 24 of which were born in Israel. This makes Israel the birth place of the 33rd most number of Actors behind Norway, and Taiwan.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Israeli Actors of all time. This list of famous Israeli Actors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Israeli Actors.

1. Gal Gadot (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 67.16, Gal Gadot is the most famous Israeli Actor. Her biography has been translated into 83 different languages on wikipedia.

Gal Gadot Varsano (née Gadot; Hebrew: גל גדות, pronounced [ˈɡal ɡaˈdot]; born 30 April 1985) is an Israeli actress and model. She portrayed Gisele Yashar in Fast & Furious (2009), a part she reprised in five sequels. Gadot achieved global stardom for her portrayal of Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe films (2016–2023), including Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Wonder Woman, Justice League (both 2017), and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). She has since starred in the Netflix action-comedy film Red Notice (2021) and the mystery film Death on the Nile (2022). Gadot was included on the list of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time in 2018, and has placed twice in annual rankings of the world's highest-paid actresses.

2. Natalie Portman (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 62.96, Natalie Portman is the 2nd most famous Israeli Actor. Her biography has been translated into 110 different languages.

Natalie Hershlag (Hebrew: נטע-לי הרשלג; born (1981-06-09)June 9, 1981), known professionally as Natalie Portman, is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career from her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving multiple accolades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Portman began her acting career at age twelve, when she starred as the young protégée of a hitman in the action film Léon: The Professional (1994). While in high school, she made her Broadway debut in a 1998 production of The Diary of a Young Girl and gained international recognition for starring as Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). From 1999 to 2003, Portman attended Harvard University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She reduced her number of acting roles, but continued to act in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (2002, 2005) and in The Public Theater's 2001 revival of Anton Chekhov's play The Seagull. In 2004, Portman was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and won a Golden Globe for playing a mysterious stripper in the romantic drama Closer. Portman's career further advanced with her starring roles as Evey Hammond in V for Vendetta (2005), Anne Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), and a troubled ballerina in the psychological thriller Black Swan (2010), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She starred in the romantic comedy No Strings Attached (2011) and portrayed Jacqueline Kennedy in the biopic Jackie (2016), which earned her a third Academy Award nomination. Portman has also featured as Jane Foster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero films Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), which established her as one of the world's highest-paid actresses. Co-founding the production company MountainA in 2021, Portman produced and starred in the drama May December (2023). Portman's directorial ventures include the short film Eve (2008) and the biographical drama A Tale of Love and Darkness (2015). She is a dual citizen of Israel and the United States, and an advocate for animal rights and environmental causes. She was married to dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied from 2012 to 2024, with whom she has two children.

3. Haya Harareet (1931 - 2021)

With an HPI of 56.61, Haya Harareet is the 3rd most famous Israeli Actor. Her biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Haya Harareet (Hebrew: חיה הררית) (20 September 1931 – 3 February 2021) was an Israeli actress and screenwriter. One of her major film roles was playing Esther, Ben Hur's love interest in the 1959 Hollywood-made film Ben-Hur.

4. Chaim Topol (1935 - 2023)

With an HPI of 56.22, Chaim Topol is the 4th most famous Israeli Actor. His biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Chaim Topol (Hebrew: חיים טופול; September 9, 1935 – March 8, 2023), mononymously known as Topol, was an Israeli actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Tevye, the lead role in the stage musical Fiddler on the Roof and the 1971 film adaptation, performing this role more than 3,500 times from 1967 through 2009. Topol began acting during his Israeli army service as a member of the Nahal entertainment troupe. He later toured Israel with kibbutz theatre and satirical theatre companies. He was a co-founder of the Haifa Theatre. His breakthrough film role came in 1964 as the title character in Sallah Shabati, by Israeli writer Ephraim Kishon, for which he won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer—Male. Topol went on to appear in more than 30 films in Israel and the United States, including Galileo (1975), Flash Gordon (1980), and For Your Eyes Only (1981). He was described as Israel's only internationally recognized entertainer from the 1960s through the 1980s. He won a Golden Globe for Best Actor and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his 1971 film portrayal of Tevye, and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor for a 1991 Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof. Topol was a founder of Variety Israel, an organization serving children with special needs, and Jordan River Village, a year-round camp for Arab and Jewish children with life-threatening illnesses, for which he served as chairman of the board. In 2015 he was awarded the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement.

5. Daliah Lavi (1942 - 2017)

With an HPI of 55.68, Daliah Lavi is the 5th most famous Israeli Actor. Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Daliah Lavi (born Daliah Lewinbuk or Levenbuch, Hebrew: דליה לביא [ˌdalja laˈvi]; 12 October 1942 – 3 May 2017) was an Israeli actress, singer, and model. Daliah Lewinbuk (or Levenbuch) was born in Haifa, British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel). Her mother Ruth Klammer was born in Breslau, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland) to Theodor Hermann Klammer and Gertrud Klammer and was of German-Jewish descent. Her father Reuben was born in Belarus to Yosef Lewinbuk and Michla Levine of Russian-Jewish descent. The family surname is Lewinbuk (or Levenbuch). Daliah met Kirk Douglas when she was 10 years old. Kirk Douglas was in Israel in order to film The Juggler. Daliah told him that she would like to be a dancer. Douglas helped persuade her parents to send her to Stockholm, Sweden to study ballet. Daliah was not suited to the climate. Daliah gave up dancing, and she returned to Israel in order to be a model. A cheesecake photo of Daliah Lavi, while she was adjusting her bikini after it broke while at a Rio de Janeiro swimming pool, was circulated widely by the Associated Press in 1959. She performed her national service as a goodwill ambassador. Daliah appeared in several more films, Daliah was spotted on a beach during a trip to Rome. Daliah was offered a role in Two Weeks in Another Town, reuniting her with Douglas. Lavi appeared in her first film in 1955, Hemsöborna, a Swedish adaptation of August Strindberg's 1887 novel The People of Hemsö. She eventually returned to Israel. Her career took off in 1960, when she started appearing in a large number of European and American productions. Daliah was fluent in several languages. She acted in films in German, French, Italian, Spanish and English. Lavi was reunited with Douglas in her first American film, Vincente Minnelli's Two Weeks in Another Town (1962). She appeared in Brunello Rondi's witch hunt-themed movie Il demonio (1963), a film she considered her best performance. She also appeared in Mario Bava's Gothic classic La Frusta e il corpo (1963), and the first Matt Helm film, The Silencers (1966), opposite Dean Martin. Her portrayal of The Girl, Peter O'Toole's love interest, in 1965's Lord Jim, was to have been her breakout American role. The tepid reaction of audiences to the film prompted Lavi to accept a new career path. She frequently played a scantily clad femme fatale. Lavi played European entertainer Ilona Bergen in the 1965 mystery film Ten Little Indians. The movie is a film adaptation of Agatha Christie's thriller. The plot is about a group of strangers with deadly secrets, who are lured to an isolated locale, and murdered one by one. She also acted as "The Detainer/007" in Casino Royale (1967). She was subsequently discovered by record producer Jimmy Bowien and began a successful schlager singing career in Germany. Some of her hits were: "Oh, wann kommst du?", "Willst du mit mir gehn?", and "C'est ça, la vie (So ist das Leben)". Daliah's single, "Jerusalem", peaked at number 98 in Australia, in August 1971. Lavi died on 3 May 2017, aged 74, from undisclosed causes in Asheville, North Carolina, US. Her funeral and burial were in Israel. The People of Hemsö (1955) as Professor's Daughter Burning Sands (1960) Candide ou l'optimisme au XXe siècle (1960) as Cunégonde Un soir sur la plage (1961) as Marie La Fête espagnole (1961) as Nathalie Conrad Three Faces of Sin (1961) (uncredited) The Return of Doctor Mabuse (1961) as Maria Sabrehm The Game of Truth (1961) as Gisèle Two Weeks in Another Town (1962) as Veronica Das schwarz-weiß-rote Himmelbett (1962) as Germaine Il demonio (1963) as Purif The Whip and the Body (1963) as Nevenka Menliff And So to Bed (1963) as Secretary Old Shatterhand (1964) as Paloma Cyrano and d'Artagnan (1964) as Marion de l'Orme DM-Killer (1965) as Lolita, Charlys Stiefschwester Lord Jim (1965) as The Girl La Celestina P... R... (1965) as Daniela Shots in Threequarter Time (1965) as Irina Badoni Ten Little Indians (1965) as Ilona Bergen The Silencers (1966) as Tina The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966) as Princess Natasha Romanova Casino Royale (1967) as The Detainer / James Bond Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon (1967) as Madelaine Nobody Runs Forever (1968) as Maria Cholon Some Girls Do (1969) as Helga Catlow (1971) as Rosita Mrs. Harris und der Heiratsschwindler (1991) as Jill Howard Liebeslied Jener Sommernacht (1970) German / English Daliah (1970) English Daliah Lavi / In Liebe (1971) German Sympathy (1971) English Willst Du Mit Mir Geh'n (1971) German Would You Follow Me (1971) English Ich Bin Dein Freund (1972) German Jerusalem (1972) English Meine Art Liebe Zu Zeigen (1972) German / English Let The Love Grow (1973) English I'm Israeli, I'm A Sabra (1974) Hebrew Für Große Und Kleine Kinder (1975) German Cafe Decadence (1975) German Neuer Wind (1976) German Bei Dir Bin Ich Immer Noch Zuhaus (1978) German ... Wenn Schon, Dann Intensiv (1983) German Herzblut (1985) German Media related to Daliah Lavi at Wikimedia Commons Daliah Lavi at IMDb Daliah Lavi infosite Daliah Lavi profile at Aveleyman.com

6. Yvan Attal (b. 1965)

With an HPI of 53.06, Yvan Attal is the 6th most famous Israeli Actor. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Yvan Attal (French pronunciation: [ivɑ̃ atal]; Hebrew: איוואן אטל; born (1965-01-04)4 January 1965) is a French actor, scriptwriter and film director.

7. Hiam Abbass (b. 1960)

With an HPI of 52.95, Hiam Abbass is the 7th most famous Israeli Actor. Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Hiam Abbass (Arabic: هيام عباس; Hebrew: היאם עבאס; born 30 November 1960), also spelled Hiyam Abbas, is a Palestinian actress and film director with Israeli and French citizenship. She is known for her roles in films such as The Syrian Bride (2004), Paradise Now (2005), Free Zone (2005), Munich (2005), The Visitor (2007), Lemon Tree (2008), Insyriated (2017), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). She gained prominence for her role as Marcia Roy in the HBO drama series Succession (2018–2023). She has also acted in the Channel 4 series The Promise (2011), the Lifetime miniseries The Red Tent (2014), the Hulu comedy series Ramy (2019–present), and the Hulu drama series The Old Man (2022).

8. Gila Almagor (b. 1939)

With an HPI of 51.91, Gila Almagor is the 8th most famous Israeli Actor. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Gila Almagor Agmon (Hebrew: גילה אלמגור אגמון; born Gila Alexandrowitz; July 22, 1939) is an Israeli actress, film star, and author. In Israel, she is known as "queen of the Israeli cinema and theatre".

9. Ayelet Zurer (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 50.60, Ayelet Zurer is the 9th most famous Israeli Actor. Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Ayelet Zurer (Hebrew: איילת זורר; born (1969-06-28)28 June 1969) is an Israeli actress. She is recognized for her work across independent films, blockbusters and television. She has received numerous accolades, including Best Actress at the Israeli Academy Awards for her role in Nina's Tragedies (2003). In 2006 and 2013, the Israeli Academy of Television awarded her Best Actress awards for her performances in BeTipul and Hostages. She landed an early role as a series regular on the Israeli teen drama Inyan Shel Zman (1992–1993). She was later cast in the hit Israeli drama series Florentine (1997–2000). She shared the first lesbian kiss on Israeli television with Ronit Elkabetz in a 2000 episode. She also starred as Elisheva, the love interest of Akiva (Michael Aloni) in the Haredi family drama series Shtisel (2013), which was broadcast internationally by Netflix. She starred in the Israeli psychological thriller Losing Alice (2020), which was broadcast internationally by Apple TV+. She has appeared in several high-profile Hollywood films, such as Munich (2005), Vantage Point (2008), Angels & Demons (2009), Man of Steel (2013) and Ben-Hur (2016). She also portrays Vanessa Marianna-Fisk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series Daredevil (2015–2018) and Daredevil: Born Again.

10. Nehemiah Persoff (1919 - 2022)

With an HPI of 50.56, Nehemiah Persoff is the 10th most famous Israeli Actor. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Nehemiah Persoff (August 2, 1919 – April 5, 2022) was an American actor and painter. He appeared in more than 200 television series, films, and theatre productions, and also performed as a voice artist in a career spanning 55 years. His first acting role was as an extra in The Naked City (1948). Persoff is best known for roles as Leo in The Harder They Fall (1956), as Little Bonaparte in Some Like It Hot (1959), as Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik in The Untouchables (1959–1963), as Rebbe Mendel in Yentl (1983), and as the voice of Papa Mousekewitz in the animated film An American Tail (1986) and its sequels. He also made appearances on episodes of The Twilight Zone, Gilligan's Island, Hawaii Five-O, Adam-12, and Law & Order.

People

Pantheon has 27 people classified as Israeli actors born between 1919 and 1997. Of these 27, 21 (77.78%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Israeli actors include Gal Gadot, Natalie Portman, and Yvan Attal. The most famous deceased Israeli actors include Haya Harareet, Chaim Topol, and Daliah Lavi. As of April 2024, 3 new Israeli actors have been added to Pantheon including Mohammad Bakri, Lior Ashkenazi, and Ali Suliman.