Gila Almagor
Encyclopedia
Gila Almagor (born Gila Alexandrowitz on July 22, 1939) is an Israeli actress, film star, and author.
sniper while working as a policeman in Haifa
. Almagor grew up caring for her mother, Henya, who was slowly losing her sanity after realising that all her family in Germany had perished in the Holocaust. When her mother was institutionalized in 1954, Almagor was sent to Hadassim youth village
.
Two years later, she moved to Tel Aviv, rented a room near Habima Theatre and applied to acting school. Although she was underage, she was accepted.
At the age of 17, Almagor debuted in Habima's production of The Skin of Our Teeth. Her autobiographical
books Summer of Aviya
and Under the Domim Tree
were both made into films, with Almagor playing her own mother. She is married to Yaakov Agmon
, former director of the Habima Theatre. They have two children.
, Jeanne d'Arc, The Crucible
, Three Sisters, The Bride and the Butterfly Hunt, They Were All My Children and Medea. She has appeared in over 40 films, including "Siege", "Queen of the Road", "The House on Chelouche Street", "El Dorado
", "Life According to Agfa" and "The Summer of Aviya."
Almagor starred as the mother of Avner, the main character in the 2005 film Munich
. She also appears in The Debt
, about a former Mossad
agent who comes back to kill an escaped Nazi doctor. In 2008 she played the role of Lolah Baum in the 100-episode serial Dani Hollywood, broadcast on the Yes satellite network. In 2005, Almagor played a therapist in the award-winning Israeli television series BeTipul
.
and many other boards to promote the arts for children and in efforts to make international exchange between the Israeli performing arts world and abroad.
She received the Life Achievement Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival
in 1996, a Life Achievement Award from the Israeli Academy of Cinema in 1997, and the Silver Bear award for best actress in Summer of Aviya at the Berlin Film Festival.
In 1990, she was chosen Actress of the Decade by Yediot Ahronoth and the Israel Film Institute.
In 2004, she was awarded the Israel Prize
, for cinema.
In 2005, she received a Hans Christian Andersen Ambassadorship.
In 2007, she was awarded the Liberitas Film Festival Prize for Lifetime Achievement (Croatia).
In 2009, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
and Tel Aviv University
awarded her an honorary doctorate.
In 2005, she was voted the 102nd-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
Biography
Gila Almagor was born four months after the death of her father, Max Alexandrowitz, a Jewish immigrant from Germany who was killed by an ArabArab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
sniper while working as a policeman in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
. Almagor grew up caring for her mother, Henya, who was slowly losing her sanity after realising that all her family in Germany had perished in the Holocaust. When her mother was institutionalized in 1954, Almagor was sent to Hadassim youth village
Youth village
A youth village is a boarding school model first developed in Mandate Palestine in the 1930s to care for groups of children and teenagers fleeing the Nazis...
.
Two years later, she moved to Tel Aviv, rented a room near Habima Theatre and applied to acting school. Although she was underage, she was accepted.
At the age of 17, Almagor debuted in Habima's production of The Skin of Our Teeth. Her autobiographical
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
books Summer of Aviya
Summer of Aviya
Summer of Aviya is a Hebrew language book that became a bestseller. The 1985 autobiographical novel by theater actress Gila Almagor was made into a film released in 1989. The 96-minute film acts as a memoir of Almagor's childhood and provides insights into Israeli society in the early post-state...
and Under the Domim Tree
Under the Domim Tree
Under the Domim Tree is a 1994 Israeli film, based on the 1992 book by Gila Almagor, of the same name. The film was directed by Eli Cohen, and screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival....
were both made into films, with Almagor playing her own mother. She is married to Yaakov Agmon
Yaakov Agmon
-Biography:Agmon grew up in Tel Aviv, and was a member of the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement. He later moved to Kibbutz Harel, where he was involved with planning and organization of events for the kibbutz movement....
, former director of the Habima Theatre. They have two children.
Stage, film and television
Almagor has played leading roles in many plays, among them Anne FrankAnne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
, Jeanne d'Arc, The Crucible
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
, Three Sisters, The Bride and the Butterfly Hunt, They Were All My Children and Medea. She has appeared in over 40 films, including "Siege", "Queen of the Road", "The House on Chelouche Street", "El Dorado
El Dorado (1963 film)
El Dorado is a 1963 film directed by Menahem Golan. The script was co-written by him, Leo Filler, and Amatsia Hiuni, based on the play by Yigal Mosenzon.-Plot:...
", "Life According to Agfa" and "The Summer of Aviya."
Almagor starred as the mother of Avner, the main character in the 2005 film Munich
Munich (film)
Munich is a 2005 historical fiction film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation attacks after the massacre of Israeli athletes by the Black September terrorist group during the 1972 Summer Olympics. The film stars Eric Bana and was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg...
. She also appears in The Debt
The Debt (2007 film)
HaHov, HaChov, or in English, The Debt, is a 2007 Israeli drama-thriller film directed by Assaf Bernstein and starring Gila Almagor, Yuriy Chepurnov, and Oleg Drach, about three retired Mossad agents confronted by a challenge from their past...
, about a former Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
agent who comes back to kill an escaped Nazi doctor. In 2008 she played the role of Lolah Baum in the 100-episode serial Dani Hollywood, broadcast on the Yes satellite network. In 2005, Almagor played a therapist in the award-winning Israeli television series BeTipul
Betipul
BeTipul is an Israeli television drama revolving around the personal and professional life of an Israeli psychologist, Reuven Dagan, played by Assi Dayan. The series portrays a psychologist who treats patients at his clinic five days a week and then seeks psychological treatment for himself...
.
Charity work and public service
Almagor founded the Gila Almagor Wish Fund, a charity for sick children and co-founded AMI – the Israeli Artist Association. She currently serves as chair of cultural activities in the City Council of Tel AvivTel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
and many other boards to promote the arts for children and in efforts to make international exchange between the Israeli performing arts world and abroad.
Awards and critical acclaim
Almagor has received 10 Kinor David awards for her work in film and theater.She received the Life Achievement Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival
Jerusalem Film Festival
The Jerusalem Film Festival is an international film festival held annually in Jerusalem, Israel. The festival was the brainchild of Lia van Leer, who inaugurated it on May 17, 1984...
in 1996, a Life Achievement Award from the Israeli Academy of Cinema in 1997, and the Silver Bear award for best actress in Summer of Aviya at the Berlin Film Festival.
In 1990, she was chosen Actress of the Decade by Yediot Ahronoth and the Israel Film Institute.
In 2004, she was awarded the Israel Prize
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
, for cinema.
In 2005, she received a Hans Christian Andersen Ambassadorship.
In 2007, she was awarded the Liberitas Film Festival Prize for Lifetime Achievement (Croatia).
In 2009, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is a university in Beersheba, Israel, established in 1969. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has a current enrollment of 17,400 students, and is one of Israel's fastest growing universities....
and Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
awarded her an honorary doctorate.
In 2005, she was voted the 102nd-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
Ynet
Ynet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.