Ayelet Zurer
Encyclopedia
Ayelet Zorer is an Israel
i actress, perhaps best known for her roles in Nina’s Tragedies, Adam Resurrected
, Munich
, and Angels & Demons.
Zorer, who has appeared in many Israeli films and television series, is one of the most acclaimed Israeli actresses of her day. She was nominated for awards at the Jerusalem Film Festival
, the Israeli Academy Awards
and the Israeli Television Academy Awards. She won Best Actress awards for her roles in the Israeli film Nina’s Tragedies and Betipul
, an Israeli drama series which was adapted into the award winning HBO series, In Treatment
. Aside from Betipul, her past television roles include Israeli series Inyan Shel Zman
, Florentin, Zinzana, Hadar Milhama and others.
. Her father was a government worker and her mother spent World War II
hiding in a convent in Czechoslovakia
. After the war, Zorer's mother was reunited with her parents, former sawyers who survived the war by hiding. The family relocated to Tel Aviv, where Zorer was born and raised.
After finishing her military service, she moved to New York
, where she developed her acting skills.
, and in 1993, she played Debbie in the Israeli film Nikmato Shel Itzik Finkelstein. During this time she also participated in the cable television show Yetziat Hirum. In 1997, Zorer played the role of Shira Steinberg in the television show Florentin on the Israeli Channel 2
. In 2000, Zorer participated in the Israeli television series Zinzana, and in 2002, she participated in the Israeli television series Shalva and Ha'Block.
In 2005, Zorer starred in the Israeli hit television series, Betipul
, a widely popular drama about a psychologist and his patients' therapy process. She played the role of Na'ama Lerner, a seductive patient who initiates a romance with the doctor (portrayed by Assi Dayan
). The series won her a Best Actress award from the Israeli Television Academy and was remade as the highly successful Emmy-and-Golden Globe-winning HBO series, In Treatment
. The following year Zorer participated in an Israeli sketch comedy
television show called Gomrot Holchot that deals with the world of young women; relationships, marriage, sex, career, etc. The show is based on the British
sketch comedy show Smack the Pony
.
. In 2001, she starred in the movies Laila Lelo Lola and Kikar Ha'Halomot. In 2003, Zorer starred in Nina's Tragedies
, portraying the title character, Nina, in one of her best known roles. Nina's role depicts a passionate young woman who must carve out a new life for herself after her husband's sudden death. She has won an Israeli Academy Award
for Best Actress for this role.
Zorer's first international role was in Steven Spielberg
's Munich
, (which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture
), where she played Eric Bana
's wife. She later played the role of an exotic terrorist, Veronica, in the American thriller Vantage Point
, appearing alongside Dennis Quaid
, William Hurt
, and Sigourney Weaver
. Her next international role was in Paul Schrader
's Adam Resurrected, where she played Gina Grey, a nurse who falls in love with the title character, Adam Stein, a disturbed Holocaust survivor played by Jeff Goldblum
. In 2007, Zorer starred in Fugitive Pieces
, the story of a boy who survives the Holocaust in Greece
and becomes a troubled young adult who falls in love with her character.
In April 2008, Zorer was cast as the female lead, Vittoria Vetra, in the The Da Vinci Code
sequel, Angels & Demons, chosen over more well-known stars, including Naomi Watts
, who had been in talks for the role. Zorer's character is the colleague of a CERN
physicist/Catholic priest who is murdered during the theft of a canister of unstable antimatter from their lab at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva. She is paired by the Vatican Police with Robert Langdon
(Tom Hanks
) on a journey to uncover the mystery behind her co-worker's death and stop a terrorist plot to detonate the antimatter somewhere in the Vatican.
Zorer has landed the leading female role in director Chris Eyre
's new film A Year in Mooring, due out in 2011.
The film's cast includes Josh Lucas
.
In September 2011, Zorer was cast as Superman
's mother in the reboot of the superman franchise, Man of Steel, which is planned for a theatrical release in 2013.
. In the United States
, she has appeared in plays such as A Midsummer Night's Dream
and Richard III
.
Zorer has modeled for fashion companies such as HONiGMAN and Golf. She was chosen ninth in TCCandler.com's 100 most beautiful faces of 2008. Zorer has also illustrated the pictures for the 1999 fantasy book Be'Edulina by Gabi Nitzan, an Israeli author.
, Zorer lives in California
with her husband Gilad Lewandovski and their son, Liad, born in 2005.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i actress, perhaps best known for her roles in Nina’s Tragedies, Adam Resurrected
Adam Resurrected
Adam Resurrected is an American-German-Israeli film, directed by Paul Schrader and adapted from Yoram Kaniuk's novel of the same name published in Israel in 1968 .Jeff Goldblum stars as the titular character, alongside Willem Dafoe, Derek Jacobi and Ayelet Zurer...
, 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...
, and Angels & Demons.
Zorer, who has appeared in many Israeli films and television series, is one of the most acclaimed Israeli actresses of her day. She was nominated for awards 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...
, the Israeli Academy Awards
Israeli Film Academy Ceremony
The Ophir Awards , also the Israeli Oscars, are film awards awarded by the Israeli Film and Television Academy to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry...
and the Israeli Television Academy Awards. She won Best Actress awards for her roles in the Israeli film Nina’s Tragedies and 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...
, an Israeli drama series which was adapted into the award winning HBO series, In Treatment
In Treatment
In Treatment is an American HBO drama, produced and developed by Rodrigo Garcia, about a psychologist, 50-something Dr. Paul Weston, and his weekly sessions with patients, as well as those with his own therapist at the end of the week. The program, which stars Gabriel Byrne as Paul, debuted on...
. Aside from Betipul, her past television roles include Israeli series Inyan Shel Zman
Inyan Shel Zman
Inyan Shel Zman or A Matter of Time is an Israeli teen drama television series broadcast from 1992 until 1996 on Israeli Educational Television....
, Florentin, Zinzana, Hadar Milhama and others.
Early life
Zorer was born and raised in 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...
. Her father was a government worker and her mother spent World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
hiding in a convent in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. After the war, Zorer's mother was reunited with her parents, former sawyers who survived the war by hiding. The family relocated to Tel Aviv, where Zorer was born and raised.
After finishing her military service, she moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where she developed her acting skills.
Television career
Zorer moved back to Israel in 1991. In 1992, she starred in the television series Inyan Shel ZmanInyan Shel Zman
Inyan Shel Zman or A Matter of Time is an Israeli teen drama television series broadcast from 1992 until 1996 on Israeli Educational Television....
, and in 1993, she played Debbie in the Israeli film Nikmato Shel Itzik Finkelstein. During this time she also participated in the cable television show Yetziat Hirum. In 1997, Zorer played the role of Shira Steinberg in the television show Florentin on the Israeli Channel 2
Channel 2 (Israel)
Channel 2 is an Israeli commercial television channel.- History :In 1990, after 13 years of deliberations, the Knesset passed a law that paved the way for the establishment of commercial television in Israel. The goal was to enhance pluralism and create competition. Channel 2 began broadcasting on...
. In 2000, Zorer participated in the Israeli television series Zinzana, and in 2002, she participated in the Israeli television series Shalva and Ha'Block.
In 2005, Zorer starred in the Israeli hit 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...
, a widely popular drama about a psychologist and his patients' therapy process. She played the role of Na'ama Lerner, a seductive patient who initiates a romance with the doctor (portrayed by Assi Dayan
Assi Dayan
Asaf "Assi" Dayan is an Israeli film director, actor, screenwriter and producer.-Personal life:Assi Dayan is the youngest son of Israeli general and minister of defence Moshe Dayan and peace activist Ruth Dayan . He has two siblings: politician and author Yael Dayan, born 1939, and sculptor Ehud ...
). The series won her a Best Actress award from the Israeli Television Academy and was remade as the highly successful Emmy-and-Golden Globe-winning HBO series, In Treatment
In Treatment
In Treatment is an American HBO drama, produced and developed by Rodrigo Garcia, about a psychologist, 50-something Dr. Paul Weston, and his weekly sessions with patients, as well as those with his own therapist at the end of the week. The program, which stars Gabriel Byrne as Paul, debuted on...
. The following year Zorer participated in an Israeli sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
television show called Gomrot Holchot that deals with the world of young women; relationships, marriage, sex, career, etc. The show is based on the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sketch comedy show Smack the Pony
Smack the Pony
Smack the Pony is a British sketch comedy show that ran from 1999 until 2003 on Channel 4. Its title was intended to sound like a euphemism for female masturbation; the working title was Spot the Pony. The main performers and writers on the show were Fiona Allen, Doon Mackichan and Sally Phillips...
.
Film career
In 1998 she achieved the lead role in the film Ahava Asura (aka The Dybbuk of the Holy Apple Field) starring Moshe IvgyMoshe Ivgy
Moshe Ivgy is a Moroccan-born Israeli actor and director.-Biography:Moshe Ivgy was born in Casablanca, Morocco. He was married to actress Irit Sheleg. Their daughter Dana Ivgy is also an actress...
. In 2001, she starred in the movies Laila Lelo Lola and Kikar Ha'Halomot. In 2003, Zorer starred in Nina's Tragedies
Nina's Tragedies
Nina’s Tragedies is a 2003 Israeli dramedy film directed by Savi Gavison and starring Ayelet Zurer, Yoram Hattab, Alon Abutbul, Shmil Ben Ari, and Anat Waxman. It won 11 Ophir Awards.-Plot summary:...
, portraying the title character, Nina, in one of her best known roles. Nina's role depicts a passionate young woman who must carve out a new life for herself after her husband's sudden death. She has won an Israeli Academy Award
Israeli Film Academy Ceremony
The Ophir Awards , also the Israeli Oscars, are film awards awarded by the Israeli Film and Television Academy to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry...
for Best Actress for this role.
Zorer's first international role was in Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's 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...
, (which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
), where she played Eric Bana
Eric Bana
Eric Bana is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biopic Chopper...
's wife. She later played the role of an exotic terrorist, Veronica, in the American thriller Vantage Point
Vantage Point (film)
Vantage Point is a 2008 American political action thriller film directed by Pete Travis. It was adapted from a screenplay written by Barry L. Levy. The story focuses on an assassination attempt on the President of the United States as seen from a different set of vantage points through the eyes of...
, appearing alongside Dennis Quaid
Dennis Quaid
Dennis William Quaid is an American actor known for his comedic and dramatic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s, his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder...
, William Hurt
William Hurt
William McGill Hurt is an American stage and film actor. He received his acting training at the Juilliard School, and began acting on stage in the 1970s. Hurt made his film debut as a troubled scientist in the science-fiction feature Altered States , for which he received a Golden Globe nomination...
, and Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...
. Her next international role was in Paul Schrader
Paul Schrader
Paul Joseph Schrader is an American screenwriter, film director, and former film critic. Apart from his credentials as a director, Schrader is most notably known for his screenplays for Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Raging Bull....
's Adam Resurrected, where she played Gina Grey, a nurse who falls in love with the title character, Adam Stein, a disturbed Holocaust survivor played by Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum
Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day...
. In 2007, Zorer starred in Fugitive Pieces
Fugitive Pieces (film)
Fugitive Pieces is a 2007 drama film directed by Jeremy Podeswa, who also adapted the film from the award-winning novel of the same name written by Anne Michaels. The film tells the story of Jakob Beer, who is orphaned in Poland during World War II and is saved by a Greek archeologist...
, the story of a boy who survives the Holocaust in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and becomes a troubled young adult who falls in love with her character.
In April 2008, Zorer was cast as the female lead, Vittoria Vetra, in the The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code (film)
The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 American mystery thriller film directed by Ron Howard. The screenplay was written by Akiva Goldsman and based on Dan Brown's worldwide bestselling 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code...
sequel, Angels & Demons, chosen over more well-known stars, including Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts
Naomi Ellen Watts is a British actress. Watts began her career in Australian television, where she appeared in series such as Hey Dad..! , Brides of Christ , and Home and Away . Her film debut was the 1986 drama For Love Alone...
, who had been in talks for the role. Zorer's character is the colleague of a CERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
physicist/Catholic priest who is murdered during the theft of a canister of unstable antimatter from their lab at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva. She is paired by the Vatican Police with Robert Langdon
Robert Langdon
Robert Langdon is a fictional Harvard University professor of religious iconology and symbology The character was created by author Dan Brown for...
(Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
) on a journey to uncover the mystery behind her co-worker's death and stop a terrorist plot to detonate the antimatter somewhere in the Vatican.
Zorer has landed the leading female role in director Chris Eyre
Chris Eyre
Chris Eyre , an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, is a film director and producer.His films focus on all aspects of contemporary Native American life, while dispelling the usual stereotypes. Eyre's debut film, Smoke Signals , won the coveted Sundance Film Festival Filmmakers...
's new film A Year in Mooring, due out in 2011.
The film's cast includes Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas
Josh Lucas is an American actor. He has appeared in many films, including Glory Road, A Beautiful Mind, and Poseidon.-Early life:...
.
In September 2011, Zorer was cast as Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
's mother in the reboot of the superman franchise, Man of Steel, which is planned for a theatrical release in 2013.
Theatre and modeling career
Zorer has appeared in Israeli plays such as Ha'Yoreshet, Madrich Nashim Le'Tohu Va'Vohu, Bigdei Ha'Melech, Bo'u Lo Nedaber Al Ze, Ohavim Et Ophal, and Monologim Me'Ha'VaginahThe Vagina Monologues
The Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the Off Broadway Westside Theatre after a limited run at AFRICA in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production which was produced by David Stone, Nina Essman, Dan Markley, The Araca Group, Willa Shalit, Mike Skipper...
. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, she has appeared in plays such as A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
and Richard III
Richard III (play)
Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
.
Zorer has modeled for fashion companies such as HONiGMAN and Golf. She was chosen ninth in TCCandler.com's 100 most beautiful faces of 2008. Zorer has also illustrated the pictures for the 1999 fantasy book Be'Edulina by Gabi Nitzan, an Israeli author.
, Zorer lives in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with her husband Gilad Lewandovski and their son, Liad, born in 2005.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Pour Sacha Pour Sacha Pour Sacha is a 1991 French romantic drama directed by Alexandre Arcady, and starring Sophie Marceau, Gérard Darmon, and Ayelet Zurer... (aka For Sasha) |
Shoshana | French Drama |
| 1993 | Nikmato Shel Itzik Finkelstein (aka The Revenge of Itzik Finkelstein) | Debbie | |
| 1998 | Ahava Asura (Forbidden Love, aka The Dybbuk of the Holy Apple Field) | Lea | |
| 2001 | Laila Lelo Lola (aka A Night Without Lola) | Oshrit | TV movie |
| 2001 | Kikar Ha'Halomot (aka Desperado Square) | Gila (the waitress) | |
| 2003 | Ha'Asonot Shel Nina Nina's Tragedies Nina’s Tragedies is a 2003 Israeli dramedy film directed by Savi Gavison and starring Ayelet Zurer, Yoram Hattab, Alon Abutbul, Shmil Ben Ari, and Anat Waxman. It won 11 Ophir Awards.-Plot summary:... (Nina's Tragedies) |
Nina | |
| 2003 | Ish Ha'Hashmal (aka Rutenberg) | Becki | |
| 2004 | Maktub | Michal | TV movie |
| 2004 | Mashehu Matok (Something Sweet) | Tamar | |
| 2005 | 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... |
Daphna | |
| 2007 | Fugitive Pieces Fugitive Pieces (film) Fugitive Pieces is a 2007 drama film directed by Jeremy Podeswa, who also adapted the film from the award-winning novel of the same name written by Anne Michaels. The film tells the story of Jakob Beer, who is orphaned in Poland during World War II and is saved by a Greek archeologist... |
Michaela | |
| 2007 | Rak Klavim Ratzim Hofshi (aka Wild Dogs) | Telma | |
| 2008 | Vantage Point Vantage Point (film) Vantage Point is a 2008 American political action thriller film directed by Pete Travis. It was adapted from a screenplay written by Barry L. Levy. The story focuses on an assassination attempt on the President of the United States as seen from a different set of vantage points through the eyes of... |
Veronica | |
| 2008 | Adam Resurrected | Gina Grey | |
| 2009 | Lightbulb | Gina | |
| 2009 | Angels & Demons | Vittoria Vetra |
Awards
| Year | Group | Award | Result | Film/Show |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Israeli Film Academy Awards Israeli Film Academy Ceremony The Ophir Awards , also the Israeli Oscars, are film awards awarded by the Israeli Film and Television Academy to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry... |
Best Actress | Nominated | Ahava Asura |
| 2000 | Israeli Film Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | Kikar Ha'Halomot |
| 2001 | Israeli Film Academy Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | Ish Ha'Hashmal |
| 2003 | Israeli Film Academy Awards | Best Actress | Won | Ha'Asonot Shel Nina Nina's Tragedies Nina’s Tragedies is a 2003 Israeli dramedy film directed by Savi Gavison and starring Ayelet Zurer, Yoram Hattab, Alon Abutbul, Shmil Ben Ari, and Anat Waxman. It won 11 Ophir Awards.-Plot summary:... |
| 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... |
Best Actress | Won | Ha'Asonot Shel Nina | |
| 2006 | Israeli Film Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | Rak Klavim Ratzim Hofshi |
| Israeli Television Academy Awards | Best Actress | Won | 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... |
External links
- Ayelet Zorer at Theiapolis
- Ayelet Zorer at E-Online