Itay Tiran
Encyclopedia
Itay Tiran (born March 23, 1980) is an Israeli stage and screen actor
, known for his position against Israeli settlements and for his roles in Forgiveness (2006), Beaufort
(2007), The Debt
(2007), Homeland (2008), Lebanon (2009), and The Promise (2011).
Tiran is one of the most acclaimed Israeli actors of his day. His performances have gained him various awards and nominations in Israeli theater and film, winning the award for Most Promising Actor in Israel Theater in 2003, Best Actor in 2005 for his performance as Hamlet
in the Israeli Cameri Theater
production of the Shakespeare play; Best Supporting Actor for his role as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Amadeus
at the 2009 Israel Theater Awards. Itay was nominated for Best Actor at the Israeli Film Academy Awards for his roles in Forgiveness and The Debt
. In 2009 Tiran collaborated with world renowned German conductor Kurt Masur
in Mendelssohn
's Midsummer Night's Dream. They performed together with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
in Tel Aviv
moving on to Paris to perform with the Orchestre National de France
at the St. Denis Festival and at the Musee D'Orsay
. In 2009 Tiran joined the Gropius Ensemble http://www.gropiusensemble.com/ formed by young conductor Daniel Cohen
combining modern classical music and theatrical elements, performing pieces like Kafka's Kofadam and A Soldier's Tale
by Stravinsky. Tiran's directing debut (2010) with Georg Büchner
's Woyzeck
in which he also played the title role, earned him a well-deserved critical acclaim as a theater director. In March 2011 Tiran and Kurt Masur
met again, this time in the Davis Symphony Hall of San Francisco together with the San Francisco Symphony
for the performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream
.
The San Francisco Chronicle
called Tiran's impersonations "relevant and virtuosic".
and his mother Monica is an accountant who emigrated to Israel
from Sweden
. His maternal grandmother Deborah survived Auschwitz. Itay is one of four boys, his youngest brother Alon Tiran is an up and coming Theater director. Itay studied classical piano in the Petach Tikvah Municipal conservatory and later majored in music at Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts. In 1999 he enrolled in the Beit Tsvi Acting School, where his talent was immediately recognized. He paid his way through school winning scholarship after scholarship. His roles as a third-year student included Mozart in Amadeus
, Nero in Britannicus
, King Richard in Richard II
and Berger in the musical Hair
.
in Tel Aviv
. Among his parts were Eilif in Mother Courage
, Franz Jägerstätter
in Yehoshua Sobol
's Eye Witness (directed by Paulus Manker
), Nicolah in Caviar and Lentils, the title role in Hamlet
directed by Omri Nitzan, Christian in Festen, and Mozart in Amadeus. In March 2007, Itay received rave reviews from audiences and media in Washington DC for his performance as Hamlet
in the Tel Aviv Cameri Theater production's world tour. The "Israeli Hamlet" performed in Shanghai
, Cleveland, Gdansk
, Bucharest
and Moscow
. In 2010, Itay played Kittel in Yehoshua Sobol
's Ghetto
followed by a remarkable directing debut with Georg Büchner
's Woyzeck
in which he also played the title role. Tiran's Woyzeck was embraced by the critiques making him a theater director to reckon with.
, which won the Silver Bear Award for Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival in 2007 and was later nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Category for 2008; and Lebanon, which won The Golden Lion
Award at the 66th Venice Film Festival in 2009 and the Discovery Award at the European Film Awards in 2010.
In 2011 the UK Channel 4
screened Peter Kosminsky
's mini series The Promise. Tiran played Paul, an ex-soldier turned Leftist.
in 2007. They were married by Udi Aloni
, in ex-Minister of Culture and Education Shulamit Aloni
's garden on October 31, 2008. They live in Tel Aviv
.
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Director
|-
| rowspan="1" | 2006 || Forgiveness || David || Udi Aloni
|-
| rowspan="1" | 2007 || Beaufort
|| Koris || Joseph Cedar
|-
| rowspan="1" | 2007 || The Debt
|| Tsvi || Assaf Bernstein
|-
| rowspan="1" | 2008 || Homeland || Lolek || Dani Rosenberg
|-
| rowspan="1" | 2009 || Lebanon || Assi || Samuel Maoz
|-
| rowspan="1" | 2011 || The Promise || Paul || Peter Kosminsky
|}
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, known for his position against Israeli settlements and for his roles in Forgiveness (2006), Beaufort
Beaufort (film)
Beaufort is a 2007 Israeli war film. The film was directed by Joseph Cedar and was co-written by Cedar and Ron Leshem, based on Leshem's If there's a Heaven...
(2007), 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...
(2007), Homeland (2008), Lebanon (2009), and The Promise (2011).
Tiran is one of the most acclaimed Israeli actors of his day. His performances have gained him various awards and nominations in Israeli theater and film, winning the award for Most Promising Actor in Israel Theater in 2003, Best Actor in 2005 for his performance as Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
in the Israeli Cameri Theater
Cameri Theater
The Cameri Theater , established in 1944 in Tel Aviv, is one of the leading theaters in Israel, and is housed at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center....
production of the Shakespeare play; Best Supporting Actor for his role as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Amadeus
Amadeus
Amadeus is a play by Peter Shaffer.It is based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, highly fictionalized.Amadeus was first performed in 1979...
at the 2009 Israel Theater Awards. Itay was nominated for Best Actor at the Israeli Film Academy Awards for his roles in Forgiveness and 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...
. In 2009 Tiran collaborated with world renowned German conductor Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur is a German conductor, particularly noted for his interpretation of German Romantic music.- Biography :Masur was born in Brieg, Lower Silesia, Germany and studied piano, composition and conducting in Leipzig, Saxony. Masur has been married three times...
in Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
's Midsummer Night's Dream. They performed together with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is the leading symphony orchestra in Israel. It was originally known as the Palestine Orchestra, and in Hebrew as התזמורת הסימפונית הארץ ישראלית The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (abbreviation IPO; Hebrew: התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית, ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit...
in Tel Aviv
Tel 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...
moving on to Paris to perform with the Orchestre National de France
Orchestre National de France
The Orchestre national de France is a symphony orchestra run by Radio France. It has also been known as the Orchestre national de la Radiodiffusion française and Orchestre national de l'Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française .Since 1944, the orchestra has been based in the Théâtre...
at the St. Denis Festival and at the Musee D'Orsay
Musée d'Orsay
The Musée d'Orsay is a museum in Paris, France, on the left bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, an impressive Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture,...
. In 2009 Tiran joined the Gropius Ensemble http://www.gropiusensemble.com/ formed by young conductor Daniel Cohen
Daniel Cohen (conductor)
Daniel Cohen is a conductor and violinist .Daniel Cohen is Music Director of the Eden Sinfonia, Artistic Director of the Gropius Ensemble, Israel's interdisciplinary Group and chief conductor of the Jersey Chamber Orchestra....
combining modern classical music and theatrical elements, performing pieces like Kafka's Kofadam and A Soldier's Tale
Histoire du soldat
Histoire du soldat , composed by Igor Stravinsky, is a 1918 theatrical work "to be read, played, and danced" . The libretto, which is based on a Russian folk tale, was written in French by the Swiss universalist writer C.F. Ramuz...
by Stravinsky. Tiran's directing debut (2010) with Georg Büchner
Georg Büchner
Karl Georg Büchner was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose. He was the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büchner. Büchner's talent is generally held in great esteem in Germany...
's Woyzeck
Woyzeck
Woyzeck is a stage play written by Georg Büchner. He left the work incomplete at his death, but it has been variously and posthumously "finished" by a variety of authors, editors and translators. Woyzeck has become one of the most performed and influential plays in the German theatre...
in which he also played the title role, earned him a well-deserved critical acclaim as a theater director. In March 2011 Tiran and Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur is a German conductor, particularly noted for his interpretation of German Romantic music.- Biography :Masur was born in Brieg, Lower Silesia, Germany and studied piano, composition and conducting in Leipzig, Saxony. Masur has been married three times...
met again, this time in the Davis Symphony Hall of San Francisco together with the San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
for the performance of 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...
.
The San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
called Tiran's impersonations "relevant and virtuosic".
Early life
Tiran was born and raised in Petach Tikvah, a city in central Israel. His father Raffi is a graphics designer who emigrated from HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and his mother Monica is an accountant who emigrated to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. His maternal grandmother Deborah survived Auschwitz. Itay is one of four boys, his youngest brother Alon Tiran is an up and coming Theater director. Itay studied classical piano in the Petach Tikvah Municipal conservatory and later majored in music at Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts. In 1999 he enrolled in the Beit Tsvi Acting School, where his talent was immediately recognized. He paid his way through school winning scholarship after scholarship. His roles as a third-year student included Mozart in Amadeus
Amadeus
Amadeus is a play by Peter Shaffer.It is based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, highly fictionalized.Amadeus was first performed in 1979...
, Nero in Britannicus
Britannicus (play)
Britannicus is a tragic play by the French dramatist Jean Racine.The play, produced in 1669, was the first time Racine had tried his hand at depicting Roman history. The tale of moral choice takes as its subject Britannicus, the son of the Roman emperor Claudius, and heir to the imperial throne...
, King Richard in Richard II
Richard II (play)
King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
and Berger in the musical Hair
Hair
Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....
.
Theater career
Upon completing his studies Tiran joined the Cameri TheaterCameri Theater
The Cameri Theater , established in 1944 in Tel Aviv, is one of the leading theaters in Israel, and is housed at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center....
in Tel Aviv
Tel 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...
. Among his parts were Eilif in Mother Courage
Mother Courage and Her Children
Mother Courage and Her Children is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin...
, Franz Jägerstätter
Franz Jägerstätter
Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, O.F.S., was an Austrian conscientious objector during World War II. Jägerstätter was sentenced to death and executed...
in Yehoshua Sobol
Yehoshua Sobol
Joshua Sobol, also known as Yehoshua Sobol , is an Israeli playwright, writer, and director at theatres in Israel and abroad.He is married to Edna, set and costume designer...
's Eye Witness (directed by Paulus Manker
Paulus Manker
Paulus Manker is an Austrian film director and actor, as well as an author and screenplay writer.Manker is considered one of the most maverick German-speaking actors, and polarizes public opinion like scarcely no other...
), Nicolah in Caviar and Lentils, the title role in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
directed by Omri Nitzan, Christian in Festen, and Mozart in Amadeus. In March 2007, Itay received rave reviews from audiences and media in Washington DC for his performance as Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
in the Tel Aviv Cameri Theater production's world tour. The "Israeli Hamlet" performed in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Cleveland, Gdansk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
and Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. In 2010, Itay played Kittel in Yehoshua Sobol
Yehoshua Sobol
Joshua Sobol, also known as Yehoshua Sobol , is an Israeli playwright, writer, and director at theatres in Israel and abroad.He is married to Edna, set and costume designer...
's Ghetto
Ghetto (play)
Ghetto is a play by Israeli playwright Joshua Sobol about the experiences of the Jews of the Vilna Ghetto during Nazi occupation in World War II. The play focuses on the Jewish theatre in the ghetto, incorporating live music and including as characters historical figures such as Jacob Gens, the...
followed by a remarkable directing debut with Georg Büchner
Georg Büchner
Karl Georg Büchner was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose. He was the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büchner. Büchner's talent is generally held in great esteem in Germany...
's Woyzeck
Woyzeck
Woyzeck is a stage play written by Georg Büchner. He left the work incomplete at his death, but it has been variously and posthumously "finished" by a variety of authors, editors and translators. Woyzeck has become one of the most performed and influential plays in the German theatre...
in which he also played the title role. Tiran's Woyzeck was embraced by the critiques making him a theater director to reckon with.
Film career
Itay Tiran has played leading roles in award-winning films such as: Forgiveness, presented at the Berlin Film Festival in 2006; BeaufortBeaufort (film)
Beaufort is a 2007 Israeli war film. The film was directed by Joseph Cedar and was co-written by Cedar and Ron Leshem, based on Leshem's If there's a Heaven...
, which won the Silver Bear Award for Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival in 2007 and was later nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Category for 2008; and Lebanon, which won The Golden Lion
The Golden Lion
The Golden Lion is an Italian fairy tale collected by Laura Gonzenbach in Sicilianische Märchen. Andrew Lang included it in The Pink Fairy Book.-Synopsis:...
Award at the 66th Venice Film Festival in 2009 and the Discovery Award at the European Film Awards in 2010.
In 2011 the UK Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
screened Peter Kosminsky
Peter Kosminsky
Peter Kosminsky is a British writer, director and producer. He has directed Hollywood movies such as White Oleander and television films like Warriors, The Government Inspector and The Promise.- Biography :...
's mini series The Promise. Tiran played Paul, an ex-soldier turned Leftist.
Personal life
Tiran met singer/actress Melanie PeresMelanie Peres
Melanie Peres is an Israeli singer, actress and model.- Life and career :Peres was born Melanie Mariam Thanee Frasch in Berlin, Germany, named after the singer Melanie Safka to hippie parents Peter and Nurith Frasch...
in 2007. They were married by Udi Aloni
Udi Aloni
Udi Aloni is an Israeli and American filmmaker, writer and visual artist whose works focus on the interrelationships between art, theory,and action. He began his career as a painter, establishing the Bugrashov gallery in Tel Aviv, a home for contemporary art, cultural and political events...
, in ex-Minister of Culture and Education Shulamit Aloni
Shulamit Aloni
Shulamit Aloni is an Israeli politician and left-wing activist. She is a prominent member of the Israeli peace camp, founded the Ratz party and was leader of the Meretz party and served as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993.-Biography:...
's garden on October 31, 2008. They live in Tel Aviv
Tel 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...
.
Filmography
{| class="wikitable"|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Director
|-
| rowspan="1" | 2006 || Forgiveness || David || Udi Aloni
Udi Aloni
Udi Aloni is an Israeli and American filmmaker, writer and visual artist whose works focus on the interrelationships between art, theory,and action. He began his career as a painter, establishing the Bugrashov gallery in Tel Aviv, a home for contemporary art, cultural and political events...
|-
| rowspan="1" | 2007 || Beaufort
Beaufort (film)
Beaufort is a 2007 Israeli war film. The film was directed by Joseph Cedar and was co-written by Cedar and Ron Leshem, based on Leshem's If there's a Heaven...
|| Koris || Joseph Cedar
Joseph Cedar
Yossef Cedar is an Israeli film director and screenwriter. He has won a Silver Bear and an Ophir Award for Best Director, and an Ophir Award for writing a Best Screenplay. He also won the best screenplay award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. for his film Footnote .-Biography:Cedar was born in...
|-
| rowspan="1" | 2007 || 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...
|| Tsvi || Assaf Bernstein
Assaf Bernstein
-Life and Works:Bernstein was born July 8, 1970, in Israel.He directed the 2007 film The Debt , starring Gila Almagor, about three former Israeli Mossad agents who must confront a secret from their past. He also wrote and co-produced the film, and later helped write the 2010 U.S...
|-
| rowspan="1" | 2008 || Homeland || Lolek || Dani Rosenberg
|-
| rowspan="1" | 2009 || Lebanon || Assi || Samuel Maoz
Samuel Maoz
Samuel Maoz is an Israeli film director. His2009 film, Lebanon won the Golden Lion at the 66th Venice International Film Festival.-Biography:...
|-
| rowspan="1" | 2011 || The Promise || Paul || Peter Kosminsky
Peter Kosminsky
Peter Kosminsky is a British writer, director and producer. He has directed Hollywood movies such as White Oleander and television films like Warriors, The Government Inspector and The Promise.- Biography :...
|}
Awards and scholarships
| Year | Group | Award | Result | Film/Show | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AICF scholarship | The Tsvi Clear Prize for Excellence in Studies | Won | Eye Witness | ||
| from the Mayor of Tel Aviv | The Abraham Ben Yosef Award | Won | |||
| Excellence in the Performing Arts | The Gottlieb & Hanna Rosenblum Award | Won | |||
| 2003 | Israeli Theater Awards | Most Promising Actor | Won | Eye Witness | |
| Edna Flidel | Scholarship | Won | Hamlet | ||
| 2005 | Israeli Theater Awards | Best Actor | Won | Hamlet | |
| 2006 | Israeli Film Academy Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | Forgiveness | |
| 2007 | Israeli Theater Awards | Best Supporting Role | Won | A Flea in her Ear | |
| 2007 | Israeli Film Academy Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | The Debt | |
| 2008 | Israeli Theater Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | Festen | |
| 2009 | Israeli Theater Awards | Best Supporting Role | Won | Amadeus |
External links
- Itay Tiran at E-Online
- The Gropius Ensemble