Mark Ivanir
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Mark Alexandrovich Ivanir ( he, מארק איווניר; uk, Марк Олександрович Іванір; russian: Марк Александрович Иванир) is a Ukrainian-born Israeli actor known for his character roles on American film and television. He is fluent in six languages, a skill often shown off in his performances.


Early life

Ivanir was born in Chernovtsi (now
Chernivtsi Chernivtsi ( uk, Чернівці́}, ; ro, Cernăuți, ; see also other names) is a city in the historical region of Bukovina, which is now divided along the borders of Romania and Ukraine, including this city, which is situated on the upp ...
),
Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
. His family emigrated to Israel in 1972, and settled in the
Pardes Katz Pardes Katz ( he, פָּרְדֵס כָּץ) is a neighborhood in the northern part of the city of Bnei Brak in Tel Aviv District. Area of about 300 hectares neighborhood, and with roughly 30,000 inhabitants, most of them secular hilonim and t ...
neighbourhood of Bnei Brak. His father, Alexander, was an English teacher, and his mother, Malka, a German teacher. His maternal grandfather, Meshulem Surkis, was a Yiddish writer, journalist, actor, and theatre critic, who was a well known activist in the Yiddish cultural world. He was raised in a multilingual household; speaking Hebrew, Ukrainian, and Russian, and later learning English. His
national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...
in the
Israeli Defense Forces Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ...
saw him involved in
Operation Joshua Operation Joshua, also known as Operation Sheba, was the 1985 airlifting of Ethiopian Jews from refugee camps in Sudan to Israel. Ethiopian Jews had fled to refugee camps in Sudan from a severe famine in their country. The Israeli Operation Mose ...
, one of two operations by the IDF to bring Ethiopian Jews from
Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
ese refugee camps to Israel. After completing his service, he turned down a job offer from Mossad. He briefly studied medicine, before deciding to a life in the
performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...
. He completed two years in a circus school, traveled throughout Europe performing on the streets as a clown, and ended up working in the Parisian Cirque Pawelles. After leaving the circus, Mark entered into formal theatrical training under famed Israeli director
Nissan Nativ Nissan Nativ (Hebrew: ניסן נתיב) (originally Notowicz; 5. November 1922 – 20 April 2008) was an influential Israeli director, actor and acting teacher. Life Nissan Nativ was born 1922 (as Nissan Notowicz) in Munich. In many biographie ...
, performing at the
Cameri Theater The Cameri Theater ( he, התיאטרון הקאמרי, ''HaTeatron HaKameri''), established in 1944 in Tel Aviv, is one of the leading theaters in Israel, and is housed at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center. History The Cameri theater was found ...
and
Israeli Opera The Israeli Opera, formerly known as the New Israeli Opera, is the principal opera company of Israel. It was founded in 1985 after lack of Israeli government funding led to the demise of the Israel National Opera. Since 1994 the Tel Aviv Performi ...
.


Career

During this time, Ivanir had his first film role in the 1988 action film ''
Iron Eagle II ''Iron Eagle II'' (also titled ''Iron Eagle II: The Battle Beyond the Flag'') is a 1988 action film directed by Sidney J. Furie and written by Furie and Kevin Alyn Elders. It is the first sequel to the 1986 film '' Iron Eagle'', with Louis Gosse ...
'', directed by Sidney J. Furie. The film was a Canadian-Israeli-American co-production filmed in Israel with an international cast. Ivanir played a Soviet army serviceman, Mikhail Balyonev. Following his studies with Nativ, Ivanir joined the
Gesher Theater Gesher Theater is an Israeli theater company founded in 1991 in Tel Aviv by new immigrants from Russia. Defending Identity: Its Indispensable Role in Protecting Democracy, by Natan Sharansky, 2008, pp 139ff. History Gesher Theatre was founded ...
, a
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
-based company composed of emigrants from the former
USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
. Within two years, Gesher became Israel's top theatrical outfit and was hailed by the London Times as "one of the six best theatre companies in the world." Using his knowledge of multiple languages, Ivanir translated and adapted eight foreign-language plays into Hebrew for the company. He later moved to London to study under
Philippe Gaulier Philippe Gaulier (born in Paris, 4 March 1943) is a French master clown, pedagogue, and professor of theatre. He is the founder of École Philippe Gaulier, a prestigious French theatre school in Étampes, outside Paris. He studied under Jacques Lec ...
at the
Complicité Complicité is a American theatre company founded in 1898 by Simon McBurney, Annabel Arden, and Marcello Magni. Its original name was Théâtre de Complicité. The company is based in London and uses extreme movement to represent their work, wit ...
. Ivanir's first major film role was in
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
's 1993 Oscar-winning epic ''
Schindler's List ''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the 1982 novel ''Schindler's Ark'' by Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. The film fo ...
'', where he played Marcel Goldberg. He worked with Spielberg twice thereafter, first for a cameo appearance in ''
The Terminal ''The Terminal'' is a 2004 American comedy-drama film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Stanley Tucci. The film is about an Eastern European man who is stuck in New York's John F. Kennedy ...
'', then again for '' The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn''. Ivanir held a pivotal role in Robert De Niro's 2006 film, '' The Good Shepherd'', for which he won the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival, later landing a role in
Barry Levinson Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American filmmaker, comedian and actor. Levinson's best-known works are mid-budget comedy drama and drama films such as '' Diner'' (1982); ''The Natural'' (1984); ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987); ' ...
's ''
What Just Happened What Just Happened may refer to: * ''What Just Happened'' (2008 film), an American comedy-drama film directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert De Niro * ''What Just Happened'' (2018 film), a Nigerian comedy film directed by Charles Uwagbai * ...
'', this time acting alongside De Niro. In 2011, he appeared in Universal's ''
Johnny English Reborn ''Johnny English Reborn'' is a 2011 spy action comedy film directed by Oliver Parker and written by Hamish McColl from a story by William Davies. A sequel to ''Johnny English'' (2003) and the second instalment in the ''Johnny English'' serie ...
'', Universal's ''
Big Miracle ''Big Miracle'' is a 2012 drama film directed by Ken Kwapis, and stars Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski. The film is based on Tom Rose's 1989 book '' Freeing the Whales'', which covers Operation Breakthrough, the 1988 international effort to ...
'' and '' 360''. His biggest part to date was on the critically acclaimed ''
A Late Quartet ''A Late Quartet'' (released in Australia as ''Performance'') is a 2012 American drama film directed by Yaron Zilberman and co-written by Zilberman and Seth Grossman. The film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener, M ...
'', released from RKO pictures in the United States, in fall 2012. The film was voted as one of the ''
New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'' 10 top films of the year. Ivanir played Daniel Lerner, the first violin of the string quartet, whose other members are played by
Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character roles—typically lowlifes, eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical produ ...
,
Catherine Keener Catherine Ann Keener (born March 26, 1959) is an American actress. She has portrayed disgruntled and melancholic yet sympathetic women in independent films, as well as supporting roles in studio films. She has been nominated twice for the Acad ...
and Christopher Walken. Ivanir has had over 60 guest star and guest lead roles on television shows such as '' 24'', ''
Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
'', ''
CSI: NY ''CSI: NY'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: New York'', stylized as ''CSI: NY/Crime Scene Investigation'') is an American police procedural television series that ran on CBS from September 22, 2004, to February 22, 2013, for a total of nine seaso ...
'', ''
Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'', ''
Fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts * Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe" * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * The Fringe, the ...
'', ''
CSI: Miami ''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Dete ...
'', ''
Nikita Nikita may refer to: * Nikita (given name) * Nikita, Crimea, a town in Crimea * Nikita the Tanner, a character in East Slavic folklore Film and television *''Little Nikita'', a 1988 film * ''La Femme Nikita'' (film), also known as ''Nikita'', a 19 ...
'' and ''Royal Pains''. In 2016 Ivanir had a recurring role on ''Homeland'' as Russian intelligence agent Ivan Krupin. The season was nominated for the SAG Awards and for the Emmy's. In 2017, he played a
Holocaust survivor Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universally accep ...
in the critically acclaimed German-language film "Bye Bye Germany" and recurred on Amazon's "Transparent". As of August 2019, Amazon Prime is airing worldwide the Israeli hit show "The Beauty and the Baker", with Ivanir playing the part of Zvika Granot. In 2018, he co-starred in the film ''
Entebbe Entebbe is a city in Central Uganda. Located on a Lake Victoria peninsula, approximately southwest of the Ugandan capital city, Kampala. Entebbe was once the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda prior to independence, in 1962. T ...
'', directed by
José Padilha José Bastos Padilha Neto (; born 1 August 1967) is a Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the Brazilian critical and financial successes '' Elite Squad'' and '' Elite Squad: The Enemy Within'' a ...
, the creator of ''Narcos'', and Bill Hader's HBO comedy ''
Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...
'', in which he recurs as three Chechen brothers. He appeared in ''
The Red Sea Diving Resort ''The Red Sea Diving Resort'' (also known as ''Operation Brothers'') is a 2019 spy thriller film written and directed by Gideon Raff. The film stars Chris Evans as an Israeli Mossad agent who runs a covert operation that attempts to rescue ...
'', as the head of the Mossad, alongside Sir
Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and two ...
, Chris Evans and
Greg Kinnear Gregory Buck Kinnear (born June 17, 1963) is an American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ''As Good as It Gets'' (1997). Kinnear has appeared in many popular films, including '' Sabrina'' (1 ...
.


Personal life

Ivanir is married to Maya Raz, an
IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...
broadcaster. His sister-in-law is actress Romi Aboulafia, and his father-in-law is journalist Menashe Raz. He has two daughters, and resides with his family in Los Angeles. Ivanir is fluent in Hebrew, Russian, English, Ukrainian, French and Yiddish, and adept in German and Arabic. His multi-lingualism is often a feature of his roles.


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


References


External links

*
"Mark Ivanir Lives for Shady Characters"
''The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ivanir, Mark Living people Israeli male film actors Israeli male stage actors Israeli male television actors Israeli male voice actors Israeli people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent Actors from Chernivtsi Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century Israeli male actors 21st-century Israeli male actors Ukrainian SSR emigrants to Israel