Amir Shurush (, ; born 9 July 1984) is an

Arab-Israeli The Arab citizens of Israel form the country's largest ethnic minority. Their community mainly consists of former Mandatory Palestine citizens (and their descendants) who continued to inhabit the territory that was acknowledged as Israeli by ...

actor and comedian. In 2021, he won the Best Actor – Comedy Series award at the

Awards of the Israeli Television Academy The Awards of the Israeli Television Academy () are annual awards for excellence in the Israeli television industry, awarded by the Israeli Academy of Film and Television. History Until 2003, awards were given during the Ophir Awards (Israeli F ...

. He appeared in the Israeli comedy series '' Checkout'', which aired on

Kan 11 Kan 11 ( ) is an Israeli state-owned free-to-air television channel. Operated by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC), it launched on 15 May 2017, replacing Channel 1 after the closure of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. It is ...

, and offered satirical impressions of

Mansour Abbas Mansour Abbas (; ; born 22 April 1974) is an Israeli Arab politician. He is currently the leader of the United Arab List and represents the party in the Knesset. He was appointed as the chair of Special Committee on Arab Society Affairs in the K ...

Ayman Odeh Ayman Aadil Odeh (, ; born 1 January 1975) is an Arab Israeli lawyer and politician. He is a member of Knesset and leader of the Hadash alliance. Biography Odeh was born in 1975, and raised in Haifa, within the Kababir neighbourhood. His fa ...

and Youseph Haddad in the Israeli sketch comedy show ''

Eretz Nehederet ''Eretz Nehederet'' () is an Israeli prime-time television satirical sketch comedy show that premiered on Keshet's Channel 2 in 2003. It features satirical references to current affairs of the past week through parodies of the people involved, a ...

'' which airs on

Channel 12 (Israel) Keshet 12 () is an Israeli free-to-air television channel owned by Keshet Media Group. It launched on 1 November 2017 as one of two replacements for the outgoing Channel 2 (Israel), Channel 2. History Israel's Channel 2 (Israel), Channel 2 was ...

Early life

Shurush was raised in

Eilat Eilat ( , ; ; ) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of , a busy port of Eilat, port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jordan as the Gulf of Aqaba. The c ...

, Israel, and is the son of Anwar Shurush, an

Arab-Christian Arab Christians () are the Arabs who adhere to Christianity. The number of Arab Christians who live in the Middle East was estimated in 2012 to be between 10 and 15 million. Arab Christian communities can be found throughout the Arab world, bu ...

, and of Israeli Meira Shurush. He grew up in a major

Israeli Hebrew 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 (b ...

city, and despite his

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

accent – Shurush disclaimed fluency in the latter. Shurush mentioned that

Arab cuisine Arab cuisine collectively refers to the regional culinary traditions of the Arab world, consisting of the Maghreb (the west) and the Mashriq (the east). These cuisines are centuries-old and reflect the culture of trading in ingredients, spices, ...

is his favorite. He served in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

under the

Kfir Brigade The 900th "Kfir" Brigade (, ''lit.'' "Lion Cub Brigade"), is the youngest and largest infantry brigade of the Israel Defense Forces. It is subordinate to the 99th "Flash" Infantry Division (''Reserve'') of Israel's Central Regional Command. T ...

. Following his

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such ...

, Shurush enrolled in the

Beit Zvi Beit Zvi School for the Performing Arts, and Theater () is a school of acting and theatre arts, located in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel, established in 1950, and is named after Zvi Klir, who fell in the War of Independence. The ...

Performing Arts and Theater School in

Ramat Gan Ramat Gan (, ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv, and is part of the Gush Dan, Gush Dan metropolitan area. It is home to a Diamond Exchange District (one of the world's major diamond exch ...

, Israel; from which he graduated in 2009. Before his professional career, Shurush worked as a waiter, bartender, cook, and sailor on a cruise ship.

Career

During his career in theater, Shurush performed in the

Beit Lessin Theater Beit Lessin Theater (, translit: ''Teatron Bet Lessin'') is a theater in Tel Aviv, Israel. History The theater was established in 1980 by Yaakov Agmon for the Histadrut. Over the years the theater has shown over a thousand contemporary American ...

, Orna Porat Children's Theater, and in the Israeli musical ''Billy Schwartz'' at the

Haifa Theatre The Haifa Theatre (; ''Teat'ron Kheifa'') is the first municipal theater company of Haifa, Israel. Background Haifa Theater, Israel's first municipal theater, was established by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi. Together with the support of the Haifa City ...

. In 2010, he played in the satirical drama series ''15 Minutes''. He performed the role of Amir Dirar, a fictional Arab contestant in a reality show. In 2011, he played the role of Rifat Dahlak, in the series '' Downtown Precinct''. In 2014, he played in the drama series '' Temporarily Dead''. In 2018, he played in the drama series ''The Psychologist'', and the comedy series '' Checkout''. Since 2020, Shurush has participated in the Israeli sketch comedy show ''

'', imitating the likes of: *

(

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

Hadash Hadash is a left-wing to far-left political coalition in Israel formed by the Israeli Communist Party and other leftist groups. History The party was formed on 15 March 1977 when the Rakah and Non-Partisans parliamentary group changed its ...

and the Arab Joint List) *

(chairman of the

United Arab List The United Arab List (, ''HaReshima HaAravit HaMe'uhedet''; , ''al-Qā'ima al-'Arabiyya al-Muwaḥḥada''), commonly known by its Hebrew acronym Ra'am (, ), is an Islamist and conservative political party in Israel and the political wing of ...

) * Ali Salam (Arab-Israeli mayor of

Nazareth Nazareth is the largest Cities in Israel, city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In its population was . Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and ...

) * Furat Nassar ( N12's Arab sector correspondent)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shurush, Amir Living people category:1984 births 20th-century Israeli comedians 20th-century Israeli male actors 21st-century Israeli comedians 21st-century Israeli male actors Israeli Arab actors Israeli Arab Christians People from Eilat

Early life

Career

References

See also

External links