Ayelet Zurer (; born ) is an Israeli TV and film actress. She began her career on the Israeli teen drama '' Inyan Shel Zman'' and has starred in numerous Israeli TV and film roles. She received awards for Best Actress at the Israeli Academy Awards in 2003 and Best

Actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

by the Israeli Academy of Television in 2006 and 2013. Zurer has also appeared in numerous

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

films, such as ''

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

'' (2005), '' Vantage Point'' (2008), ''

Angels & Demons ''Angels & Demons'' is a 2000 bestselling mystery- thriller novel written by American author Dan Brown and published by Pocket Books and then by Corgi Books. The novel introduces the character Robert Langdon, who recurs as the protagonist of ...

'' (2009), '' Man of Steel'' (2013), and ''

Ben-Hur Ben-Hur or Ben Hur may refer to: Fiction *'' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', an 1880 novel by American general and author Lew Wallace ** ''Ben-Hur'' (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in 1899 ** ''Ben Hur'' (1907 film), a one-reel silent ...

'' (2016). She also portrayed Vanessa Marianna-Fisk in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

television series '' Daredevil'' (2015–2018) and its revival series '' Daredevil: Born Again'' (2025–present).

Personal life

Ayelet Zurer was born on 28 June 1969 and raised in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

, Israel, by a Jewish family. Her mother was born in Czechoslovakia and survived the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

by hiding in a convent, later immigrating to Israel in the 1950s. Her Israeli-born father is of

Russian Jewish The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest po ...

descent. L'Chayim: ''Ayelet Zurer''. Zurer studied theater at the 14th Municipal High School and participated in the Tel Aviv Scouts band. During her service 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 ...

, she served in the

military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...

of the Northern Command. After finishing her military service, Zurer studied acting for three years at the Yoram Loewenstein Performing Arts Studio. She then moved to the United States and studied with George Morison at the Actor's Workshop in New York City. In 1991, she returned to Israel. In 2003, Zurer married her surfing instructor, Gilad Londovski. The couple have a son and reside in Los Angeles.

Acting career

1991–2000

Zurer landed an early role as a series regular on the Israeli teen drama, '' Inyan Shel Zman'' (1992–1993). In 1993, she also played Debbie in the Israeli comedy film ''Nikmato shel Itzik Finkelstein'' ('' Revenge of Itzik Finkelstein''). During, this time she also participated in the cable television show ''Yetziat Hirum''. From 1997 to 2000, she had a regular role as Shira Steinberg in the Israeli television show '' Florentine.'' Her character, Shira, shared the first-ever lesbian kiss on Israeli television with

Ronit Elkabetz Ronit Elkabetz (; 27 November 1964 – 19 April 2016) was an Israeli actress, screenwriter and film director. She worked in both Israeli and French cinema. She won three Ophir Awards and received a total of seven nominations. Biography Elkabe ...

's character NicolePioneers: 8 great shows from the nineties that changed the face of Israeli television
''Mako''. 20 October 2017 in a 2000 episode. In 1998, she played the lead in the film ''Ahava Asura'' (a.k.a. ''The Dybbuk of the Holy Apple Field''). She then appeared in the Israeli television series ''Zinzana'' in 2000.

2001–2010

In 2001, Zurer starred in the movies ''Laila Lelo Lola'' and ''Kikar Ha'Halomot ( Desperado Square)''. She appeared in the television series ''Shalva'' and ''Ha'Block'' in 2002. In 2003, she starred in '' Nina's Tragedies'', portraying the title character, Nina, a role for which she won an Israeli Academy Award for Best Actress. In 2005, she starred in the Israeli television series ''Betipul''. She played Na'ama Lerner. The series won her a Best Actress award from the Israeli Television Academy and was remade as the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

series ''

In Treatment ''In Treatment'' is an American drama television series for HBO, produced and developed by Rodrigo García (director), Rodrigo Garcia, based on the Israeli series ''BeTipul'' (), created by Hagai Levi, Ori Sivan and Nir Bergman. The series fol ...

''. The following year, Zurer participated in an Israeli

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...

television show called ''Gomrot Holchot''. In 2005, Zurer appeared in

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

's ''

,'' where she played Avner Kaufman's wife. In 2007, she starred in '' Fugitive Pieces''. In 2008, Zurer appeared in the American thriller '' Vantage Point''. That same year, she was cast as scientist Vittoria Vetra, in ''

The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is “the best-selling American novel of all time.” Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon—the first was his 2000 novel '' Angels & Demons''� ...

'' sequel ''

'' (2009). Additionally, she played a nurse who falls in love with the title character in '' Adam Resurrected'' (2008).

2011–2020

In 2011, Zurer played the lead role in the film '' Hide Away'' and the role of

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

's mother, Lara Lor-Van, in the reboot of the Superman franchise '' Man of Steel'' (2013). In 2013, she starred in the Israeli series '' Shtisel,'' as Elisheva Rotstein. In 2015, Zurer starred in the

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...

series '' Daredevil'' as Vanessa Marianna-Fisk. She appeared in the

film ''

'' (2016). In 2018, Zurer reprised her role in the third season of ''Daredevil''. In November 2020, Zurer was cast in a recurring role on the third season of the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

psychological thriller series ''

You In Modern English, the word "''you''" is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from ...

''.

2021–present

In 2021, Zurer starred in the Israeli psychological thriller '' Losing Alice'' on Apple TV+. In 2024, she starred as Dr. Amalia Levy alongside Amos Tamam in the Israeli drama series ''The Best Worst Thing'' on

Keshet 12 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. History Israel's Channel 2 was operated by the Second Authority for ...

. In 2025, Zurer reprised the role of Vanessa Marianna-Fisk in Marvel's '' Daredevil: Born Again''.'DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN' WILL REUNITE THE ORIGINAL CAST FOR TWO SEASONS ON DISNEY PLUS
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Awards

Zurer has received several awards throughout her career including Best Actress at the Israeli Academy Awards for her role in '' Nina's Tragedies'' (2003) and Best

by the Israeli Academy of Television for her roles in ''

BeTipul ''BeTipul'' (; lit. ''In Therapy'') is an Israeli television drama, winner of the Television Academy Award revolving around the personal and professional life of an Israeli psychologist, Reuven Dagan, played by Assi Dayan. The series portrays a ...

'' and '' Hostages'' in 2006 and 2013.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

References

External links

*
Ayelet Zurer at Theiapolis
*
Ayelet Zurer
at E-Online * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zurer, Ayelet 1969 births Living people Actresses from Tel Aviv Yoram Loewenstein Performing Arts Studio alumni Israeli expatriate actresses in the United States Israeli film actresses Israeli television actresses Ophir Award winners Jewish Israeli actresses Israeli female military personnel 20th-century Israeli actresses 21st-century Israeli actresses Israeli people of Czechoslovak-Jewish descent

Personal life

Acting career

1991–2000

2001–2010

2011–2020

2021–present

Awards

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

See also

References

External links