Shira Haas ( he, שירה האס; born ) is an Israeli actress. She initially gained national prominence for her roles in local film and television, having won two Israeli

Ophir Award The Ophir Awards ( he, פרס אופיר), colloquially known as the Israeli Oscars or the Israeli Academy Awards, are film awards for excellence in the Israeli film industry awarded by the Israeli Academy of Film and Television. The award, name ...

s out of five nominations since 2014. In 2020, she gained international acclaim for her role in the

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miniseries '' Unorthodox.'' For this performance, she was nominated for a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

and a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

. In the same year, Haas won the Tribeca Film Festival Award for Best International Actress for her performance in the Israeli drama film ''

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'' (2020)''.''

Early life

Haas was born in

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 ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, to a secular Jewish family. Her parents, both Israeli-born Jews (also known as "Sabra"), are of

Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

(

Polish-Jewish The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lon ...

Hungarian-Jewish The history of the Jews in Hungary dates back to at least the Kingdom of Hungary, with some records even predating the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 895 CE by over 600 years. Written sources prove that Jewish communities lived i ...

, and Czech-Jewish) descent. Her grandparents are both

Holocaust survivors Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and Axis powers, its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no unive ...

; her grandfather had been imprisoned in the Auschwitz concentration camp during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. In

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

, her first name literally means either the noun "singing" or "her song". When she was one year old, her family moved to the city of

Hod HaSharon Hod HaSharon ( he, הוֹד הַשָּׁרוֹן, lit. "Splendor of the Sharon plain") is a city in the Central District of Israel. The city is located approximately east of the Mediterranean coastline, south of Kfar Saba, southeast of Raanana ...

, Israel, where she grew up with her older sister and brother. At age two, Haas was diagnosed with

kidney cancer Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is a group of cancers that starts in the kidney. Symptoms may include blood in the urine, lump in the abdomen, or back pain. Fever, weight loss, and tiredness may also occur. Complications can include ...

, and recovered two years later after a series of severe treatments. On 3 August 2022, her mother Ariela "Leah" Haas died of cancer, after weeks in hospice, at age 61. She attended the Thelma Yellin High School of Arts in

Givatayim Givatayim ( he, גִּבְעָתַיִים, lit. "two hills") is a city in Israel east of Tel Aviv. It is part of the metropolitan area known as Gush Dan. Givatayim was established in 1922 by pioneers of the Second Aliyah. In it had a population o ...

, Israel, majoring in

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

, before completing a short period of volunteer service in the Israel Defense Forces' military theatre. In late April 2020, she joined a virtual ceremony celebrating Israel's 72nd Independence Day, and sent birthday wishes to Israel with fellow Jewish actors Ben Platt and

Josh Malina Joshua Charles Malina (born January 17, 1966) is an American film and stage actor known for playing Will Bailey on the NBC drama ''The West Wing'', Jeremy Goodwin on '' Sports Night'', US Attorney General David Rosen on ''Scandal'', and Caltech ...

Career

2010–2014: Early career and ''Princess'' debut

At age 14, she began performing in plays at the Tel Aviv's

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 ...

, such as ''

Ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished ...

'' (2010) and ''

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''. She made her television debut as the role of

Haredi Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to '' halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in opp ...

girl Ruchami Weiss in the Israeli drama series '' Shtisel'' in 2013. While attending Thelma Yellin, Haas was approached by an Israeli casting director by the name of Esther Kling via

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...

message in 2014. She encouraged Haas to audition for the lead role in the Israeli film ''Princess'' (2014). After getting her debut role at the age of 16, Haas was praised by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' for her "truly remarkable lead performance", and was admired by ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' for fitting the part of a 12-year-old character with her "petite frame and baby-smooth complexion". The role won her the awards for Best Actress at both the Jerusalem Film Festival and the Peace & Love Film Festival, as well as a nomination for Best Leading Actress at the Israeli

2015–2017: Hollywood debut

Haas made her first appearance in an international film when she played the role of young Fania in compatriot

Natalie Portman Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag, he, נטע-לי הרשלג, ) is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving mu ...

's directorial-debut, ''A Tale of Love and Darkness'' (2015). Haas also appeared alongside

Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in films with feminist themes, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. ''Time' ...

Niki Caro Nikola Jean Caro (born 20 September 1966) is a New Zealand film director and screenwriter. Her 2002 film '' Whale Rider'' was critically praised and won a number of awards at international film festivals. She directed the 2020 live action vers ...

's ''The Zookeeper's Wife'' (2017), which led to her American talk show debut on ''The Today Show'' in 2016. Haas auditioned for the role over

Skype Skype () is a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for VoIP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also has instant messaging, file transfer, ...

call. She earned her second Israeli

nomination for Best Supporting Actress in ''

Foxtrot The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a ti ...

'' (2017), which made the final shortlist for the 90th Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

2018–2019: National breakthrough

By the start of 2018, Haas had made a name for herself in many prime time Israeli drama television shows: '' Shtisel'' (2013–2020), ''The Jeweler'' (2015), ''The Switch Principle'' (2016), ''Harem'' (2017) and ''The Conductor'' (2018). At the 2018 Israeli

s, Haas was nominated for both Best Leading Actress for ''

Broken Mirrors ''Broken Mirrors'' ( he, מראות שבורות, Marot Shvurotl) is a 2019 Israeli drama film written and directed by Imri Matalon and Aviad Givon and starring Shira Haas. The film had its world premiere at the 2018 Rome Film Festival as part of ...

'' (2018) and Best Supporting Actress for ''

Noble Savage A noble savage is a literary stock character who embodies the concept of the indigene, outsider, wild human, an " other" who has not been "corrupted" by civilization, and therefore symbolizes humanity's innate goodness. Besides appearing in m ...

'' (2018), the latter of which she won. In 2018, she appeared as Leah in ''

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurr ...

'', written by

Helen Edmundson Helen Edmundson (born 1964) is a British people, British playwright, screenwriter and Television producer, producer. She has won awards and critical acclaim both for her original writing and for her adaptations of various literary classics for t ...

and directed by Garth Davis. She made the Israeli ''

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'' list of

30 under 30 ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 is a set of lists of people under 30 years old issued annually by ''Forbes'' magazine and some of its regional editions. The American lists recognize 600 business and industry figures, with 30 selected in twenty industries ...

in February 2019, before appearing alongside

Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He first rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association wit ...

in the second biblical film in her acting career, ''

Esau Esau ''Ēsaû''; la, Hesau, Esau; ar, عِيسَوْ ''‘Īsaw''; meaning "hairy"Easton, M. ''Illustrated Bible Dictionary'', (, , 2006, p. 236 or "rough".Mandel, D. ''The Ultimate Who's Who in the Bible'', (.), 2007, p. 175 is the elder son o ...

'' (2019).

2020–present: International breakthrough with ''Unorthodox''

Haas arrived in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

, Germany, two months ahead of the shooting of the 2020

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

limited

series '' Unorthodox'', in order to study the Yiddish language which would be primarily spoken in the series. Besides Yiddish lessons, Haas was required to shave her head and also completed both piano and singing lessons to prepare for the role of Esther "Esty" Shapiro, who runs away from her arranged marriage and Ultra-Orthodox community in

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. As of the 2020 Unit ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. The series is based on the true life story of

Deborah Feldman Deborah Feldman is an American-born German writer living in Berlin, Germany. Her 2012 autobiography, '' Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots'', tells the story of her escape from an ultra-Orthodox community in Brooklyn, New Y ...

, who wrote an autobiography of the same name.

James Poniewozik James "Jim" Poniewozik (; born July 12, 1968) is an American journalist and television critic. He is the chief TV critic for ''The New York Times''. Earlier in his career, he wrote ''Time'' magazine's ''Tuned In'' column for 16 years. Early life ...

of ''

'' described Haas as "a phenomenon, expressive and captivating." Brigid Delaney of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' described her as "mesmerising" and "outstanding," noting, "physically tiny, like a child, the viewer is immediately protective of her." Sheena Scott of ''

'' wrote that Haas "offers an incredible performance as Esty, full of subtlety, delicately revealing her character's inner struggle and happiness without needing to say a word."

Hank Stuever Hank Stuever (born 1968) is an American journalist who writes about popular culture for the ''Style'' section of ''The Washington Post''. Early life and education Stuever was born and raised in Oklahoma City, where he attended Bishop McGuinn ...

of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' wrote that she "lends a grave and yet vulnerable luminescence to the role." At the

72nd Primetime Emmy Awards The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in American prime time television programming from June 1, 2019, until May 31, 2020, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was originally to be held at the Microso ...

, Haas was nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Limited Series for this performance, becoming the first Israeli to be nominated for an acting Primetime Emmy Award. Haas acted alongside

Alena Yiv Alena (Alona) Yiv ( he, אלונה איב, russian: Алёна Ив; born on November 30, 1979) is an Israeli actress and director. Biography Born as Alyona Ovsyanick (russian: Алёна Овсянник) in Saint Petersburg, Soviet Russia, ...

in the role of a daughter who becomes confined to a wheelchair in the Israeli film ''

'' (2020), which was premiered online at the 2020

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was ...

, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. The role earned Haas the award for Best International Actress at the festival. The jury wrote, "Her face is a never-ending landscape in which even the tiniest expression is heartbreaking; she's an incredibly honest and present actress who brings depth to everything she does." Her performance in the film also earned her the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 30th Israeli

s. Haas was signed to

Creative Artists Agency Creative Artists Agency LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. It is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous clients. In March 2016, CAA had 1,800 employ ...

in June 2020. In September 2022,

Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...

officially announced that Haas will portray their

i superheroine of

Sabra Sabra may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Sabra (comics), a fictional Israeli female superhero in the Marvel Comics universe * Sabra (magazine), a Japanese magazine for men * '' Sabra Command'' the original title of the film ''Warhead'' * "Sab ...

in the upcoming

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...

sequel film '' Captain America: New World Order'', scheduled for release in 2024.

Personal life

As of April 2020, Haas resides in

, Israel.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Israeli Film Academy Awards (
Ophir Awards The Ophir Awards ( he, פרס אופיר), colloquially known as the Israeli Oscars or the Israeli Academy Awards, are film awards for excellence in the Israeli film industry awarded by the Israeli Academy of Film and Television. The award, named ...
)

Other awards

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haas, Shira 1995 births Living people 21st-century Israeli actresses Israeli child actresses Israeli film actresses Israeli Ashkenazi Jews Israeli people of Czech-Jewish descent Israeli people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent Israeli television actresses Jewish Israeli actresses People from Hod HaSharon Thelma Yellin High School of Arts alumni Israeli Jews