Yoram Gal

Yoram Gal (Hebrew: יורם גל; born 7 January 1952) is an international Israeli painter, playwright, director, actor and theater, TV and cinema producer. His first play was EVERYMAN (1978). He has been an actor, director, and painter in the United States, China and other countries, with collectors of his works in Canada, Australia, Europe and Israel.

Biography

Early life

Yoram Gal was born in Jerusalem, son of Ephraim Roytenberg (known as Fima), a Jewish painter born in Harbin, China and who emigrated to Israel in 1949, and Naomi Margalit, born in Jerusalem, a teacher and economist. His parents divorced when Gal was one year old. When he was six, his mother married Yossef Gal, an economist, and the three moved to the center of Jerusalem. Three years later, his sister Aya, later a psychologist, was born, and when he was 11 the family moved to London, UK, where his stepfather represented the state of Israel as the economic attache's in the embassy. Gal began painting at age 12 when he underwent psychotherapy at the Anna Freud Clinic in London.

Artistic career

In painting, Gal found catharsis for his soul's storms, and at age 15 he passed the A' Level exams in Art, which enabled him to enter art college. According to Gal, his teacher advised against it, and told him simply to paint and observe and study works of masters like Van Gogh and Botticelli by himelf. He graduated from JFS, the Jewish high school, at age 17, and returned to Israel, where he joined the IDF, ending his three-year service as a lieutenant.
In Jerusalem, he exhibited his first one-man show in Beit Mori. The leading Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot published a favorable critique of the show, written by the renowned critic /he.wikipedia.org/wiki/מרים_טל Miriam Tal

From 1973-1977 Gal studied Theater and Cinema at Tel Aviv University (Hons. BFA).

From 1977-1996 Gal wrote numerous stage plays. He also acted in Israeli, American and British TV and feature films, traveled in Israel with his Traveling Theater, for which he wrote the plays, directed some of them, acted and produced.

In 1999 Nili Dotan (his 2nd wife) produced the film "Wild" which Gal wrote and directed. "Wild" received enthusiastic critiques in the Israeli newspaper, was invited to ten international film festivals and received "Best Feature Film" award in the alternative independent film festival in Picciano, Italy, 2001.

Gal and Dotan got into debt, and only at the end of 2002, when his paintings landed in the US, did the financial turnround occur. The journey of coming free of debt while moving from theater and cinema to painting and writing prose, and the falling in love with America which brought him money, glory and satisfaction, he recorded in a semi autobiographical, illustrated novel which he published on Amazon.com as an E-book in 2009 called "The Secret of America".

From 2002-2024 Gal exhibited his paintings all over America, and in galleries, including his own studio-gallery in Old Jaffa, Israel, open as a gallery since 2015. His paintings are in more than 40 countries.

In 2024 Gal published his novel ''I IMAGINE''.

Personal life

In 1978 Gal married his ex theater professor Edna Shavit, and was her two year old son's stepfather. They divorced in 1994.
In 1996 he married Nili Dotan, playwright and screenwriter, and in 2000 their son Nimrod was born.
They divorced in 2013.
In 2016 he married Tzlila Hurvitz, their marriage lasted 4 years.

Filmography

Theater

* ''Everyman'', director Edna Shavit, 1978.
* ''Hanoch and Sophocles, director Yoram Gal, 1980.
* ''Billy-Bull The Great'', director Edna Shavit, 1983.
* ''Outs'', director Yoram Gal, 1984
* ''Isaac the Crybaby and his revenge on the Homeland'', director Aviel Hadari,1985
* ''The Careerist'', director Dorit Yerushalmi, 1987
* ''Bergman'', Michael Almaz’s Theater in London, director Yigal Azrati, 1988, in English.
* ''The Rooster'', director Edna Shavit, 1989.
* ''Jacobo Hero of Goldonia'', director Edna Shavit, 1989.

Gal has written many plays which have not yet been produced, among them ''Psyche'' (1983), ''Spiritolini'' (1989), ''Professor Bergman'' (1982), ''Gabriella'' (1993), ''Hanita sets out on Life'' (1994), ''El Rais Is Coming'' (1994), ''The Egotist'' (1994), ''The Individualist and The Devil'' (1993), ''The Buick and The Caravan'' (1992) and ''Shira from T'' (1990).

Theater acting

* ''The Family'' (1976)
* ''Everyman'' (1978)
* ''Billy-Bull The Great'' (1983)
* ''Outs'' (1984)
* ''Yehezkel Fireman's Tales'' (1986)
* ''Eliezer Ben-Yehuda'' (1982)
* ''Herzl - King of the Jews'' (1987)
* ''The Miser'' (1994–2003)
* ''The Rooster'' (1990)
* ''A gentle Spirit'' (1993)

Plays for children and youth

* ''Yaki Anaki'', director Agnes Poldash, 1980.
* ''The Old Man Walks'', director Edna Shavit, 1986.
* ''King of The Jews'', director Edna Shavit, 1988.
* ''Where did the Laughter go'', co-directed by Gal/Sover, 1988.
* ''Anatoly’s Hope'', co directed by Gal/Sover, 1990.
* ''Drugs Lie'', director Arieh Sover, 1990.
* ''David’s Violin'', co-directed by Gal/Sover, 1992.
* ''Maranos, Shema Israel'', director Yaki Mecherez, 1992.
* ''Rutty Heroine of Jerusalem'', director Yoram Gal, 1993.
* ''Deddy and Lisa Salamat'', director Yoram Gal, 1994.
* ''Let There Be Light'', director Yoram Gal, 1995.
* ''Safely'', director Yoram Gal, 1995.
* ''Don Quixote'', director Ednan Tarabshe, 1994.
* ''The Old Man and I, 2001.
* ''Yotam The Wild One'', director Yoram Gal, 2003.

Visual design (stage)

* ''Rubber Merchants'' by Hanoch Levin (1978)

Cinema and TV

Wrote and directed the feature film "WILD","Like a fresh breath of rain, somewhat wet"...irit Shammer, Maariv (newspaper) 12 October 1999, "Wild’ is the Israeli Candid" - Uri Klein, Haaretz newspaper 19 Oct. 1999, "Wild’- something which become cult".. Gigi Orsher Galatz, 20 October 1999, "The local audience gapes open jawed"... Or Korel - Maaviv Newspaper 31 October 1999. which was independently produced and upon completion received backing by Israeli FilmFunds, was invited to Film Festivals worldwide, got first prize for feature film in the Indie Film Fest "The Alternative Film Festival" in Picciano Italy 2001, was purchased by SBS (Australian TV channel) and YES in Israel and more.
Created and produced (in co-operation with Opus, Gil Mitterani) the Israeli video cassette for toddlers "Wheels", director Nili Dotan. Distribution Hed Artzi 2001. partial filmography at the New York Times website.

Directing

* ''Hanoch and Sophocles'' (1980)
* ''Outs'' (1984)
* ''The House is going to be empty again'' (1996)
* ''The Old Man and I'' (2001)
* ''The Game'' (2001)

TV and film acting

* ''Under a black cloud's shadow'' (1980)
* ''Remembrance of Love'' (1982)
* ''A Dinner of Herbs'' (1988)
* ''Friends of Yael'' (1990)
* ''Kamikaza'' (1977)
* ''Black day in Sde Avraham'' (1984)
* ''Shmita Year'' (1986)
* ''The mirrors Scale'' (1991)
* ''The Revolutionary - Life of Jesus'' (1995–96)
* ''The Tale of the man who was silent'' (1998)
* ''Yes or No (2000)

Notes and references

External links

Interviews on American TV Channels

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gal, Yoram
Israeli male stage actors
Israeli theatre directors
Israeli painters
Living people
1952 births