Yosef Carmon (; 14 June 1933 – 2 March 2022) was an Israeli actor and theatre director.

Early life and education

Born in

Radom Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship. Radom is the fifteenth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in its province w ...

in 1933 to parents who were both

tanners Tanners may refer to: * Tanners (company), a British wine company * Tanners, Virginia, an unincorporated community located in Madison County, United States * Jerald and Sandra Tanner, opponents of the LDS Church (Mormons) * ''The Tanners'' (novel) ...

and the only son out of five children, Carmon's parents and three of his sisters were killed in the

Treblinka extermination camp Treblinka () was the second-deadliest extermination camp to be built and operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II. It was in a forest north-east of Warsaw, south of the village of Treblinka in what is now the Mas ...

during the Holocaust. However, he and his surviving sister fled from persecution and they made

aliyah ''Aliyah'' (, ; ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel or the Palestine (region), Palestine region, which is today chiefly represented by the Israel ...

in 1946 along with other orphans from the Holocaust. After arriving in Israel, Carmon lived in

Degania Bet Degania Bet () is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located to the south of the Sea of Galilee adjacent to Degania Alef, it falls under the jurisdiction of Emek HaYarden Regional Council. Degania Bet was established in 1920. As of it had a populati ...

, where he worked in a chicken coop and a carpentry shop before serving in the IDF. After his performance in the military band, he was recommended for performing at the

Cameri Theatre The Cameri Theatre (, ''HaTeatron HaKameri''), established in 1944 in Tel Aviv, is one of the leading theatres in Israel, and is housed at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center. History The Cameri Theatre was founded with the purpose of promoting ...

. He studied acting and directing in London,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

Career

Stage

Between 1953 and 1959, he started work at the Cameri Theatre and after returning from the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

, he began acting in Israeli plays and films. Carmon was an actor at the

Cameri Theater The Cameri Theatre (, ''HaTeatron HaKameri''), established in 1944 in Tel Aviv, is one of the leading theatres in Israel, and is housed at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center. History The Cameri Theatre was founded with the purpose of promoting ...

for over 50 years, participating in 40 plays, of them 17 by playwright

Hanoch Levin Hanoch Levin (; December 18, 1943 – August 18, 1999) was an Israeli dramatist, theater director, author and poet, best known for his plays. His absurdist style is often compared to the work of Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett. Biography Lev ...

, including the title role in ''

Job's Passion ''Job's Passion'' (, Ysurei 'Yov) is a play by Israeli playwright Hanoch Levin, based on the biblical story of Job, combined with elements of Christ's Passion. The play was first staged in April 1981 at The Cameri Theater in Israel, under the d ...

'', for which he received the " David's Harp" award. Carmon also directed several plays at the theater, including some of Levin's works.

Film

In 1963, Carmon made his debut film appearance in the film ''Not a Word to Morgenstein'' directed by

Arieh Elias Arieh Elias (; 1 April 1921 – 7 May 2015) was an Israeli actor. Biography Arieh Elias was born in Baghdad. In 1941, he was the first Jew to be accepted to the drama faculty of Baghdad's Academy of Fine Arts. Elias aliyah, immigrated to Manda ...

. He was also featured in

Avraham Heffner Avraham Heffner (‎; 7 May 1935 – 19 September 2014) was an Israeli film and television director, screenwriter, author and Professor Emeritus at the Tel-Aviv University. He was a recipient of the Ophir Award for lifetime achievements. Biogr ...

’s 1972 film ''But Where Is Daniel Wax?''. Some of his other film appearances include '' Alila'', ''Mr. Baum'', ''Aunt Clara'' and ''Tel Aviv - Berlin''. Some of his prominent later film appearances include ''Epilogue'' (2013) and ''

The Farewell Party ''The Farewell Party'' ( ''Mita Tova'') is a 2014 Israeli drama film about the use of a euthanasia device, directed by Tal Granit and Sharon Maymon. It was nominated for the Ophir Award for Best Film. The film was screened in the Venice Days sec ...

'' (2014).

Awards

* The "David's Harp" award for stage acting (''Job's Passion'') * The Cameri Prize * The Moshe HaLevi Lifetime Achievement award * The Rosenblum Lifetime Achievement award

Personal life

Carmon was married and had four children, Tzvika, Asaf, Avital and Michal, who are all in the entertainment industry. Asaf and his wife are also actors. In 2014, Carmon was diagnosed with

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

. He gradually decreased his activity as an actor before retiring for good in 2019. Carmon died as a result of his illness on 2 March 2022, at the age of 88.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carmon, Yosef 1933 births 2022 deaths People from Degania Bet Actors from Radom Members of Aliyah Bet Israeli male film actors Israeli male stage actors Israeli male television actors Israeli theatre directors Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Polish Jews in Israel Polish Holocaust survivors Jewish Israeli male actors Deaths from dementia in Israel 20th-century Israeli male actors 21st-century Israeli male actors 20th-century Israeli Jews 21st-century Israeli Jews 20th-century Polish Jews 21st-century Polish Jews