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Israelis in Hollywood

Director Sam Firstenberg and the poster for his 1989 'Riverbend.' (Courtesy of Firstenberg)
April 24, 2026, 7:29 pm
A popular US theater is reviving a lost film by Israeli B-movie director Sam Firstenberg
Alamo Drafthouse theaters in five cities will screen the 1989 action drama ‘Riverbend’ on April 29, signaling renewed interest in a filmmaker critics praised as a master of ‘earnest schlock’
By Stephen Silver
L-R: Actress Meryl Streep attends the King's Foundation Awards ceremony, at St. James's Palace, in London, on June 12, 2025. (J RATCLIFFE / POOL / AFP); Actress Sigourney Weaver attends the world premiere of 'Dust Bunny' at the Royal Alexandra Theater during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 8, 2025. (VALERIE MACON / AFP)
November 8, 2025, 8:46 pm
Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver to star in Israeli director’s new thriller
Award-winning filmmaker Joseph Cedar to lead the two Hollywood megastars in mystery film, ‘Useful Idiots,’ set in Manhattan’s richest circles
By ToI Staff
Israeli singer Noga Erez performs in Katzrin on October 4, 2023 (Photo by Michael Giladi/Flash90)
October 4, 2025, 7:52 am
Upstaged by war, Israeli film and music artists battle global boycott calls
Sderot film fest targeted by 4,000-strong Hollywood pledge to isolate Israel says movies are dropping out as movement gains momentum; local performers are trying to ignore the noise
By Jessica Steinberg
Alma Varsano, from left, Jaron Varsano, Ori Varsano, Gal Gadot, Maya Varsano, and Daniella Varsano pose with Gadot's new star during a ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 18, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
March 18, 2025, 11:43 pm
Gal Gadot is first Israeli actor to receive star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
‘Anything is possible,’ says Gadot, crediting her four daughters with inspiring ‘me to be a better person,’ as small pro- and anti-Israel protests staged outside ceremony
By ToI Staff
Guy Pearce (front), Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones in a scene from "The Brutalist." (Lol Crowley/A24 via JTA)
January 23, 2025, 6:39 pm
Holocaust survivor epic, Bob Dylan biopic among films leading Oscar nominations
Documentaries about West Bank, 1972 Munich massacre also get nods; ‘Emilia Pérez’ features Tel Aviv gender clinic; ‘Bibi Files’ doc was shortlisted, but doesn’t make the cut
By Andrew Lapin
Gal Gadot attends the Academy Women's Luncheon on December 10, 2024, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
December 30, 2024, 3:50 am
Gal Gadot reveals she had emergency brain surgery while 8 months pregnant
In Instagram post 10 months later, Israeli actress says she underwent operation after an MRI found a ‘massive blood clot’ in her brain; 4th daughter Ori delivered before surgery
By ToI Staff
From left to right: Carmel restaurant partners Liron Hazan, Ronnie Benarie, Asaf Moaz, Yoav Schverd, in their Los Angeles, California eatery, May 2024. (Kelly Hartog)
July 5, 2024, 8:31 pm
LA’s swanky new Carmel eatery serves upscale Tel Aviv market fare, no added politics
Four friends focus on their love of the White City’s Carmel Market by bringing Angelenos gourmet spins on local classics despite anti-Israel spike after Oct. 7 Hamas atrocities
By Kelly Hartog
Gal Gadot in 'Wonder Woman 84.' (Courtesy, Warner Bros. Films)
August 3, 2023, 1:17 pm
Gal Gadot says 3rd Wonder Woman film still in the cards
Months after major changes at DC Studios cast doubt on franchise’s future and removed Patty Jenkins as director, Israeli actress says: ‘Nobody ever talked to me about a freeze’
By ToI Staff
Gal Gadot arrives at the ninth Breakthrough Prize ceremony at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, on, April 15, 2023. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
June 27, 2023, 6:54 am
Gal Gadot to receive star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame
‘Wonder Woman’ lead becomes first Israeli actor to receive accolade, says it inspires her to ‘continue doing what I love’
By ToI Staff
Israeli comic book artist and writer Uri Fink holds a book at the annual Animix festival for animation, comics and caricature in the Tel Aviv Cinemateque on August 2, 2016. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
September 11, 2022, 11:45 pm
Israeli cartoonist says Marvel copied superhero Sabra, he’d sue if he had the means
As Shira Haas is cast as Israeli heroine in next Captain America film, Uri Fink recounts creating Sabraman two years before Sabra emerged, and warns portrayal might be anti-Israeli
By Michael Bachner
In this June 9, 2021 photo, Shira Haas poses for a portrait in New York. (Matt Licari/Invision/AP)
September 10, 2022, 11:55 pm
Shira Haas to join next ‘Captain America’ film as Israeli superhero Sabra
Actress known for ‘Unorthodox’ tapped to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as little-known character in 2024 movie
By ToI Staff
Adam Sandler in 'You Don't Mess With the Zohan.' (Screenshot)
July 25, 2022, 2:52 am
Hollywood and Israel, a love story: How the Jewish state met the silver screen
In a new book, authors Tony Shaw and Giora Goodman examine the history of modern Israel’s representation in cinema — with all its ups and downs
By Rich Tenorio
Shira Haas plays a teen dealing with a degenerative neurological illness in 'Asia,' screening in Israel at the end of June 2021 (Courtesy PR)
July 8, 2022, 10:45 pm
Shira Haas to play detective in new Netflix murder mystery
Israeli actress to star alongside big Hollywood names in time-jumping series ‘Bodies,’ following investigation across four disparate decades
By Michael Horovitz
Joss Whedon arrives at the world premiere of 'Avengers: Infinity War' in Los Angeles, April 23, 2018. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
January 18, 2022, 10:30 am
Joss Whedon says Gal Gadot’s claim he threatened her career was misunderstanding
Israeli actress rejects director’s suggestion her English wasn’t good enough to follow what he was really saying: ‘I understood perfectly well’
By Stuart Winer and ToI Staff
Israeli actress Shira Haas receives the prize for Best Supporting Actress at the 2018 Ophir Awards, sometimes called the Israeli Oscars, in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, September 6, 2018. (Flash90)
June 27, 2021, 2:38 pm
Haas recalls excitement when Streisand offered her part of Golda
Award-winning Israeli actress will portray Israel’s only female prime minister in the upcoming TV series ‘Lioness’ produced by Hollywood icon
By ToI Staff and JTA
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