Amit Rahav (Hebrew: עמית רהב; born 9 August 1995) is an Israeli actor.
Amit Rahav | |
|---|---|
עמית רהב | |
 | |
| Born | 9 August 1995 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2014–present |
A graduate of Yoram Loewenstein Performing Arts Studio in Tel Aviv, he began his career on the Israeli stage. He landed his first TV role in Mishpacha Sholetet (2014–2016). He became known to international audiences for his role as Yanky Shapiro in the Netflix miniseries Unorthodox (2020). He has since starred in the Netflix miniseries Transatlantic (2023) and the Holocaust family drama limited series, We Were the Lucky Ones (2024) for Hulu.[1][2]
Early life
editRahav was born in Tel Aviv, Israel to a British mother and Israeli father, and he grew up in an English-speaking household.[3] His parents are divorced.[4] He was raised as a secular Jew and continues to define himself as such.[5] His grandmother is a Holocaust survivor.[6]
At 18, he began serving a three-year term in the Israel Defense Forces in the theater and entertainment troop.[1] He was a drama counselor in Clayton, Georgia at Camp Ramah Darom for three months in summer 2016 through the Jewish Agency for Israel.[7][8][9]
Career
editSince he left the military, Rahav has appeared in various movies and television shows. His first significant role was on the Israeli TV show, Mishpacha Sholetet, and he has since acted in various other Israeli shows.[7] In 2015, he appeared in two episodes of the American thriller TV series Dig.[10]
In 2016, he appeared in Flashback, an Israeli show for teenagers. He made history, as his character, Aviv was the first on an Israeli teen show to come out as gay.[11][12]
In 2021, Rahav starred as Yanky Shapiro in the German-American Netflix original miniseries Unorthodox.[13] In April 2020, he signed with talent agency Lighthouse Management & Media.[14]
In 2021, he played the protagonist, Yehonatan alongside Daniel Litman in The One My Soul Loves at the Habima Theatre. The play is based on the true events of the Tel Aviv gay centre shooting and deals with conversion therapy.[15] He returned to the role for a special performance at Nicosia Municipal Theatre in Nicosia in Cyprus in October 2022 and then for a second run at Habima Theatre in December 2023.[16][17][18]
In 2022 he starred in the Haredi comedy film, Matchmaking. In 2024, he began filming a sequel to the film, alongside Niv Sultan.[19]
Personal life
editRahav is a graduate of the Yoram Loewenstein Performing Arts Studio in Tel Aviv. He took time off school to film Unorthodox and had to re-audition to continue attending.[7][2] He is openly gay.[7]
Rahav and his Unorthodox co-star Shira Haas have been friends since 2010, after meeting at a party at age 15. The two are neighbors in Tel Aviv.[5][20]
He speaks fluent Hebrew and English,[3] and he is a vegetarian.[21]
In 2024, he relocated to Los Angeles.[12]
Filmography
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-2016 | Mishpacha Sholelet | Hanan | Occurring character | |
| 2015 | Dig | Aaron | 2 episodes USA Network TV series |
[10] |
| 2015 | L'Hitgaber | Israeli teen TV series | [22] | |
| 2015 | Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race | Mickey | Hebrew voiceover | [22] |
| 2016 | Wild Horses | Nadav | 1 episode | [22] |
| 2016 | Flashback | Aviv | Israeli teen TV series | [22] |
| 2018 | Trening | Stav | Israeli children's series | [7] |
| 2020 | Cash Register | Michael Eshet Bloom | 1 episode | [10] |
| 2020 | Unorthodox | Yanky Shapiro | Main role Netflix miniseries |
[7] |
| 2023 | Transatlantic | Thomas Lovegrove | Netflix miniseries | [23] |
| 2024 | We Were the Lucky Ones | Jakob | Hulu limited series | [23] |
Film
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The Damned | Aviv | Israeli film | [10] |
| 2022 | Matchmaking | Moti | Israeli film | [24] |
| 2024 | Matchmaking 2 | Aviv | Israeli film | [19] |
Stage
edit| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The One My Soul Loves | Yehonatan | Habima Theatre | [16] |
Awards
edit| Year | Organization | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series | Unorthodox | Won |
References
edit- ^ a b Mitchell, Molli (2020-04-24). "Unorthodox cast: Who is Amit Rahav? Meet the Unorthodox star". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ a b What Yanky Shapiro of Unorthodox did next The Jewish Chronicle. 14 February 2024
- ^ a b "Amit Rahav". Festival Séries Mania. Retrieved 2020-04-29.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Soroka, Lior (2020-05-15). "Portrait zu "Unorthodox"-Star Amit Rahav: Nicht weiter in Angst leben". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
- ^ a b Malkin, Marc (2020-05-14). "'Unorthodox' Star Amit Rahav on Working With Shira Haas, Emmy Buzz and Being a Role Model for LGBTQ Youth". Variety. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ ‘We Were the Lucky Ones’ Actor Amit Rahav Honors His Grandmother, a Holocaust Survivor, With Hulu’s WWII Drama Variety. 5 April 2024
- ^ a b c d e f "18 Things to Know About Amit Rahav, AKA Yanky in 'Unorthodox'". Alma. 2020-04-29. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ "Israeli Actor Amit Rahav's Journey from Camp Ramah Darom To Netflix's 'Unorthodox'". Reshet Ramah. 2020-04-22. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ Jaffe, Marcia Caller (2020-05-18). "Netflix's 'Unorthodox' Exposes Extremes". Atlanta Jewish Times. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
- ^ a b c d "Amit Rahav". IMDb.
- ^ Dekel, Yanir (December 16, 2016). "Israel: First Gay Character in Children's Show". A Wider Bridge. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ a b Work in Progress: Amit Rahav iheart. 11 July 2024
- ^ "25 FACTS ABOUT NETFLIX SERIES UNORTHODOX". VERTIGO Magazine. 2020-03-30. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ "'Unorthodox' Star Amit Rahav Signs With Lighthouse Management & Media". finance.yahoo.com. 17 April 2020. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ Summer 2022 Jerusalem Theatre. Retrieved on 9 July 2024
- ^ a b Israeli play featuring Netflix actors opens major theater festival in Cyprus The Jerusalem Post. 22 December 2022
- ^ HaBima-National Theatre's performance in Cyprus Embassy of Israel in Cyprus. 29 October 2022
- ^ The One my Soul Loves The Times of Israel. 17 December 2023
- ^ a b החלו צילומי סרט ההמשך הישראלי "בחורים טובים 2" עם הזוג ניב סולטן ומאור שוויצר edb.co.il. 26 February 2024
- ^ "'Unorthodox' Star Shira Haas Shares How She Met TV Husband Amit Rahav". TheThings. 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
- ^ "Amit Rahav Is Our New Religion". PAPER. 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
- ^ a b c d "Amit Rahav". ADD. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ a b Rice, Lynette (2022-12-06). "'We Were The Lucky Ones': Amit Rahav, Eva Feiler, Hadas Yaron Join Hulu Originals Limited Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ "Matchmaking". Miami Jewish Film Festival. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
External links
edit- Amit Rahav at IMDb
