Occupation Actress Role Actress | Name Haya Harareet Years active 1955–1964 | |
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Movies Ben‑Hur, Journey Beneath the Desert, The Secret Partner, Hill 24 Doesn't Answer, The Interns Similar People Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Hugh Griffith, Cathy O'Donnell, William Wyler | ||
Tribute to haya harareet esther in ben hur 1959
Haya Harareet (Hebrew: חיה הררית; born 20 September 1931) is an Israeli actress, perhaps best known for playing Esther, Charlton Heston's love interest in Ben Hur (1959).
Contents
- Tribute to haya harareet esther in ben hur 1959
- Ben Hur Wins Special Effects 1960 Oscars
- Early life
- Career
- Personal life
- Filmography
- References
Ben-Hur Wins Special Effects: 1960 Oscars
Early life
The first of three children, Harareet was born Haya Neuberg in Haifa, in what was then Mandatory Palestine (now Israel). Her parents, Reuben and Yocheved Neuberg, emigrated to Israel from Poland when they were young. Her father worked for the government in Tel Aviv. She received the surname Hararit (later changed to Harareet), which means "mountainous" in Hebrew, at school.
Career
She began her career in Israeli films with Hill 24 Doesn't Answer (1955), which was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. She played opposite Virna Lisi in Francesco Maselli's The Doll that Took the Town (1957), an Italian film. Her major role as Esther in Ben-Hur (1959) remains her most widely seen performance in international cinema. Variety, in its review of Ben-Hur, praised Harareet's performance:
"Haya Harareet, an Israeli actress making her first appearance in an American film, emerges as a performer of stature. Her portrayal of Esther, the former slave and daughter of Simonides, steward of the House of Hur, is sensitive and revealing. Wyler presumably deserves considerate credit for taking a chance on an unknown. She has a striking appearance and represents a welcome departure from the standard Hollywood ingenue."
Then came 1961's L'Atlantide (Journey Beneath The Desert, aka The Lost Kingdom), directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and co-starring Jean-Louis Trintignant. She appeared opposite Stewart Granger in Basil Dearden's film The Secret Partner (1961), and she played the role of Dr. Madolyn Bruckner in The Interns (1962).
She co-wrote the screenplay for Our Mother's House (1967) from the novel of the same name by Julian Gloag.
Personal life
Harareet's first husband was Nachman Zerwanitzer, an Israeli irrigation engineer. They lived in an apartment in Tel Aviv and were divorced sometime before 1961.
Harareet's second husband was the British film director Jack Clayton. They were married in Wycombe District, Buckinghamshire, England, in 1984. Clayton died on 26 February 1995, and Harareet resides in Buckinghamshire.