Occupation Actor Role Film actor | Name Uri Gavriel Years active 1982–present | |
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Parents Bertha Gavriel, Gabriel Gavriel Movies The Band's Visit, Byzantium, The Dark Knight Rises, The Ballad of the Weeping, The Attack Similar People Eran Kolirin, Ziad Doueiri, Boaz Davidson, Eran Riklis, Amos Gitai | ||
Uri Gavriel (Hebrew: אורי גבריאל; born April 3, 1955) is an Israeli theater, film and TV actor. Winner of the Ophir Award and Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2005 as Best Actor in film "What a Wonderful Place".
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Early life
Uri Gavriel was born in 1955 in the Magdiel transit camp in Israel, to Iraqi Jewish immigrants Bertha and Gabriel Gavriel. When he was five, the family moved to Jaffa. When Gavriel was 12 years old the family moved to the neighborhood of Tel Giborim and from it to the secular Pardes Katz within the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak.
After serving his mandatory military service, Gavriel continued to work as an actor. Between the years 1977 - 1979 he studied acting and theater in Nissan Nativ's acting studio.
Israeli television
In 1974 he played a cameo role in one of the episodes of the children's show Ha'Yladim Mi'Shchunat Chaim, in which he played a thief. In 1984 he played in a guest role in the TV series Close Relatives in which he portrayed a cop.
In 1989 he played a role in children's television series Htzatzkanim. In 1999 he played Rabbi Baruch Levy in two episodes of the Israeli TV series Florentine and the father of David in the series "Good Guys".
In 2005 Gavriel took part in the TV series "Jaffa Pictures" in which he acted alongside Orna Banai and in the Israeli telenovela Telenovela Ltd.. In 2006 Gavriel participated in the TV series Parashat Ha-Shavua.
Israeli cinema
In 1982 Gavriel starred in the film Mitahat La'af in which he played the hardcore Mizrahi criminal Sami Ben Tovim, alongside Moshe Ivgy. For his role in the film Gavriel won the Player of the Year award in Haifa's Film Festival. In the same year Gavriel acted in the film Dead End Street' in which he acted alongside Hanna Maron and Tiki Dayan.
In 1985 Gavriel took part in Nissim Dayan's film Gesher Tzar Me'od in which he acted alongside Haim Hefer. In 1990 Gavriel acted alongside Hana Azoulay Hasfari in Ha-Mahtzeva. In 1994 he participated in the Israeli film Max V'Morris. In 1995 he participated in the Israeli film Lovesick on Nana Street. In 1996 he acted in the film Tze'irim Lanetzah alongside Sa'ar Badishi and in the TV movie The Marginal Man alongside Arie Elias.
In 2000 he acted in the Israeli short film Cock Fight which participated in film festivals in Australia and the United States. In 2001 he acted in the film Circle of Dreams alongside Ayelet Zurer which won the Ophir Awards. In 2004 he participated in Avanim alongside Sarah Adler. In the same year he acted in the film Black Jack and in the The Syrian Bride. In 2005 he acted in David Deri's TV movie Until Tomorrow Comes (חתה יסבח סבח). In addition he participated in Haim Buzaglo's TV series Katav Plili alongside Lior Miller. In the same year he took part in Eyal Halfon's film What a Wonderful Place in which he acted alongside Evelyn Kaplun and Joseph Gerber. In 2012, he starred in The Ballad of the Weeping Spring (Balada le'aviv ha'bohe), directed by Benny Toraty, a wonderfully evocative movie that shows a side of Israel closer to life in a Mexican border village than we are used to seeing.
International productions
In 1983 Gavriel participated in the French-Israeli production Hanna K.. The film has been nominated for a César award.
In 1986 Gavriel moved to the United States and participated in several American-Israeli productions: Sidney J. Fury's Iron Eagle and Menahem Golan's The Delta Force in which Gavriel acted alongside Chuck Norris, and in the TV movie Steal the Sky in which he acted alongside Sasson Gabai Etty Ankri, Gabi Amrani, and Yaakov Banai.
In 1988 Gavriel took part in Iron Eagle II. In 1991 Gavriel acted in the American films The Finest Hour and Cover Up. In 1992 he acted in the American film "Blink of an Eye", and in the American film The Human Shield alongside Albert Illouz. In 1993 he acted in the American film American Cyborg: Steel Warrior and in the American film Prison Heat and in the American film Night Terrors alongside Yaakov Banai. In 1997 he acted in the American film Delta Force One: The Lost Patrol alongside Ze'ev Revach. In 1998 he acted in the American TV movie Escape: Human Cargo produced by the U.S. television network "Showtime".
In 2007 he acted in the American film The Kingdom. In 2008 he acted in the American TV mini-series House of Saddam. In 2012 he acted in the American film The Dark Knight Rises, as the blind prison doctor.