Israeli in Hollywood

Ayelet Zurer to Noa Tishby, Israeli actors and actresses take Hollywood by storm. What is the secret of their success?

By JEFFREY HEYMAN
Noa Tishby (photo credit: Courtesy)
Noa Tishby
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Ayelet Zurer is securing her position as the most successful Israeli actress in Hollywood. After starring alongside Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor in Angels & Demons, 41-year-old Zurer has now filmed the leading female role in director Chris Eyre’s 2011 film A Year in Mooring, along with Josh Lucas (A Beautiful Mind).
Meital Dohan in Weeds
Meital Dohan in Weeds
Following her stint on Weeds, Meital Dohan starred as Aurora on Woke Up Dead, an online “zombie comedy thriller” produced by and starring Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite). Dohan is the official spokesperson for Artists 4 Israel, a group which brought over young US graffiti artists to paint bomb shelters in Sderot and show their solidarity.
26-year-old Rosh Ha’ayin native Gal Gadot represented Israel at the 2004 Miss Universe beauty pageant. Her acting career took off in 2008 when she featured in the Israeli drama Bubot, which led to her being cast opposite action star Vin Diesel in his film, Fast & Furious as well as in the up and coming Fast Five.
Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot
Gadot appeared in episodes of the series’ Entourage and The Beautiful Life, and this played the role of “Netanya” in the Steve Carrell/Tina Fey comedy Date Night. She also starred with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz in the action/comedy Knight and Day.
Actress, producer, model and singer Noa Tishby divides her time between Los Angeles, Tel Aviv and Australia, where her husband Andrew Günsberg, an Australian media personality, lives. She became a household name in Israel while still a teenager and went on to appear in Michael Bay’s The Island with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. Tishby enjoyed a successful career as a recording artist with Nona, topping the charts.
She starred opposite Matthew McConaughey in The Ghost of Girlfriends Past. Tishby’s TV credits include NCIS, Leverage, CSI:Miami, CSI:NY, Nip/Tuck, The 4400, Las Vegas and Star Trek: Enterprise, as well as recurring roles on HBO’s Big Love and ABC’s The Deep End. Tishby made history with the sale of In Treatment (B’Tipul) to HBO; the first Israeli television show to become an American series. She serves as co-executive producer of the program alongside Mark Wahlberg.