Shira Haas
Shira Haas (; born ) is an Israeli actress. She initially gained national prominence for her roles in local film and television, having won two Israeli Ophir Awards out of five nominations since 2014. In 2020, she gained international acclaim for her role in the Netflix miniseries "Unorthodox." For this performance, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In the same year, Haas won the Tribeca Film Festival Award for Best International Actress for her performance in the Israeli drama film "Asia" (2020)"." Early life. Haas was born on 11 May 1995 in Tel  Aviv, Israel, to a secular Jewish family. Her parents, both Israeli-born, are of Ashkenazi Jewish (Polish-Jewish, Hungarian-Jewish, and Czech-Jewish) descent. Her grandparents are both Holocaust survivors; her grandfather had been imprisoned in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. When she was one year old, her family moved to the city of Hod HaSharon, Israel, where she spent most of her early years. At age two, Haas was diagnosed with kidney cancer and recovered two years later after a series of severe treatments. Career. 1995–2014: Early life and "Princess" debut. At age 14, she began  performing in plays at the Cameri Theater, such as "Ghetto" and "Richard III". She made her television debut as the role of Ruchami Weiss in the drama series "Shtisel" in 2013. Haas studied theater at Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts in Givatayim, before completing a short period of service in the IDF's military theatre. While studying at Thelma Yellin, Haas was approached by a casting director by the name of Esther Kling via Facebook message in 2014. She encouraged Haas to audition for the lead role in the film "Princess" (2014). After getting her debut role at  the age of 16, Haas was praised by "The New York Times" for her "truly remarkable lead performance", and was admired by "The Hollywood Reporter" for fitting the part of a 12-year-old character with her "petite frame and baby-smooth complexion". The role won her the awards for Best Actress at both the Jerusalem Film Festival and the Peace & Love Film Festival, as well as a nomination for Best Leading Actress at the Israeli Ophir Awards. 2015–2017: Hollywood debut. Haas made her first appearance in an international film when she played the role of young Fania in Natalie  Portman's directorial-debut, "A Tale of Love and Darkness" (2015). Haas also appeared alongside Jessica Chastain in Niki Caro's "The Zookeeper's Wife" (2017), which led to her prime time American talk show debut on "The Today Show" in 2016. Haas auditioned for the role over Skype call. She earned her second Israeli Ophir Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in "Foxtrot" (2017), which made the final shortlist for the 90th Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. 2018–2019: National breakthrough. By the start of 2018, Haas had made a name for herself in many prime time Israeli  drama television shows: "Shtisel" (2013–2020), "The Jeweler" (2015), "The Switch Principle" (2016), "Harem" (2017) and "The Conductor" (2018). At the 2018 Israeli Ophir Awards, Haas was nominated for both Best Leading Actress for "Broken Mirrors" (2018) and Best Supporting Actress for "Noble Savage" (2018), the latter of which she won. In 2018, she appeared as Leah in "Mary Magdalene", written by Helen Edmundson and directed by Garth Davis. She made the Israeli "Forbes" list of 30 under 30 in February 2019, before appearing alongside Harvey Keitel in the second biblical film in her acting career, "Esau" (2019). 2020–present: International  breakthrough with "Unorthodox". Haas arrived in Berlin two months before the shooting of the 2020 limited Netflix series "Unorthodox" in order to study the Yiddish language which would be primarily spoken in the series. Besides Yiddish lessons, Haas was required to shave her head and also completed both piano and singing lessons to prepare for the role of Esther "Esty" Shapiro, who runs away from her arranged marriage and Ultra-Orthodox community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City. The series is based on the true life story of Deborah Feldman, who wrote an autobiography of the same name. James Poniewozik  of "The New York Times" described Haas as "a phenomenon, expressive and captivating." Brigid Delaney of "The Guardian" described her as "mesmerising" and "outstanding," noting, "physically tiny, like a child, the viewer is immediately protective of her." Sheena Scott of "Forbes" wrote that Haas "offers an incredible performance as Esty, full of subtlety, delicately revealing her character's inner struggle and happiness without needing to say a word." Hank Stuever of "The Washington Post" wrote that she "lends a grave and yet vulnerable luminescence to the role." At the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, Haas was nominated for Best Lead Actress  in a Limited Series for this performance, becoming the first Israeli to be nominated for an acting Primetime Emmy Award. Haas acted alongside Alena Yiv in the role of a daughter who becomes confined to a wheelchair in the Israeli film "Asia" (2020), which was premiered online at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The role earned Haas the award for Best International Actress at the festival. The jury wrote, "Her face is a never-ending landscape in which even the tiniest expression is heartbreaking; she's an incredibly honest and present actress who brings depth  to everything she does." Her performance in the film also earned her the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 30th Israeli Ophir Awards. In late April 2020, she joined a virtual ceremony celebrating Israel's 72nd Independence Day with other Israeli stars. Haas was signed to Creative Artists Agency in June 2020. Personal life. As of April 2020, Haas resides in Tel Aviv, Israel.