Lior Ashkenazi as Yitzak Rabin

Lior Ashkenazi is one of Israel’s most prominent stage, television and film actors. This year, he won Best Actor at the Ophir Awards, Israel’s version of the Oscars, for his performance as Michael Feldmann in Samuel Maoz’s Foxtrot. The film also won awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Music, Best Editing, Best Cinematography and Best Soundtrack. 

Last year, Ashkenazi starred opposite Richard Gere in Joseph Cedar’s political drama Norman, playing fictional Israeli Prime Minister Micha Eshel. In 2013, he played a disturbed, violent cop in the Israeli thriller Big Bad Wolves, which Quentin Tarantino called “the best film of the year.” 21 

In 2011, Ashkenazi won the Israeli Film Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Joseph Cedar’s Footnote, which was nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar. He also won the Israeli Film Academy Award for Best Actor for his breakthrough role in director Dover Koshashvili’s Late Marriage. 

On television, Ashkenazi starred in the Israel’s “Betipul” which was later adapted into HBO’s hit series “In Treatment.” He also starred in the Israeli version of “Married… With Children.”