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Israeli actor (born 1984) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Mark Aloni (or Alony; Hebrew: מיכאל אלוני; born 31 January 1984) is an Israeli actor, director, writer and television presenter. Regarded as one of the best performers of his generation in Israel, he is recognized for his versatile work across independent films, television and the stage.
A graduate of Nissan Nativ Action Studio, he had a breakout role on the hit teen TV drama, HaShminiya (2005–2007). He also appeared in the films, Policeman (2011) and Out in the Dark (2012). He became known to international audiences when Netflix picked up international streaming rights for the critically acclaimed TV series, Shtisel (2013–2021). Aloni portrayed the protagonist, Akiva Shtisel, a Haredi man in Mea Shearim in Jerusalem. He also appeared in other prominent TV productions such as When Heroes Fly (2018), Our Boys (2019) and Scenes from a Marriage (2021). Most recently he has had a leading role in The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem (2021–2023) and a supporting role in the Holocaust family drama series, We Were The Lucky Ones (2024) on Hulu.
Aloni was born in Tel Aviv to a secular Jewish family. He had a Bar Mitzvah at age 13.[1] His mother is an attorney and his father is an accountant. During his military service in the Israel Defense Forces, he served as a Gadna commander in the Marva training program of the Education Corps.
He studied acting at the Nissan Nativ Acting Studio between 2006 and 2009. He also appeared in a number of advertising campaigns as a male model.[2]
Aloni had a breakout role as Adam Halevi for three seasons on the hit teen drama, HaShminiya (2005–2007).[3] He became a household name in Israel during his time on the show.[3] He has since described this as his favorite role: "There's something primal about your first role that stays with you."[3]
In 2012, he starred in the critically acclaimed LGBT film, Out in the Dark. He portrayed Roy, an Israeli Jewish lawyer in Tel Aviv who begins a relationship with a Palestinian man from the West Bank.[4] The American film critic Rex Reed praised the film in The New York Observer: "It’s one of the most powerful films about the Arab-Israeli conflict that has ever been attempted on the screen."[5] Reed commended Aloni's "outstanding" performance.[5]
In 2013, he was cast as Akiva Shtisel, a young Haredi man, in the yes family drama series, Shtisel (2013–2021).[6] Already a hit show in Israel, it also became popular with international audiences when Netflix began streaming the series in 2018.[7] He spent three months preparing for the role: “I spent Shabbos with a charedi family, and we needed to learn Yiddish and a different kind of Hebrew, loshen hakodesh, from the one we speak day-to-day. We learned prayers and the rules of Jewish law. We had to learn everything from scratch. I loved it,”.[1]
He also starred in the Keshet series, When Heroes Fly (2017) alongside Tomer Capone. In April 2018, it won the best series at Canneseries.[8]
In 2021, he appeared alongside Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac in the HBO miniseries, Scenes from a Marriage. It is an English-language remake of the 1973 Swedish miniseries of the same name by Ingmar Bergman.[9][10]
He was cast as Gabriel Ermosa in The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem (2021–2023).[11] The series is set during Ottoman rule and subsequently under the British Mandate for Palestine. Aloni played the son of a prosperous merchant Sephardi family. He fell in love with an Ashkenazi woman, but is pressured by his family into marrying a Sephardi woman.[12]
In 2024, he appeared in the Hulu limited series, We Were the Lucky Ones, based on a book of the same name by Georgia Hunter. It tells the true life story of the Kurc family in Poland who survived the Holocaust. Aloni plays Selim, a doctor and the husband of Mila (Hadas Yaron).[13] Aloni previously played Yaron's on-screen husband when the pair portrayed the roles of Akiva and Libbi Shtisel in Shtisel.[14]
In 2014, Aloni starred in Edna Mazia's comic satire, The New Criminals at Cameri Theatre in Tel Aviv. Aloni plays Ilai, the grown up son of the family and an aspiring musician.[15]
In 2018, Aloni starred in Martin Sherman's play, Bent at Habima Theatre in Tel Aviv. The play explores the explores the persecution of homosexuals during the Holocaust.[16][17]
In 2024, Aloni took on the role of Zaza (previously occupied by Lior Ashkenazi) in a stage adaptation of Dover Kosashvili 2021 film, Late Marriage at Habima Theatre.[18]
In 2024, from September to October, Aloni starred in David Edgar's play Here in America at the Orange Tree Theatre in London. Aloni was directed by James Dacre in the 1950's set play that imagines a confrontation between Arthur Miller (Aloni) and Elia Kazan.[19] Aloni was praised by The Guardian's theatre critic: "Aloni, making his UK stage debut, is strong as the upstanding Art,".[20]
As a television presenter, he hosted five seasons of the singing competition, The Voice Israel on Channel 2 (2012–2017) and Channel 13 (2018–2019).[21]
In 2017, his debut novel, Love in the Days of Flu, was published by Steimatzky. It consists of four novellas and two short stories. Aloni wrote one of the stories when he was 16-years-old.[22][23]
In 2017, he also directed a short film, Shir (Song), about a teenage girl that skips school on Israel's memorial day, Yom HaZikaron.[23]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–2007 | HaShminiya | Adam Halevi | Series regular |
| 2006 | Out of Sight | Tomer the Lifeguard | Original title: Lemarit Ain |
| Ha-Alufa | Eddy Franco | 2 episodes | |
| 2009 | Ruin | Ben | |
| 2010 | Infiltration | Benny | Original title: Hitganvut Yehidim |
| 2011 | Policeman | Nathanael | Original title: Ha-shoter |
| 2012 | Keshet Beanan | Short | |
| Out in the Dark | Roy Schaffer | ||
| 2013 | A Place in Heaven | Frenchie | Original title: Makom beGan Eden |
| 2013–2016, 2020 | Shtisel | Akiva Shtisel | Series regular |
| 2014 | Keep it Cool | Uri | Short |
| Shovrei Galim | Noam | 2 episodes | |
| 2016 | Antenna | ||
| Lucid | Short | ||
| 2017 | Naor's Friends | Raz Hita | Episode #4.10 |
| Metim LeRega | Lev Alexander | Episode #2.1 | |
| And Then She Arrived | Dan | Original title: VeAz Hi Hegiaa | |
| 2018 | Virgins | Journalist | |
| When Heroes Fly | Dotan 'Himler' Friedman | Series regular | |
| 2019 | Happy Times | Michael | |
| 2019 | Our Boys | Itzik | |
| 2019–2020 | Greenhouse Academy | The Client/Jason Osmond (alter ego version) | seasons 3 & 4 |
| 2021 | Scenes from a Marriage | Poli | Episode: "In the Middle of the Night, in a Dark House, Somewhere in the World" |
| Plan A | Michael | ||
| 2021-2022 | The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem | Gabriel | |
| 2023 | The Stronghold | Dr. Nahum Werbin | |
| The Stronghold | Dr. Nahum Webin | 5-episode expanded TV series of original film | |
| 2024 | We Were The Lucky Ones | Selim | Disney+/Hulu series |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The New Criminals | Ilai | Cameri Theatre | [15] |
| 2018 | Bent | Max | Habima Theatre | [16] |
| 2024 | Late Marriage | Zaza | Habima Theatre | [18] |
| 2024 | Here in America | Arthur Miller | Orange Tree Theatre | [19] |
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