Jonathan Sagall ( he, יהונתן סגל; born April 23, 1959) is a Canadian-born
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i actor, director, producer and screenwriter.
Jonathan Sagall’s filmography
(in Hebrew)
Early life
Sagall was born to a Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Several members of his family were survivors of the Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
, who then immigrated
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
from Poland to Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
after World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, then to Canada. Sagall immigrated to Israel from Canada with his family at age 3. During the rest of his childhood, Sagall grew up in Haifa, Israel
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
, and eventually graduated from the Hebrew Reali School
, motto_translation = ''Walk Humbly''
, address = Hertzel 16
, city = Haifa
, zipcode = 3312103
, country = Israel
, coordinates =
, other_name ...
in this city. His mother, Ruth Sagall, was an actress at the Haifa Theatre
The Haifa Theatre ( he, תיאטרון חיפה; ''Teat'ron Kheifa'') is the first municipal theater company of Haifa, Israel.
Background
Haifa Theater, Israel's first municipal theater, was established by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi. Together with the ...
.
Career
At a young age, Sagall did stagework for local Israeli theaters. His first appearance as an actor occurred in a 1977 Israeli television film which did not gain much attention. Sagall gained much success after he played Momo in the successful 1978 Israeli film ''Lemon Popsicle
''Lemon Popsicle'' ( he, אסקימו לימון, Eskimo Limon) is a 1978 teen comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Boaz Davidson. The success of the film led to a series of sequels. The cult film follows a group of three teenage boys i ...
'' (''Eskimo Limon'') which became an Israeli cult film
A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...
, and reprised the role in 6 of the 7 sequels: '' Going Steady'' (1979), ''Hot Bubblegum'' (1981), ''Private Popsicle'' (1982), ''Baby Love'' (1984), ''Young Love'' (1987) and ''Summertime Blues'' (1988).
In 1979, Sagall was an actor in the New Media Bible Series as Joseph.
In 1983 Sagall played the lead role in the drama '' Drifting'' directed by Amos Guttman
Amos Guttman ( he, עמוס גוטמן; May 10, 1954 – February 16, 1993) was an Israeli film director, born in Romania. He directed the first ever Israeli LGBT-themed film and most of his films were based on events that happened in his own pers ...
, where he played a lonely young homosexual man who attempts to find love and break into the movie business. During the mid-1980s, Sagall began producing and directing short films.
He appeared opposite Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton ('' née'' Hall, born January 5, 1946) is an American actress and director. She has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over six decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Gl ...
in the 1984 George Roy Hill
George Roy Hill (December 20, 1921 – December 27, 2002) was an American film director. He is most noted for directing such films as ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969) and ''The Sting'' (1973), both starring Paul Newman and Robert Re ...
film '' The Little Drummer Girl''. In 1992 Sagall was cast in the role of Poldek Pfefferberg
Leopold "Poldek" Pfefferberg (March 20, 1913 – March 9, 2001), also known as Leopold Page,[Schindler's List
''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the 1982 novel ''Schindler's Ark'' by Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. The film fo ...]
'' which was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
.
As a screenwriter and film director Sagall created and directed the 1998 drama film ''Link City'' (קשר עיר), in which he also played a supporting role. Among the other films he created - ''The Jewish State'' and ''blood''.
His 1999 film ''Urban Feel
''Urban Feel'' ( he, Kesher Ir) is an Israeli film released in 1998. It tells the story of Eva and Robbie (played by Dafna Rechter and Sharon Alexander), a young Tel Aviv couple in a troubled marriage, which is rocked by the return of Emmanuel - ...
'' was entered into the 49th Berlin International Film Festival.
In 2007 Sagall participated in the TV series ''HaMakom'' (''The Place'') in Channel 10.
His 2011 film '' Lipstikka'' premiered at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival
The 61st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 10 to 20 February 2011, with actress Isabella Rossellini as the President of the Jury. The Coen Brothers film ''True Grit'' opened the festival. 300,000 tickets were sold in total ...
and was nominated for the Golden Bear
The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin.
History
The winn ...
.
Filmography
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sagall, Jonathan
1959 births
Living people
Male actors from Toronto
Male actors from Haifa
Hebrew Reali School alumni
20th-century Israeli Jews
21st-century Israeli Jews
Jewish Israeli male actors
Canadian emigrants to Israel
Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent
Israeli male film actors
Israeli male stage actors
Israeli male television actors
Israeli film directors
Israeli film producers
Israeli television directors
Israeli male screenwriters
20th-century Israeli male actors
21st-century Israeli male actors
20th-century Israeli screenwriters
21st-century Israeli screenwriters
Israeli gay actors
Israeli gay writers
Israeli LGBT screenwriters
Gay Jews
Gay screenwriters
LGBT film producers
LGBT film directors
LGBT television directors
20th-century Israeli LGBT people
21st-century Israeli LGBT people