Moran Atias ( he, מורן אטיאס; born 9 April 1981) is an Israeli actress and model. She gained fame in the

Italian films Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

''Gas'', '' Oggi sposi'', and ''

Mother of Tears ''Mother of Tears'' ( it, La Terza madre, literally ''The Third Mother'') is a 2007 supernatural horror film written and directed by Dario Argento, and starring Asia Argento, Daria Nicolodi, Moran Atias, Udo Kier and Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni. T ...

''. She is best known for her work with

Paul Haggis Paul Edward Haggis (born March 10, 1953) is a Canadian screenwriter, film producer, and director of film and television. He is best known as screenwriter and producer for consecutive Best Picture Oscar winners '' Million Dollar Baby'' (2004) and ...

in the 2008 TV series ''

Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch su ...

'' and the 2013 film ''

Third Person Third person, or third-person, may refer to: * Third person (grammar), a point of view (in English, ''he'', ''she'', ''it'', and ''they'') ** Illeism, the act of referring to oneself in the third person * Third-person narrative, a perspective in p ...

''. She also starred on the FX television series ''

Tyrant A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to rep ...

''.

Early life

Atias was born in

Haifa 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 ...

, Israel, to parents of

Moroccan Jewish Moroccan Jews ( ar, اليهود المغاربة, al-Yahūd al-Maghāriba he, יהודים מרוקאים, Yehudim Maroka'im) are Jews who live in or are from Morocco. Moroccan Jews constitute an ancient community dating to Roman times. Jews b ...

descent. Her grandfather was a

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

. She appeared on the youth television programme ''Out of Focus'' at age 15. Her plan to serve as a soldier in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

was frustrated by a diagnosis of

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

at age 17. She pursued modelling instead in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and then in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, where she was discovered and became a model for

Roberto Cavalli Roberto Cavalli (; born 15 November 1940) is an Italian fashion designer and inventor. He is known for exotic prints and for creating the sand-blasted look for jeans. The high-end Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli sells luxury clothing, perfu ...

. Her younger sister is Israeli actress Shani Atias.

Career

Modelling

Atias first appeared on television when she was 15, starring in the Israeli youth program ''Out of Focus''. By the age of 17, she went to Germany to launch her modelling career. She modelled for

, D&G, and BBG jewellers. Later, she hosted an Italian talk show.

Acting, other film work

Israel and Italy

After establishing herself as a model, she was encouraged to pursue a career in acting. She has appeared in English-, Italian-, Hebrew-, and Spanish-language films, and was nominated for Best Actress at the ' for her role in

Menahem Golan Menahem Golan ( he, מנחם גולן; May 31, 1929 – August 8, 2014, originally Menachem Globus) was an Israeli film producer, screenwriter, and director. He was best known for co-owning The Cannon Group with his cousin Yoram Globus. Cannon sp ...

's 2005 Israeli film ''Days of Love''. Her work in these films led to her being cast in the Italian feature film ''Gas'', in which she played a provocative drug addict tasked with seducing a gay drug addict. She followed that up with the romantic comedy ''Oggi Sposi'', directed by Luca Luncini and ''Mother of Tears'', the third and final installment of

Dario Argento Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film critic, critic. His influential work in the horror film, horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as ...

's supernatural horror

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games, and are less common in other art forms. Three-part wor ...

''The Three Mothers''. ''Mother of Tears'' premièred at the 2007

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

and the

Rome Film Festival International Rome Film Fest is a film festival that takes place in Rome during the month of October. The name in Italian is Festa del Cinema di Roma. Sections The Rome Film Festival official program is divided into several sections: Cinema d'Og ...

United States

In 2008, she was cast in the role of the illegal immigrant Inez in the drama series ''

'', based on Paul Haggis's

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

-winning

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

. After one season, she became the female lead opposite

Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer. He attended the Actors Studio, made his first television appearance in 1954, and soon after appeared in ''Giant'' (1956). In the next ten years ...

. Working with Haggis led to her being cast in his film ''

The Next Three Days ''The Next Three Days'' is a 2010 American action thriller film written and directed by Paul Haggis and starring Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks. It was released in the United States on November 19, 2010, and was filmed on location in Pittsburg ...

''. In 2011, Atias worked with

Cynthia Mort Cynthia Mort (born June 18, 1956) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer. Mort has worked primarily in television since beginning her career in 1994, writing for the sitcom '' Roseanne''. Her notable works include the HBO series ...

on the television project ''Radical'', playing to role of Ana, which Mort had written specifically for her. In 2012 she was cast in the critically acclaimed Israeli television series ''Allenby Street'', directed by

Assaf Bernstein Assaf Bernstein ( he, אסף ברנשטיין; born 8 July 1970) is an Israeli screenwriter, film director and film producer. Life and works Bernstein was born in Israel and graduated cum laude from NYU Film School. Bernstein began his fil ...

Fauda ''Fauda'' (, from ''fawḍā'', meaning "chaos") is an Israeli television series developed by Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff drawing on their experiences in the Israel Defense Forces. The series premiered on February 15, 2015. It tells the sto ...

fame, where she played the stripper Mika, a formerly

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

girl who avoids her childhood secret while living a complex nightlife. She also served as a producer and worked to adapt it into a US series. She was cast in the new FX series ''

'' by the creators of the successful television series ''

Homeland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethni ...

'' by creator and fellow Israeli,

Gideon Raff Gideon "Gidi" Raff ( he, גדעון „גידי" רף; born 10 September 1972) is an Israeli film and television director, screenwriter, and writer. He is best known for his creation of the Channel 2 thriller drama series '' Prisoners of War'', ...

. Her work on the film ''The Next Three Days'' led to ''

'', a project that Atias pitched and helped develop with

. She was chosen to play the role of 'Monika,' a Romanian

gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

. To prepare for the role, she lived in Italy for four months and immersed herself in the

lifestyle, living without the basics of running water or electricity. She studied with Michael Margota at the Italian Actor's Studio to perfect the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

and

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

accents. She also served as a co-producer and a co-consultant for the script. The film premiered at the 2013

Humanitarian work

In Italy, she was the 2005–06 spokeswoman for the City of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

in their campaigns against

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

and

animal cruelty Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction by omission (neglect) or by commission by humans of suffering or Injury, harm upon non-human animals. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm ...

in the city. Atias participated in the

Artists for Peace and Justice Artists for Peace and Justice is a non-profit organization founded in 2009 by Paul Haggis that encourages peace and social justice and addresses issues of poverty and enfranchisement in communities around the world. The organization’s immediate g ...

(APJ) volunteer mission with

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008). Penn began his acting career in televisi ...

following the

2010 Haiti earthquake A disaster, catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (department), Ouest department, a ...

, in which she assisted the evacuation of refugees to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. During her second trip to Haiti, she took part in a workshop at

Ciné Institute Ciné Institute is a film school in Jacmel, Haiti, which grew out of the Jacmel Film Festival in 2008. It is the first and only film school in Haiti founded by David Belle. The college offers a free two-year tuition made possible by private donor ...

Jacmel Jacmel (; ht, Jakmèl) is a commune in southern Haiti founded by the Spanish in 1504 and repopulated by the French in 1698. It is the capital of the department of Sud-Est, 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Port-au-Prince across the Tiburon Peninsula ...

. In May 2010, she worked with APJ and hosted and organized a charity event at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

. In November 2010, she hosted and organized a charity event for APJ in New York, with proceeds going to the first free high school for the children of the slums of Haiti. She is a goodwill ambassador for IsraAid, and took part in humanitarian work in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake there. Moran volunteered at the coronavirus patients ward in Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv, April 2020.

Personal life

In February 2017, Atias became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Films, TV series, video games

Television

Hosting

*''

Kdam Eurovision The Kdam Eurovision (Hebrew: קדם אירוויזיון, transliteration "Kdam-Erovizyon", translation "Pre-Eurovision") in short known as the Kdam (Hebrew: קדם, lit. "Pre") was the Israeli national preselection of the Eurovision Song Contest. ...

'' (2005) – First Channel, Israel *''

Deal or No Deal ''Deal or No Deal'' is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which (launching the format) was the Dutch ''Miljoenenjacht (Netherlands), Miljoenenjacht'' (''Hunt/Chase for Millions''). The centerpiece of this f ...

'' *Game programme (13 total), (2005) – Channel 10, Israel *"Cinderella" Biographical documentary of Moran Atias, prime time (2004) – Channel 10, Israel

TV series

* ''

'', a Starz network series, recurring cast (2008), and second season (2009) regular cast * ''

CSI: NY ''CSI: NY'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: New York'', stylized as ''CSI: NY/Crime Scene Investigation'') is an American police procedural television series that ran on CBS from September 22, 2004, to February 22, 2013, for a total of nine seaso ...

'', guest star (2010) * ''

Rules of Engagement Rules of engagement (ROE) are the internal rules or directives afforded military forces (including individuals) that define the circumstances, conditions, degree, and manner in which the use of force, or actions which might be construed as pro ...

'' episode "Anniversary Chicken", guest star as Sophia (2011) * '' White Collar'', role of Christie (2011) * ''

'', role of Leila Al-Fayeed (2014–2016) * 24: Legacy, role of Sidra (2017)

Italian TV programmes as sidekick

*"Carramba Che Fortuna" –

RaiUno Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's flagship television channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream and genera ...

, Italy (2000) *"Superconvenscion" –

RaiDue Rai 2 is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's second television channel, and is known for broadcasting ''TG2'' news bulletins, talk ...

, Italy (2000–01) *"Italiani" –

Canale 5 Canale 5 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel of Mediaset, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It was the first private television network to have a national coverage in Italy in 1980. On 4 December 2012, Mediaset launched Canale 5 HD, a s ...

, Italy (2001) *"Matricole & Meteore" –

Italia 1 Italia 1 (Italian pronunciation ) is an Italian free-to-air television channel on the Mediaset network, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It is oriented at both young and adult people. Italia 1 was launched on 3 January 1982 and, originally, was o ...

, Italy (2003) *"I Raccomandati" –

, Italy (2003–04) *"Natalino Balasso Show" –

, Italy (2004–05)

Magazines

*''

Men's Health ''Men's Health'' (''MH''), published by Hearst, is the world's largest men's magazine brand, with 35 editions in 59 countries. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. Started as a men's health magazine by Rodale, Inc. ...

'' United States *''

Nylon Guys ''Nylon Guys'' was an American magazine devoted to men. Its coverage focuses on the interests of guys, including art, music, design, technology, fashion and travel. History ''Nylon Guys'' was founded in 2004 by the original co-creator of ''Nylon' ...

'' United States *'' Gioia'' magazine cover *'' Vanity Fair'' Italy *''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

'' – Covers for Spain, Israel, Serbia, Mexico *''

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment * ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...

'' United States *''Maxim'' Israel Cover *''

Flaunt ''Flaunt'' is an American fashion and culture magazine based in Hollywood, Los Angeles, with an office in New York. History The magazine was founded in 1998 by the current C.E.O. Luis Barajas, and Creative Director Jim Turner, who had previous ...

'' United States *''

Men's Fitness ''Men's Fitness'' was a men's magazine published by American Media, Inc and founded in the United States in 1987. The premier issue featured Michael Pare from the television series ''The Greatest American Hero''. The magazine's slogan was "How th ...

'' United States *''

944 Year 944 (Roman numerals, CMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Arab–Byzantine wars, Arab–Byzantine War: Byzantine forces are de ...

'' USA *''60 Magazine'' – writing a monthly column for an established fashion magazine for the female audience. *''Rosh 1'' – teen magazine *''

Photo A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now created ...

'' Italy, Max'' Italy 2002–2004, ''

Corriere della Sera The ''Corriere della Sera'' (; en, "Evening Courier") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average daily circulation of 410,242 copies in December 2015. First published on 5 March 1876, ''Corriere della Sera'' is one of It ...

'' Special Moda, ''

Capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

'' Italy, ''Class'' Italy, Onda TV, Happy Web, ''Leisha'' Israel, ''AT'' Israel, ''

Pnai Plus ''Pnai Plus'' ( he, פנאי פלוס, lit. ''Leisure Plus''), or ''Pplus'', is one of the major Israeli magazines published weekly that covers the world of entertainment and television worldwide as well as the local Israeli television and celebri ...

'' Israel, ''

GO Magazine Go, GO, G.O., or Go! may refer to: Arts and entertainment Games and sport * Go (game), a board game for two players * '' Travel Go'' (formerly ''Go – The International Travel Game''), a game based on world travel * Go, the starting position l ...

'', Blazer Israel, ''Olam HaIsha'' Israel, '' Yedioth'' and ''

Maariv ''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''. The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms, ...

'' Israeli newspapers

Radio work

*''Shaker'' – Radio

RTL 102.5 RTL 102.5 is a private Italian radio station. Despite its name, this radio station is not endorsed or affiliated with RTL Group (it is owned by Lorenzo Suraci, and RTL is an acronym of (''Lombardy Radio Broadcasting''), the original name of this ...

– a radio programme created and presented by Moran Atias (2005)

References

External links

*
Moran Atias photos
on ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Atias, Moran 1981 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American female models American film actresses American people of Moroccan-Jewish descent American radio actresses American Sephardic Jews American television personalities Israeli emigrants to the United States Israeli expatriates in Italy Israeli female models Israeli film actresses Israeli people of Moroccan-Jewish descent Israeli radio actresses Israeli television personalities Jewish American actresses Jewish female models Jewish Israeli actresses People from Haifa Naturalized citizens of the United States 21st-century American Jews