Norman Issa ( ar, نورمان عيسى, he, נורמן עיסא; born 17 June 1967) is an

Arab-Israeli The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...

actor, director in cinema, theatre and television.

Biography

Norma Issa was born and raised 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 a

Maronite The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the larges ...

Christian-Arab family. He studied acting at

Beit Zvi Beit Zvi School for the Performing Arts, and a Theater ( he, בית צבי) is an acting school, and a theater located in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel, established in 1950. History Beit Zvi is the country's first theater school ...

. He is married to

Jewish-Israeli Israeli Jews or Jewish Israelis ( he, יהודים ישראלים, translit=Yehudim Yisraelim) are Israeli citizens and nationals who are Jewish through either their Jewish ethnicity and/or their adherence to Judaism. The term also include ...

playwright Gidona Raz, with whom he has three sons. Lear and Sean Issa are actors. The couple jointly founded the multicultural Elmina Theater in

Jaffa Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...

, Israel. They reside in

Theater, television and film career

Issa has acted in many plays by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

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 ...

and

Cameri Theatre The Cameri Theater ( he, התיאטרון הקאמרי, ''HaTeatron HaKameri''), established in 1944 in Tel Aviv, is one of the leading theaters in Israel, and is housed at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center. History The Cameri theater was found ...

. He worked at

The Arab-Hebrew Theater The Arab-Hebrew Theater or Al Saraya Theater is a multilingual theater located in the Old Saraya House in the Old City of Jaffa. It serves as a stage for two theater companies working independently and together in two languages: Hebrew and A ...

together with fellow Arab-Israeli actor Yousef "Joe" Sweid. He was the main protagonist of the Israeli television sitcom ''

Arab Labor ''Arab Labor'' (, ''Avoda Aravit''; ar, شغل عَرَب, ''Shughl Arab'') is an Israeli sitcom television series, created by Sayed Kashua. History The series premiered on Keshet Channel 2 in Israel in 2007. The second season was broadcast ...

'', created by Arab-Israeli journalist

Sayed Kashua Sayed Kashua ( ar, سيد قشوع, he, סייד קשוע; born 1975) is a Palestinian people, Palestinian author and journalist born in Tira, Israel, known for his books and humorous columns in Hebrew and English. Biography Sayed Kashua was b ...

. In 2015, Issa refused to perform in a settlement in the

Jordan Valley The Jordan Valley ( ar, غور الأردن, ''Ghor al-Urdun''; he, עֵמֶק הַיַרְדֵּן, ''Emek HaYarden'') forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. Unlike most other river valleys, the term "Jordan Valley" often applies just to ...

. In response, Israeli Minister of Culture

Miri Regev Miriam "Miri" Regev ( he, מִרְיָם "מִירִי" רֶגֶב; born Miriam Siboni on 26 May 1965) is an Israeli politician and a former brigadier-general in the Israel Defense Forces, in which she served as IDF Spokeswoman. She currently s ...

threatened to shut down Israeli government funding to the theater that Issa founded.

Awards and recognition

At the 2016

Haifa International Film Festival The Haifa International Film Festival is an annual film festival that takes place every autumn (between late September and late October), during the week-long holiday of Sukkot, in Haifa, Israel. History The festival was inaugurated in 1983 and w ...

, Norman Issa and

Moshe Ivgy Moshe Ivgy ( he, משה איבגי; born 29 November 1953) is an Israeli actor and director. Biography Moshe Ivgy was born in Casablanca, Morocco, to a Moroccan Jewish family. He was married to actress Irit Sheleg. Their daughter Dana Ivgy is ...

were awarded the prize for Best Actor in a Feature Film, for '' The 90 Minute War''.

Filmography

* ''

The Syrian Bride ''The Syrian Bride'' ( he, הכלה הסורית) is a 2004 film directed by Eran Riklis. The story deals with a Druze wedding and the troubles the politically unresolved situation creates for the personal lives of the people in and from the villa ...

'' (2004), directed by

Eran Riklis Eran Riklis ( he, ערן ריקליס; born October 2, 1954) is an Israeli filmmaker. His films include ''Cup Final'' (1991), ''The Syrian Bride'' (2004), ''Lemon Tree'' (2008) and '' Dancing Arabs'' (also known as ''A Borrowed Identity'') (201 ...

* ''

'' (2007–present), created by

* ''

Ana Arabia ''Ana Arabia'' ("''I Am Arab''") is a 2013 French-Israeli drama film written and directed by Amos Gitai. It was entered into the main competition at the 70th Venice International Film Festival. It consists of a single long take.E. Nina Rothe. (J ...

'' (2013), directed by

Amos Gitai Amos Gitai ( he, עמוס גיתאי; born 11 October 1950) is an Israeli filmmaker, who was trained as an architect. Gitai's work was presented in several major retrospectives in Pompidou Center in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and L ...

* ''

A Borrowed Identity ''A Borrowed Identity'' ( ar, العرب الراقصون; he, זהות שאולה;) is a 2014 Israeli drama film directed by Eran Riklis. It is based on Sayed Kashua's book '' Dancing Arabs'' (2002). In Canada the film was released under the t ...

'' (2014), directed by

* '' The 90 Minute War'' (2016), directed by

Eyal Halfon Eyal ( he, אֱיָל; ''lit.'' power) is a kibbutz in the Central District of Israel. Located close to the Green line, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Drom HaSharon Regional Council. In it had a population of . Geography Eyal is loc ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Issa, Norman 1967 births Israeli male film actors Israeli male stage actors Israeli male television actors Arab citizens of Israel Israeli Arab Christians Israeli Maronites Living people Beit Zvi School for the Performing Arts alumni

Biography

Theater, television and film career

Awards and recognition

Filmography

See also

References