Shira Haas

Shira Haas (Hebrew: שירה האס; born (1995-05-11)11 May 1995)[1][2] is an Israeli actress. She initially gained national prominence for her roles in local film and television,[3][4] having won two Israeli Ophir Awards out of five nominations since 2014. In 2020, she gained international acclaim for her role in the Netflix miniseries Unorthodox.[5][6][7][8] For this performance, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.[9][10] In the same year, Haas won the Tribeca Film Festival Award for Best International Actress for her performance in the Israeli drama film Asia (2020).

Shira Haas
שירה האס
Haas in 2022
Born (1995-05-11) 11 May 1995
Tel Aviv, Israel
NationalityIsraeli
OccupationActress
Years active2010–present

Early life

Haas was born in Tel Aviv, Israel,[11][12] to a secular Jewish family. Her parents, both Israeli-born Jews (also known as "Sabra"), are of Ashkenazi Jewish (Polish-Jewish, Hungarian-Jewish, and Czech-Jewish) descent. Two of her grandparents are Holocaust survivors;[13] her grandfather had been imprisoned in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II.[14] In Hebrew, her first name literally means either the noun "poetry", "singing" or "her song". When she was one year old, her family moved to the city of Hod HaSharon, Israel, where she grew up with her older sister and brother.[15][12] At age two, Haas was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and recovered two years later after a series of severe treatments.[16] On 2 August 2022, her mother Ariela "Leah" Haas died of cancer, after weeks in hospice, at age 61.[17][18][19][20]

She attended the Thelma Yellin High School of Arts in Givatayim, Israel, majoring in theatre,[11] before completing a short period of volunteer service in the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) performance theatre unit.[21][22]

Career

2010–2019: Early work and breakthrough

At age 14, she began performing in plays at the Tel Aviv's Cameri Theater, such as Ghetto (2010) and Richard III.[23] She made her television debut as the role of Haredi girl Ruchami Weiss in the Israeli drama series Shtisel in 2013.[24] While attending Thelma Yellin, Haas was approached by an Israeli casting director by the name of Esther Kling via Facebook message in 2014.[25][12] She encouraged Haas to audition for the lead role in the Israeli film Princess (2014).[26] After getting her debut role at the age of 16, Haas was praised by The New York Times for her "truly remarkable lead performance",[27] and was admired by The Hollywood Reporter for fitting the part of a 12-year-old character with her "petite frame and baby-smooth complexion".[28] The role won her the awards for Best Actress at both the Jerusalem Film Festival[29] and the Peace & Love Film Festival,[30] as well as a nomination for Best Leading Actress at the Israeli Ophir Awards.[31]

Haas made her first appearance in an international film when she played the role of young Fania in compatriot Natalie Portman's directorial-debut, A Tale of Love and Darkness (2015).[32] Haas also appeared alongside Jessica Chastain in Niki Caro's The Zookeeper's Wife (2017), which led to her American talk show debut on The Today Show in 2016.[33][12] Haas auditioned for the role over Skype call.[21] She earned her second Israeli Ophir Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in Foxtrot (2017),[34] which made the final shortlist for the 90th Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[35]

By the start of 2018, Haas had made a name for herself in many prime time Israeli drama television shows: Shtisel (2013–2020), The Jeweler (2015), The Switch Principle (2016), Harem (2017) and The Conductor (2018). At the 2018 Israeli Ophir Awards, Haas was nominated for both Best Leading Actress for Broken Mirrors (2018) and Best Supporting Actress for Noble Savage (2018), the latter of which she won.[36] In 2018, she appeared as Leah in Mary Magdalene, written by Helen Edmundson and directed by Garth Davis.[37] She made the Israeli Forbes list of 30 under 30 in February 2019,[11] before appearing alongside Harvey Keitel in the second biblical film in her acting career, Esau (2019).[38]

2020–present: International breakthrough with Unorthodox
Haas in 2022

Haas arrived in Berlin, Germany, two months ahead of the shooting of the 2020 German limited Netflix series Unorthodox, in order to study the Yiddish language which would be primarily spoken in the series.[39] Besides Yiddish lessons, Haas was required to shave her head and also completed both piano and singing lessons to prepare for the role of Esther "Esty" Shapiro, who runs away from her arranged marriage and Ultra-Orthodox community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City.[40][41] The series is based on the true life story of Deborah Feldman, who wrote an autobiography of the same name.[42]

James Poniewozik of The New York Times described Haas as "a phenomenon, expressive and captivating."[43] Brigid Delaney of The Guardian described her as "mesmerising" and "outstanding," noting, "physically tiny, like a child, the viewer is immediately protective of her."[44] Sheena Scott of Forbes wrote that Haas "offers an incredible performance as Esty, full of subtlety, delicately revealing her character's inner struggle and happiness without needing to say a word."[45] Hank Stuever of The Washington Post wrote that she "lends a grave and yet vulnerable luminescence to the role."[46] At the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, Haas was nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Limited Series for this performance,[47] becoming the first Israeli to be nominated for an acting Primetime Emmy Award.[10]

Haas acted alongside Alena Yiv in the role of a daughter who becomes reliant on a wheelchair in the Israeli film Asia (2020), which was premiered online at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[48] The role earned Haas the award for Best International Actress at the festival.[49][50] The jury wrote, "Her face is a never-ending landscape in which even the tiniest expression is heartbreaking; she's an incredibly honest and present actress who brings depth to everything she does."[49] Her performance in the film also earned her the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 30th Israeli Ophir Awards.[51] In late April 2020, she joined a virtual ceremony celebrating Israel's 72nd Independence Day, and sent birthday wishes to Israel with fellow Jewish actors Ben Platt and Josh Malina.[52] Haas was signed to Creative Artists Agency in June 2020.[53]

In September 2022, Marvel Studios officially announced that Haas will portray their Israeli superheroine of Sabra in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel film Captain America: Brave New World, scheduled for release in 2024[54][55][56] and period drama Ethel.[57]

Personal life

As of April 2020, Haas resides in Tel Aviv, Israel.[58][59]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2014 Princess Adar / Daughter
2015 A Tale of Love and Darkness Fania Mussman (young) / Kira
2017 Foxtrot Alma
2017 The Zookeeper's Wife Urszula
2018 Mary Magdalene Leah
2018 Noble Savage Anna
2019 Broken Mirrors Ariela
2019 Esau Teen Leah
2020 Asia Vika
2024 Captain America: Brave New World † Sabra Post-production
Key
† Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2013–2021 Shtisel Ruchama Weiss / Ruchama Tonik [60] 30 episodes
2015–2016 Hazoref Yosefa "Sofi" Ben-David (young) Israeli mini-series; 7 episodes
2016 Ikaron HaHachlafa Salame Israeli series; 3 episodes
2017 Harmon Tamar Israeli series; 8 episodes
2018 HaMenatzeah Odi Israeli series; 10 episodes
2020 Unorthodox Esther "Esty" Shapiro German mini-series
2023 Bodies DC Maplewood Netflix series; 8 episodes

Awards and nominations

Israeli Film Academy Awards (Ophir Awards)
Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2014 Best Actress Princess Nominated [61]
2017 Best Supporting Actress Foxtrot Nominated [34]
2018 Best Actress Broken Mirrors Nominated [36]
Best Supporting Actress Noble Savage Won
2020 Asia Won [51]

Other awards
Year Organization Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2014 Jerusalem Film Festival Best Actress Princess Won [62]
2015 Peace & Love Film Festival Won [63]
2020 Tribeca Film Festival Best International Actress Asia Won [50]
German Television Awards Best Actress Unorthodox Nominated [64]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Nominated [65]
Gold Derby Awards Best Movie/Limited Series Actress Nominated [66]
Breakthrough Performer of the Year Nominated
2021 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie Nominated [67]
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated [9]
Independent Spirit Awards Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series Won [68]
Satellite Awards Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated [69]
Awards of the Israeli Television Academy Best Lead Actress – Drama Series Shtisel Nominated [70]

See also

References
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  2. AlloCine. "Shira Haas". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  3. Lisabeth, Zach (7 April 2020). "Shira Haas is a darling of the Israeli film scene". Looper. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  4. Spiro, Amy (26 August 2018). "Five Israeli actors making their mark on Hollywood". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  5. Wilkinson, Alissa (26 March 2020). "Netflix's Unorthodox movingly captures the pain and power of leaving a strict religious community". Vox. Retrieved 15 April 2020. Unorthodox has been largely well-received by critics, who praised Shira Haas's performance in particular.
  6. Syme, Rachel (9 April 2020). ""Unorthodox," Reviewed: A Young Woman's Remarkable Flight from Hasidic Williamsburg". The New Yorker. Retrieved 13 April 2020. Haas's remarkable performance manages to convey the reserves of pain, both personal and communal, in Esty's story.
  7. Gilbert, Matthew (15 April 2020). "There's a mesmerizing and moving performance at the heart of 'Unorthodox'". Boston Globe. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  8. Wloszczyna, Susan (2 April 2020). "'Unorthodox': Here's the unlikely uplifting heroine you need to root for right now". Gold Derby. Retrieved 15 April 2020. Haas by all rights deserves to be treated as a full-blown star
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