Yehezkel Lazarov (; born 8 February 1974) is an Israeli actor, director, and multidisciplinary artist. In 2022 he was elected to serve as the head of the school of Performing Arts at the Kibbutzim Seminary College.
Biography As a child, Lazarov performed as a professional tap dancer in musicals. After graduating from the High School of Arts as a ballet dancer and serving as a singer in a military band, he danced with the Batsheva Dance Company for four years. He studied theater at the Actors’ Centre in London before joining the Gesher Theatre and the Cameri Theatre as an actor.
His leading roles include Tevye in the 2018 Broadway National Tour of Fiddler on the Roof, Mack the Knife in The Threepenny Opera at the Gesher Theatre (winning the Israeli Theatre Award for best actor), Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro, Avigdor in Yentl, Alexander Pen in Was It a Dream?, Rudi in The Aristocrats, the titular roles in Sholom Aleichem's Stempenyu and The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Zach in A Chorus Line. In addition to his work as an actor, Lazarov has served as the in-house choreographer at the Gesher Theatre and Cameri Theatre.
Lazarov has played leading roles in more than 40 films and television productions, including The Mentalist, Mama’s Angel (Series Mania – Official Competition, France), the Israeli films The Kindergarten Teacher and The Debt, Fragile, Russian episodic series Mata Hari, The Fifth Heaven, Waltz with Bashir (winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film), Three Mothers, A Touch Away, and The Dybbuk (nominated for best actor).
As a theater director, Lazarov has served as the adapter, set designer, and choreographer for all his projects, including Lolita / Joan of Arc, Fathers and Sons, Alice, Falling Out of Time (based on the David Grossman novel) at the Gesher Theater, The Picture of Dorian Gray at the Habima Theatre, and Igloo (written by Lazarov), which premiered at the Israel Festival and won the Best Director award.
Lazarov is the artistic director and founder of Studio Ankori Middle and High School for Creative Thinking and Entrepreneurship. He is the co-founder, artistic director, and curator of AZA13, an art venue in Tel Aviv. Among his multidisciplinary exhibitions are "Hope", "Censorship", "Demonstration", and "The Art to Survive".
As a visual artist, Lazarov's photography and video artworks have been shown in several gallery exhibitions. He has written and directed a number of short films, including Snow and Lashabiya, which have been screened in many international film festivals.
Filmography
Film/Television YearTitleDirector(s)RoleNotes1991Licking the StrawberryUri BarbachHezi1997FlorentineEytan FoxErez1997The DybbukYossi SomerHananNomination for Best Actor1999Woman in GrayNissim DayanRoni1999Short Stories About LoveHagai LeviGidi2001-2004ShemeshYoav TzafirHemi2005The Game of True and FalseJulie ShlesTomi2007The ShelterRoy HornshteinFather2007A Touch AwayRoni NinioAharonWinner, Best TV Series2006Three MothersDina Zvi-RiklisFelix2007The DebtAssaf BernsteinEhud2008Waltz with BashirAri FolmanCarmi Cna’anGolden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film2008Ram NahariGidon2008Five Men and a WeddingEran Kolirin, Arik RothsteinYair2009Room ServiceRony GruberEyal2011Kol Hazman She’BaolamRani MagarIsraeli Soldier2011BarefootOri SivanNaftali2011The Fifth HeavenDina Zvi-RiklisDov Markovsky2011ObsessionNissim NotrikaSami2012AnandaOhav FlantzYonatan2012The World is FunnyShemi ZarhinRoni2013Davar Al Mekom HimatzamYali BergmanNisan2013FragileVidi BliuEtan2014The Kindergarten TeacherNadav LapidAharonOfficial Selection, Cannes 20142016Mata HariJulius BergCostelo2016The Ambassador's WifeDina Zvi-RiklisJonathan2016TaagadZion RubinAvri2016Mama's AngelEyal SellaEythan Tamir2017DriverJonathan IndorskiOvadia2018Kacha ZeRam NahariPlastic Surgeon2018Alexey MoradovRomanov2018Call for a DreamsRan SlavinRuven2026Bitva motorovIlya MalaninGustav List
Theater YearTitleRoleVenueNotes2018Fiddler on the RoofTevyeBroadway TourThe Good Person of SzechwanYong SunGesher TheatreA Midsummer Night's DreamLysanderGesher TheatreThe Threepenny OperaMack the KnifeGesher TheatreWinner, Theatre Award for Best ActorThe Yalta GameDemitri GurovGesher TheatreDesign for LivingLeoGesher TheatreVariations for Theatre and OrchestraSingerGesher TheatreThe Marriage of FigaroFigaroGesher TheatreCity/Odessa StoriesCommanderGesher TheatreVillageCaptain DruryGesher TheatreThe SlaveStefanGesher TheatreShoshaFeitelzohnGesher TheatreA Chorus LineZachCameri TheatreWas It a Dream?Alexander PenCameri TheatreNominated for Best ActorThe AristocratsRudiCameri TheatreNominated for Best ActorYentlAvigdorCameri TheatreStempenyuStempenyuCameri TheatreThe Wide Winged SeaHannanCameri TheatreA King’s HeartKingCameri TheatreThe Picture of Dorian GrayDorian GrayHabima National TheatreThe WizardScarecrow
Theatre Director YearTitleVenueNotes2018Lolita/Jeanne d'ArcGesher TheatreAdaptation, director, set designer2017Fathers and SonsGesher TheatreAdaptation, director, set designer2017The Picture of Dorian GrayHabima TheatreAdaptation, director, set designer2016Desire at DuskHabima TheatreAdaptation, director, set designer2015AliceGesher TheatreDirector, set designer2014Falling Out of TimeGesher TheatreAdaptation, director, set designer2014Orange BlossomTmuna TheatreAdaptation, director, set designer Winner, Best Theatrical Language Award2014IglooIsrael Festival, Tmuna TheatreWriter, director, set designer Winner, Best Director Award2012StempenyuCameri TheatreCo-director2007Radio HeavenKibbutzim CollegeWriter, director, set designer2006HeziGesher TheatreWriter, director, set designer
Short films YearTitleRoleProduction company2016SnowWriter/DirectorGreen Productions2009LashabiyaWriter/DirectorMitcha Figa Productions
References
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