Makram Jamil Khoury (, ; born 30 May 1945) is a Palestinian-Arab actor. He was the youngest artist and the first Arab to win the Israel Prize, the highest civic honor in Israel.
Biography Makram J. Khoury was born into a Palestinian-Christian family, in the al-Sheikh Jarrah section of Jerusalem to his father, who was a judge, and his mother, a teacher. The Khoury family fled to Lebanon during 1948 Arab-Israeli War. A year later, they returned to what had become the new State of Israel. The family took up residence in the port city of Acre, near Haifa. Educated there and in the nearby village of Kufr Yasif, Khoury finished high school in 1963. He then entered the Hebrew University of Jerusalem but later dropped out and pursued a career as an actor.
His eldest daughter, Clara Khoury, is also an actress in Israel. She appeared in three films that garnered international attention: Rana's Wedding (2002), The Syrian Bride (she played the daughter of the character played by Makram) (2004) and Lipstikka (2011). His son Jameel Khoury is also an actor, and appeared in Ridley Scott's film Body of Lies (2008).
Acting career Khoury trained in Israel. In 1970-1973 he studied at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London, England. He later became involved with the Cameri Theater in Tel Aviv and the Haifa Municipal Theater, continuing as a member of the latter for twenty years.
Khoury returned to Haifa following a year-long tour playing Tierno Bokar in Peter Brook's 11 and 12.
Filmography
Film
1979: (by Joel Silberg) 1982: (by ) - Detective chief inspector Ben-Shooshan 1983: (TV Mini-Series, by ) - Michel 1984: (by ) 1985: (by ) 1986: (by Shimon Dotan) - Col. Moshe Katzman 1987: Wedding in Galilee - The governor 1989: (by ) - Anton 1990: Torn Apart - Mahmoud Malek 1990: (by Michel Khleifi) 1992: (by Amos Kollek) - Ahmed Shafik 1994: (by Eric Rochant) - Barak 1995: The Tale of the Three Lost Jewels (by Michel Khleifi) - Abu Iman 1997: (by Ali Nasser) - Mukhtar 2001: The Body (by Jonas McCord) - Nasir Hamid 2003: (by , ) - Ezra 2004: The Syrian Bride (by Eran Riklis) - Hammed 2005: Free Zone (by Amos Gitai) - Samir aka "The American" 2005: Munich (by Steven Spielberg) - Wael Zwaiter 2006: Forgiveness (by Udi Aloni) - Dr. Isaac Shemesh 2006: Djihad! (TV Movie) - 2008: (by Eran Riklis) - Abu Kamal 2009: Italians (by Giovanni Veronesi) - Hamed (first segment) 2009: (by Amos Gitai) 2010: Miral (by Julian Schnabel) - Governor Khatib 2012: The Inheritance (by Hiam Abbass) - Abu Majd 2013: Complicit (TV Movie, by Niall MacCormick) - Colonel Hazem Ashraf 2013: Farewell Baghdad - Nouri El Saeed 2013: - Salach 2013: The Physician - Imam 2014: - Avraham Kofinas 2014: Desert Dancer (by Richard Raymond) - Mehdi 2014: The Cut - Omar Nasreddin 2014: - Mafous 2015: A Tale of Love and Darkness (by Natalie Portman) - Al Hilwani 2015: Wounded Land 2015: by - Hani 2016: Everything is Broken up and Dances - Shlomi 2017: Unlocked - Yazid Khaleel 2017: Wajib 2018: The Tower 2018: - Voice Over 2019: Spider in the Web - Nader 2020: Laila in Haifa 2024: The Master and Margarita - Caiaphas
Theater Year Title Role Notes2010 11 and 12 Tierno Bokar 2015 The Merchant of Venice Shylock Performed in the Royal Shakespeare Company
Television Year Title Role Notes2004 The West Wing Chairman Nizar Farad 6 episodes2008 House of Saddam Tariq Aziz 2014 Zaguri Imperia Superintendent Hazan 2015 Homeland Samir Khalil 2 episodes2020 Messiah Mullah Omar 3 episodes2025 Fireflies Hezi
Awards and recognition 2013: Ophir Award, Best Leading Actor in פרסי אופיר 2013: הזוכים, הזוכות, והטקס [Ophir Awards 2013: The Winners, and the Ceremony
See also List of Israel Prize recipients Palestinian Christians
References
External links
Review of Peter Brook's: 11 and 12 Review of Peter Brook's: 11 and 12 Syrian Bride Official Site Forgiveness Official Site Barbican Theater Clara Khoury