Ayelet Zurer

Ayelet Zurer
Zurer on the set of Nina's Tragedies in 2002
Born
Ayelet Zurer

(1969-06-28) 28 June 1969 (age 54)
OccupationActress
Years active1992–present
Spouse
Gilad Londovski
(m. 2003)
Children1

Ayelet Zurer (Hebrew: איילת זורר; born (1969-06-28)28 June 1969) is an Israeli actress.[1] She was nominated for awards at the Jerusalem Film Festival, the Israeli Academy Awards and the Israeli Television Academy Awards. She won Best Actress awards for her roles in the Israeli film Nina's Tragedies and Betipul. She also portrays Vanessa Marianna-Fisk in Marvel Television's Netflix series Daredevil (2015–2018).

Biography

Ayelet Zurer was born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel, to a Jewish family. Her mother was born in Czechoslovakia and survived the Holocaust by hiding in a convent. She immigrated to Israel in the 1950s.[2][3] Her Israeli-born father is of Russian-Jewish descent.[4] She has described her parents as "working-class people".[4]

In her youth, she studied theater as part of a school at the 14th Municipal High School and participated in the Tel Aviv Scouts band.[5] During her service in the Israel Defense Forces, Zurer was a soldier in the military band of the Northern Command.

After finishing her military service, Zurer studied acting for three years at the Performing Arts Studio founded by Yoram Loewenstein. She moved to the United States and studied with George Morison at the Actor's Workshop in New York City. In 1991, she returned to Israel.

In 2003, she married her surfing instructor, Gilad Londovski. They have a son and reside in Los Angeles.

Acting career

Zurer and Tom Hanks outside the Pantheon in Rome in the 2008 film Angels & Demons

In 1992, she starred in the television series Inyan Shel Zman, and in 1993, she played Debbie in the Israeli comedy film Nikmato shel Itzik Finkelstein (Revenge of Itzik Finkelstein). During this time, she also participated in the cable television show Yetziat Hirum.

In 1997, Zurer played the role of Shira Steinberg in the television show Florentin on Israeli Channel 2. Several Israeli television series followed: in 2000, Zinzana, and in 2002, Shalva and Ha'Block.

In 1998, she played the lead in the film Ahava Asura (a.k.a. The Dybbuk of the Holy Apple Field).

In 2001, she starred in the movies Laila Lelo Lola and Kikar Ha'Halomot.

In 2003, she starred in Nina's Tragedies, portraying the title character, Nina, a young woman who has to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. She won an Israeli Academy Award for Best Actress for this role.

In 2004, when she was cast in Steven Spielberg's Munich, she moved with her family to California.[6]

In 2005, she starred in another Israeli television series, Betipul, a drama about a psychologist and his patients' therapy process. She plays Na'ama Lerner, a patient who starts a romance with the doctor. The series won her a Best Actress award from the Israeli Television Academy and was remade as the HBO series In Treatment. The following year Zurer participated in an Israeli sketch comedy television show called Gomrot Holchot that deals with the world of young women, relationships, marriage, sex, and career. The show is based on the British sketch comedy show Smack the Pony. Zurer appeared in Munich (2005), where she played Avner Kaufman's wife. She played a terrorist in the American thriller Vantage Point.[7]

In 2007, she starred in Fugitive Pieces, in which a troubled young Holocaust survivor falls in love with her character.

In April 2008, Zurer was cast as the female lead, Vittoria Vetra, in The Da Vinci Code sequel, Angels & Demons.[8] She played a nurse who falls in love with the title character in Adam Resurrected (2008).

Zurer with Diane Keaton and Kevin Kline in 2012

She played the lead role in the 2011 film Hide Away (a.k.a. "A Year in Mooring"),[9] and played Superman's mother, Lara Lor-Van, in the reboot of the Superman franchise, Man of Steel (2013).[10]

In 2013, Zurer starred in the Israeli series Shtisel as an attractive widow, Elisheva Rotstein. In 2015, she starred in Daredevil as Vanessa Marianna-Fisk, an art gallery owner. The series is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[11][12] Zurer reprised her role in the third season (2018) of Daredevil.

In November 2020, Zurer was cast in a recurring role on the third season of the Netflix psychological thriller series You.[13]

She starred in the 2021 dramatic-thriller Losing Alice on Apple TV+.[14]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1991 Pour Sacha (a.k.a. For Sasha) Shoshana French drama
1993 Revenge of Itzik Finkelstein (a.k.a. Nikmato Shel Itzik Finkelstein) Debbie
1997 Ahava Asura (Forbidden Love, a.k.a. The Dybbuk of the Holy Apple Field) Lea
2001 Kikar Ha'Halomot (a.k.a. Desperado Square) Gila (the waitress)
2003 Ish Ha'Hashmal (a.k.a. Rutenberg) Becki
Ha'Asonot Shel Nina (Nina's Tragedies) Nina
2004 Mashehu Matok (Something Sweet) Tamar
2005 Munich Daphna Kaufman
2007 Fugitive Pieces Michaela
Rak Klavim Ratzim Hofshi (a.k.a. Wild Dogs) Telma
2008 Vantage Point Veronica
Adam Resurrected Gina Grey
2009 Ingenious Gina
Angels & Demons Vittoria Vetra
2011 Hide Away The Waitress
2012 Darling Companion Carmen
2013 Man of Steel Lara Lor-Van
2015 Last Days in the Desert Mother
Last Knights Naomi
2016 Ben-Hur Naomi Ben-Hur
2017 Milada Milada Horáková

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Inyan Shel Zman (a.k.a. A Matter of Time) Noga Caspi
1997 Florentine Shira
1999 Zinzana Hanita Rozen 'Georgi'
2001 Laila Lelo Lola (a.k.a. A Night Without Lola) Oshrit TV movie
2004 Maktub Michal TV movie
2005 BeTipul (a.k.a. In Therapy) Na'ama Lerner
2012 Awake Alina Ananyev Episode: "Nightswimming"
2012 Touch Rosemary Mathis Episode: "Closer"
2012 Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Colonel Mehaffey Web series
2013 Shtisel Elisheva Season 1
Hostages Dr. Yael Danon
2014 Rake Fiona Rinaldi Episode: "Bigamist"
2015, 2018 Daredevil Vanessa Marianna-Fisk Main role (season 1); guest role (season 3)
2017 Taken Leah Episode: "Leah"
2017 Transparent Ronit Episode: "I Never Promised You a Promised Land"
2019, 2022 Legacies Seylah Episode: "Maybe I Should Start From The End" and "I Wouldn't Be Standing Here if it Weren't for You"
2019 Money Heist Raquel Murillo 2nd English dub
2020 Losing Alice Alice[15] 8 episodes
2021 You Dr. Chandra Recurring role
2022 Moonhaven Maite Voss Main cast
2022 Law & Order: Organized Crime Tia Leonetti Episodes: "All That Glitters", "Whipping Post"

Awards

Year Group Award Result Film/Show
1997 Israeli Film Academy Awards Best Actress Nominated Ahava Asura
2000 Israeli Film Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress Nominated Kikar Ha'Halomot
2001 Israeli Film Academy Awards Best Actress Nominated Ish Ha'Hashmal
2003 Israeli Film Academy Awards Best Actress Won Ha'Asonot Shel Nina
Jerusalem Film Festival Best Actress Won Ha'Asonot Shel Nina
2006 Israeli Film Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress Nominated Rak Klavim Ratzim Hofshi
Israeli Television Academy Awards Best Actress Won Betipul
2013 Israeli Television Academy Awards Best Actress in a Drama Series Nominated Shtisel
Won Hostages

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ayelet Zurer". IMDb. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  2. ^ Abramowitz, Rachel (3 April 2009). "Ayelet Zurer is an antihero for 'Angels & Demons'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 17 May 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  3. ^ Pfefferman, Naomi (29 April 2009). "Illuminating Ayelet Zurer". The Jewish Journal. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  4. ^ a b L'Chayim: Ayelet Zurer.
  5. ^ ""הקריירה שלי התחילה בצופים"". mako. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  6. ^ Anderman, Nirit (27 September 2011). "Ayelet Zurer to play Superman's mom in new film". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  7. ^ Burstein, Nathan (19 February 2009). "Hollywood Story: Israeli Lands (Another) Big Role". The Forward. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  8. ^ Sperling, Nicole (23 April 2008). "'Angels & Demons': Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer cast opposite Tom Hanks". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 26 April 2008.
  9. ^ Israel21c Staff writers (24 December 2009). "New Hollywood film for Israeli actress". Israel21c. Archived from the original on 15 June 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2010.{cite news}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "Ayelet Zurer Cast as Superman's Mom in Man of Steel". Collider. 25 September 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Ayelet Zurer, Bob Gunton, Toby Leonard Moore & Vondie Curtis Hall Joins Marvel's Daredevil For Netflix". Marvel.com. 11 October 2014. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  12. ^ Siegel, Lucas (11 October 2014). "NYCC 2014: Marvel's Daredevil on Netflix Panel Live! Rosario Dawson is Claire Temple, More". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  13. ^ Petski, Denise (18 November 2020). "'You': Saffron Burrows Upped To Series Regular, Dylan Arnold, Tati Gabrielle Among 12 Cast In Netflix Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  14. ^ Turchiano, Danielle (22 January 2021). "'Losing Alice' Star Ayelet Zurer on Playing a Director in a 'Passion Triangle'". Variety. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Losing Alice". Jerusalem Film Festival. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2020.

External links