Makram Khoury Explained

Makram Khoury
Birth Date:30 May 1945
Birth Place:Jerusalem, British Mandate of Palestine
Birth Name:Makram Jamil Khoury
Occupation:Actor, director
Years Active:1970–present

Makram Jamil Khoury (Arabic: مكرم يعقوب خوري, Hebrew: מכרם חורי) is an Israeli-Arab actor, born 30 May 1945 in Jerusalem. 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.[1]

Filmography

Film

Theater

YearTitleRoleNotes
201011 and 12
2015The Merchant of Venice Performed in the Royal Shakespeare Company

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2004The West Wing Chairman Nizar Farad 6 episodes
2008House of Saddam
2014Zaguri Imperia Superintendent Hazan
2015Homeland Samir Khalil 2 episodes
2020Messiah Mullah Omar 3 episodes

Awards and recognition

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Strolling Players review . strollingplayers.com . 2011-01-14 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110716154850/http://strollingplayer.com/peter-brook-11-and-12/ . 2011-07-16 .
  2. Web site: Israel Prize Official Site - Recipients in 1987 (in Hebrew). 2009-07-03.