Shira Haas

Shira Haas
שירה האס
Haas in 2022
Born (1995-05-11) 11 May 1995 (age 29)
Tel Aviv, Israel
NationalityIsraeli
OccupationActress
Years active2010–present

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] winning 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). She has since starred in the Netflix science fiction series Bodies (2023).

Early life

Haas was born in Tel Aviv, Israel,[11][12] to a Polish Jewish family.

Two of her grandparents are Holocaust survivors;[13] her grandfather was imprisoned in the Auschwitz concentration camp in occupied Poland during World War II, whereas her grandmother had immigrated to Israel from Hungary.[14] In Hebrew, her first name literally means 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, despite being medically exempted from mandatory conscription.[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 first Israeli superheroine Sabra in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel film Captain America: Brave New World, scheduled for release in 2025.[54][55][56] In 2024, Haas will also appear in the titular role of historic drama Ethel.[57] Haas was named to Forbes' 2021 list for North America of 30 Under 30 innovators and entrepreneurs in 20 categories.

In 2024, Haas played the role of Nancy in the new musical Opening Night at the Gielgud Theatre in London's West End.[58]

Personal life

As of April 2020, Haas resided in Tel Aviv, Israel.[59][60]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2014 Princess Adar / Daughter
2015 A Tale of Love and Darkness Fania Mussman (young) / Kira
2017 Foxtrot Alma
The Zookeeper's Wife Urszula
2018 Mary Magdalene Leah
Noble Savage Anna
2019 Broken Mirrors Ariela
Esau Teen Leah
2020 Asia Vika
2025 Captain America: Brave New World † Ruth Bat-Seraph Post-production
Key
† Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2013–2021 Shtisel Ruchama Weiss / Ruchama Tonik [61] 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 Iris Maplewood Netflix series; 8 episodes

Awards and nominations

Ophir Awards (Israeli Film Academy Awards)

Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2014 Best Actress Princess Nominated [62]
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

Year Organization Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2014 Jerusalem Film Festival Best Actress Princess Won [63]
2015 Peace & Love Film Festival Won [64]
2020 Tribeca Film Festival Best International Actress Asia Won [50]
German Television Awards Best Actress Unorthodox Nominated [65]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Nominated [66]
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]
2024 Golden Nymph Awards Jury Special Prize Night Therapy Won [71]

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.
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