Shira Haas

Shira Haas (Hebrew: שירה האס‎; born (1995-05-11)11 May 1995)[1] is an Israeli actress. She initially gained national prominence for her roles in local film and television,[2][3] having won two Israeli Academy Awards (Ophir Awards) out of five nominations since 2014. In 2020, she gained international acclaim for her role in the Netflix miniseries Unorthodox.[4][5][6][7] With this performance, she became the first Israeli actor to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.[8][9] 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).

Shira Haas
Haas at the 2018 Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles
Born (1995-05-11) 11 May 1995
Tel Aviv, Israel
NationalityIsraeli
EducationThelma Yellin High School for the Arts
OccupationActress
Years active2010–present

Early life and career

1995–2014: Early life and Princess debut

Haas was born on 11 May 1995[10] in Tel Aviv, Israel,[11][12] to a secular Jewish family. Her parents, both Israeli-born, are of Ashkenazi Jewish (Polish-Jewish, Hungarian-Jewish, and Czech-Jewish) descent. Her grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, had been imprisoned in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II.[13] As a one year old, she moved with her parents to a home in Hod HaSharon where she spent most of her early years.[14][12] At age two, Haas was diagnosed with kidney cancer and recovered two years later after a series of severe treatments.[15]

At age 14, she began performing in plays at the Cameri Theater, such as Ghetto and Richard III.[16] She made her television debut as the role of Ruchami Weiss in the drama series Shtisel in 2013.[17] Haas studied theater at Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts in Givatayim,[11] before completing a short period of service in the IDF's military theatre.[18] While studying at Thelma Yellin, Haas was approached by a casting director by the name of Esther Kling via Facebook message in 2014.[19][12] She encouraged Haas to audition for the lead role in the film Princess (2014).[20] After getting her debut role at the age of 16, Haas was praised by The New York Times for her "truly remarkable lead performance",[21] 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".[22] The role won her the awards for Best Actress at both the Jerusalem Film Festival[23] and the Peace & Love Film Festival,[24] as well as a nomination for Best Leading Actress at the Israeli Academy Awards (Ophir Awards).[25]

2015–2017: Hollywood debut
Haas promoting The Zookeeper's Wife at the Warsaw Zoo in 2017

Haas made her first appearance in an international film when she played the role of young Fania in Natalie Portman's directorial-debut, A Tale of Love and Darkness (2015).[26] Haas also appeared alongside Jessica Chastain in Niki Caro's The Zookeeper's Wife (2017), which led to her prime time American talk show debut on The Today Show in 2016.[27][12] Haas auditioned for the role over Skype call.[18] She earned her second Israeli Academy Award (Ophir Award) nomination for Best Supporting Actress in Foxtrot (2017),[28] which made the final shortlist for the 90th Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[29]

2018–2019: National breakthrough

By the start of 2018, Haas had made a name for herself in many prime time Israeli drama television shows: Shtisel (2013–2016), The Jeweler (2015), The Switch Principle (2016), Harem (2017) and The Conductor (2018). At the 2018 Israeli Academy Awards (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.[30] In 2018, she appeared as Leah in Mary Magdalene, written by Helen Edmundson and directed by Garth Davis.[31] 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).[32]

2020–present: International breakthrough with Unorthodox

Haas arrived in Berlin two months before the shooting of the 2020 limited Netflix series Unorthodox in order to study the Yiddish language which would be primarily spoken in the series.[33] 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.[34][35] The series is based on the true life story of Deborah Feldman, who wrote an autobiography of the same name.[36]

James Poniewozik of The New York Times described Haas as "a phenomenon, expressive and captivating."[37] Brigid Delaney of The Guardian described her as "mesmerising" and "outstanding," noting, "physically tiny, like a child, the viewer is immediately protective of her."[38] 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."[39] Hank Stuever of The Washington Post wrote that she "lends a grave and yet vulnerable luminescence to the role."[40] At the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, Haas was nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Limited Series for this performance,[41] becoming the first Israeli to be nominated for an acting Primetime Emmy Award.[9]

Haas acted alongside Alena Yiv in the role of a daughter who becomes confined to a wheelchair in the Israeli film Asia (2020), which was premiered online at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[42] The role earned Haas the award for Best International Actress at the festival.[43][44] 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."[43] Her performance in the film also earned her the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 30th Israeli Academy Awards (Ophir Awards).[45] In late April 2020, she joined a virtual ceremony celebrating Israel's 72nd Independence Day with other Israeli stars.[46] Haas was signed to Creative Artists Agency in June 2020.[47]

Personal life

As of April 2020, Haas resides in Tel Aviv, Israel.[48][49]

Selected filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2014 Princess Adar Nominated — Israeli Academy Award (Ophir Award) for Best Leading Actress
Best Actress Jerusalem Film Festival
Best Actress P&L Film Festival
2015 A Tale of Love and Darkness Fania (young)
2017 Foxtrot Alma Nominated — Israeli Academy Award (Ophir Award) for Best Supporting Actress
2017 The Zookeeper's Wife Urszula
2018 Mary Magdalene Leah
2018 Noble Savage Anna Israeli Academy Award (Ophir Award) for Best Supporting Actress
2019 Broken Mirrors Ariela Nominated — Israeli Academy Award (Ophir Award) for Best Leading Actress
2019 Esau Leah
2020 Asia Vika Tribeca Film Festival Award for Best International Actress
Israeli Academy Award (Ophir Award) for Best Supporting Actress

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2013–present Shtisel Ruchami Weiss All 24 episodes
2015 Hazoref Sofi All 7 episodes
2016 Ikaron HaHachlafa Salame Television miniseries; All 3 episodes
2017 Harem Tamar All 8 episodes
2018 HaMenatzeah Odi All 10 episodes
2020 Unorthodox Esther Shapiro Pending — Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Pending — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
Pending — Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series
Pending — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Awards and nominations

Israeli Academy Awards (Ophir Awards)
Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2014 Best Leading Actress Princess Nominated [50]
2017 Best Supporting Actress Foxtrot Nominated [28]
2018 Best Supporting Actress Noble Savage Won [30]
Best Leading Actress Broken Mirrors Nominated
2020 Best Supporting Actress Asia Won [45]

Other awards
Year Organization Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2014 Jerusalem Film Festival Best Actress Princess Won [51]
2015 Peace & Love Film Festival Won [52]
2020 Tribeca Film Festival Best International Actress Asia Won [44]
German Television Awards Best Actress Unorthodox Nominated [53]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Nominated [54]
Gold Derby Awards Best Movie/Limited Series Actress Nominated [55]
Breakthrough Performer of the Year Nominated
2021 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie Pending [56]
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Pending [8]
Independent Spirit Awards Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series Pending [57]
Satellite Awards Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Pending [58]

References
  1. "שירה האס" [Shira Haas]. Ishim Film Database (in Hebrew). Retrieved 15 April 2020. (born 11/5/1995)
  2. Lisabeth, Zach (7 April 2020). "Shira Haas is a darling of the Israeli film scene". Looper. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  3. Spiro, Amy (26 August 2018). "Five Israeli actors making their mark on Hollywood". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Gilbert, Matthew (15 April 2020). "There's a mesmerizing and moving performance at the heart of 'Unorthodox'". Boston Globe. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  7. Wloszczyna, Susan (2 April 2020). "'Unorthodox': Here's the unlikely uplifting heroine you need to root for right now". Gold Derby. Retrieved 15 April 2020. Haas by all rights deserves to be treated as a full-blown star
  8. Bora, Sugandha (3 February 2021). "Golden Globes 2021: Shira Haas Becomes First Israeli Golden Globe Nominee". SheThePeople.TV. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  9. "עשתה היסטוריה: השחקנית הישראלית שירה האס מועמדת לפרס אמי" [Made history: Israeli actress Shira Haas is nominated for an Emmy Award]. Globes. Walla!. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020. זו הפעם הראשונה ששחקנית ישראלית (או שחקן) מקבלת מועמדות לפרס האמי המרכזי. "This is the first time that an Israeli actress (or actor) has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award."
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  12. Levin, Talia (7 April 2019). "שירה האס: "הבראתי לפני 20 שנה, אך אין ספק שהסרטן הוא חלק ממני"" [Shira Haas: 'I gave it up 20 years ago, but the cancer is definitely still a part of me']. Maariv. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
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  15. Segal, Itai (31 October 2018). ""ככל שהזמן עובר, אודישנים, תפקידים ואולי גם החיים, נהיים עבורי יותר קלים"" [As time goes on, auditions, roles and even life get better for me]. Yedioth Ahronoth (in Hebrew). Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  16. Sinai, Liron (25 March 2020). "'טוב שיש סרטים שעוסקים בהטרדות מיניות'" ['It's good to have movies about sexual harassment']. Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  17. Saval, Malina (26 March 2020). "'Unorthodox' Star Shira Haas Brings Yiddish, Hassidic Judaism and Contemporary German Culture to Netflix". Variety. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  18. Bashan, Hadas (10 May 2017). "שירה האס מככבת בהוליווד ועושה אודישנים מהספה בהוד השרון". Mako. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
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  20. Miller, Gerri (25 March 2020). "'Shtisel' Star Shira Haas Leaves the Charedi Life in 'Unorthodox'". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  21. Catsoulis, Jeannette (26 May 2016). "Review: In 'Princess,' an Israeli Family in Need of Boundaries". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
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  25. Brown, Hannah (13 August 2014). "'Zero Motivation' gets 12 Ophir nods". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  26. Kerr, Rose (25 August 2016). "A Tale of Love and Darkness". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  27. "Jessica Chastain On 'Zookeeper's Wife' And Her Real-Life Love Of Animals". The Today Show. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  28. Hannah Brown (19 August 2017). "2017 Ophir nominations announced". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
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  34. Seth, Radhika (27 April 2020). "Shira Haas Describes Overnight Fame And How Netflix's 'Unorthodox' Is A Universally Groundbreaking Story Of Escape". British Vogue. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
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  40. Stuever, Hank (25 March 2020). "Review | 'Unorthodox' carefully and beautifully depicts a young woman's flight from tradition". Washington Post. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
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