Yaniv Rokah

Yaniv Rokah is an Israeli-American actor-director.

Early life

Yaniv Rokah grew up on the Mediterranean in Netanya, Israel. As a young adult, he moved to New York to become an actor.[1][2]

Career

Rokah moved to New York in 1999, and to Los Angeles in 2006.[3] He attended New York's Lee Strasberg Theater Institute.[3]

Although Rokah landed some small acting roles, he first came to wider attention for his 2015 documentary film, Queen Mimi.[1] The project was funded on Kickstarter.[3][4][5][6]

The subject of the documentary, Elizabeth 'Mimi' Haist, was a homeless woman living in a laundromat frequented by young, unknown actors and helping them do their laundry. Rokah decided to make a film about her. The film garnered substantial publicity while still in production when actor Zach Galifianakis, who had since become successful with The Hangover series, arranged to give her an apartment, which Renee Zellweger furnished.[7]

Filmography
  • Queen Mimi[2] (Documentary): "Forced onto the streets in her 50s, Marie “Mimi” Haist found “home” between two rows of washers at a Santa Monica laundromat. After taking shelter there for more than 20 years, 88-year-old Mimi gets her own apartment." [8][9][10] Zach Galifianakis plays himself in the film.[11][12]

References
  1. Richter, Katrin (13 May 2013). "Der Regisseur Yaniv Rokah über seinen Dokumentarfilm »Queen Mimi«, Crowdfunding und Lebensfreude (interview)". Juedische Allgemeine. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  2. "Yaniv Rokah - IMDb". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  3. Ghert-Zand, Renee (20 May 2013). "Renee Zellweger's Favorite Laundry Lady". Forward. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  4. "Queen Mimi". Kickstarter. Kickstarter. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  5. Smith, Michael (22 May 2013). "Zach Galifianakis Asks Homeless Lady To Attend Hangover 3 Premiere With Him". guardianlv. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  6. Burns, Andrew (23 May 2013). "There's Something About Mimi". The Big issue. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  7. Olgavie, Jessica (20 May 2013). "Zach Galifianakis Saved 87-Year-Old L.A. Woman From Homelessness". LAist. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  8. "Thrillers, comedy and more coming to Vail Film Festival". Vail Daily. 27 February 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  9. "Film About Montana's "Queen Mimi" Packs the House". West Side People Magazine. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  10. Groves, Don (16 February 2015). "Aussie makes docs with altruistic angle". IF Magazine. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  11. "'Hangover' Star Takes Laundry Pal From Homeless To The Red Carpet". CBS Los Angeles. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  12. Weisman, Aly. "Zach Galifianakis Bought A Homeless Woman An Apartment — And Took Her To 'The Hangover III' Premiere". Business Insider. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  13. Sklar, Ronald (10 August 2012). "Yaniv Rokah Earning His Big Coffee Break". Pop Entertainment. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
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