Shira Haas

Shira Haas (; born ) is an Israeli actress. She initially gained national prominence for her roles in local film and television, having won two Israeli Ophir Awards out of five nominations since 2014. In 2020, she gained international acclaim for her role in the Netflix miniseries Unorthodox. For this performance, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. 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). Early life Haas was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, to a secular Jewish family. Her parents, both Israeli-born Jews (also known as "Sabra"), are of Ashkenazi Jewish (Polish-Jewish, Hungarian-Jewish, and Czech-Jewish) descent. Two of her grandparents are Holocaust survivors; her grandfather had been imprisoned in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. In Hebrew, her first name literally means either 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. At age two, Haas was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and recovered two years later after a series of severe treatments. On 2 August 2022, her mother Ariela "Leah" Haas died of cancer, after weeks in hospice, at age 61. 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. She made her television debut as the role of Haredi girl Ruchami Weiss in the Israeli drama series Shtisel in 2013. While attending Thelma Yellin, Haas was approached by an Israeli casting director by the name of Esther Kling via Facebook message in 2014. She encouraged Haas to audition for the lead role in the Israeli film Princess (2014). After getting her debut role at the age of 16, Haas was praised by The New York Times for her "truly remarkable lead performance", 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". The role won her the awards for Best Actress at both the Jerusalem Film Festival and the Peace & Love Film Festival, as well as a nomination for Best Leading Actress at the Israeli Ophir Awards.