Rita Zohar

Rita Zohar
ריטה זוהר
Zohar in 2007
Born (1944-01-16) 16 January 1944
Balta, Romanian-occupied Soviet Union
OccupationActress
Years active1961–present

Rita Zohar (Hebrew: ריטה זוהר; born 16 January 1944) is an Israeli actress who has appeared on film, television, and stage. She received Awards of the Israeli Film Academy for Best Actress for her role in the 1990 drama film Laura Adler's Last Love Affair and the Best Actress nomination for the 2009 drama film Mrs. Moskowitz and the Cats.[1]

Life and career

Zohar was born in Balta, Ukraine, in the Romanian-administered Transnistria Governorate, in a concentration camp during World War II.[2][3][4] She was hidden as an infant and was 4 and 1/2 months old when the Russians liberated the camp. Zohar survived along with her mother and grandmother, and after the war they emigrated to Romania.[4] In the 1950s, she emigrated to Israel with her mother.[4] She began acting in the Cameri Theatre in Yiddish. In 1980s, Zohar moved to The United States and made guest-starring appearances on television series Quincy M.E., St. Elsewhere and Cagney & Lacey. She appeared in films Daniel (1983), Amadeus (1984), The Deliberate Stranger (1986), Lady in White (1988).

In 1990, Zohar returned to Israel for a starring role as stage actress Laura Adler in the drama film Laura Adler's Last Love Affair directed by Avraham Heffner.[5][6] She received an Awards of the Israeli Film Academy for Best Actress for her performance.[7][8] The following year she returned to the U.S. and began appearing in supporting roles in films such as Final Analysis (1992) and Waterworld (1995), and in the television series Thirtysomething, ER, Any Day Now and most notably a 1997 episode of 7th Heaven playing a Holocaust survivor.[9]

In 2009, Zohar played another leading role in the Israeli drama film Mrs. Moskowitz and the Cats, receiving the Jerusalem Film Festival Award for Best Actress and the Ophir Award for Best Actress nomination.[1]

In 2025, Zohar portrayed Holocaust survivor Bessie in Scarlett Johansson's film Eleanor the Great starring June Squibb as Bessie's best friend Eleanor.[4][10][11] Zohar said, "This role in this movie has given me a voice. Even though this is not my story, this is not what happened to me or my family, but still, by being able to verbalize it, I connected to Bessie, and I became Bessie in the film." The film's screenwriter Tory Kamen said, "Another thing that was important to me was that we never really saw Eleanor telling Bessie's story. I wanted that to be from Bessie's mouth ... And Rita Zohar, who plays Bessie, is a Holocaust survivor herself, and does an unbelievable job."[4]

References

  1. ^ a b "אתר הארץ חסום - חדשות, ידיעות מהארץ והעולם - עיתון הארץ".
  2. ^ "THHP Questions: Rita Zohar". phdn.org.
  3. ^ http://www.holocaust-history.org/questions/zohar-rita.shtml
  4. ^ a b c d e Gilson, Grace (26 September 2025). "Real-life Holocaust survivors star in Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut 'Eleanor the Great'". Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
  5. ^ Shen, Ted (26 October 1985). "Laura Adler's Last Love Affair". Chicago Reader.
  6. ^ "Laura Adler's Last Love Affair".
  7. ^ https://israelfilmacademy.co.il/?item=1988&section=224
  8. ^ https://jewishvideo.com/shop/ols/products/laura-adlers-last-love-affair
  9. ^ Margulies, Lee (19 April 1998). "The Holocaust hits home on '7th Heaven'; getting 'Goosebumps' in a big way; save trees, save a teen". Los Angeles Times.
  10. ^ Moore, Andria (24 September 2025). "Scarlett Johansson on Her Directorial Debut "Eleanor the Great": "I Don't Think I Could Have Done It 10 Years Ago"". Motion Picture Association.
  11. ^ Durand, Manon (19 November 2025). "Eleanor the Great, a first feature film by Scarlett Johansson". Cannes Film Festival.
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