Mark Ivanir facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mark Ivanir
מארק איווניר Марк Іванір
Born	Mark Alexandrovich Ivanir Chernivtsi, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Citizenship	Israel
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1988–present

Mark Ivanir is an Israeli actor. He is well-known for playing many different kinds of characters in American movies and TV shows. Mark is amazing because he can speak six languages fluently! This special skill often helps him in his acting roles.

Early Life

Mark Ivanir was born in a city called Chernovtsi, which is now known as Chernivtsi in Ukraine. In 1972, when he was a child, his family moved to Israel. They settled in a neighborhood called Pardes Katz. His parents were both language teachers, so Mark grew up speaking many languages, including Hebrew, Ukrainian, and Russian. Later, he learned English too. His grandfather was also a famous writer and actor who loved Yiddish culture.

When he was older, Mark served in the Israeli Defense Forces. He even helped bring Ethiopian Jews to Israel from refugee camps in Sudan. After his service, he decided not to join the Mossad, which is Israel's spy agency. Instead, he studied medicine for a short time before choosing to become an artist. He spent two years at a circus school and traveled around Europe performing as a clown. He even worked in a circus in Paris! After the circus, Mark studied acting formally and performed in famous theaters in Israel.

Career

Mark Ivanir started his acting career in 1988 with a film called Iron Eagle II. This movie was filmed in Israel and had actors from many different countries. Mark played a Soviet army soldier in it.

After his acting training, Mark joined the Gesher Theater in Tel Aviv. This theater group was made up of people who had moved from the former Soviet Union. The Gesher Theater quickly became one of the best in Israel and was even called "one of the six best theatre companies in the world" by a London newspaper! Mark used his language skills to translate and adapt eight plays into Hebrew for the company. Later, he moved to London to study more about acting.

Mark's first big movie role was in Steven Spielberg's famous film Schindler's List in 1993. He played a character named Marcel Goldberg. He worked with Steven Spielberg two more times after that, in The Terminal and The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn. Mark also had an important role in Robert De Niro's 2006 movie, The Good Shepherd. For this role, he won an award at the Berlin Film Festival. He later acted alongside De Niro again in What Just Happened.

In 2011, Mark appeared in several movies, including Johnny English Reborn, Big Miracle, and 360. One of his biggest roles was in the movie A Late Quartet in 2012. In this film, he played Daniel Lerner, the first violin player in a string quartet. The movie was even named one of the top 10 films of the year by the New York Daily News.

Mark has also been a guest star in over 60 TV shows. Some of these include popular series like 24, Monk, CSI: NY, Law & Order, Fringe, CSI: Miami, and Homeland. In Homeland, he played a Russian intelligence agent named Ivan Krupin.

More recently, in 2017, he played a Holocaust survivor in the German film "Bye Bye Germany." He also appeared in the Amazon show "Transparent." In 2019, he was in The Red Sea Diving Resort, where he played the head of the Mossad, working with famous actors like Sir Ben Kingsley and Chris Evans. In 2024, Mark won an award for his acting in the film Emilia Pérez along with his co-stars.

Mark Ivanir has also lent his voice to many video games, including titles like Call of Duty 2, Psychonauts, and Wolfenstein: The New Order. His ability to speak many languages makes him a great choice for different characters in these games.

Personal Life

Mark Ivanir is married to Maya Raz. They have two daughters and live with their family in Los Angeles. Mark can speak Hebrew, Russian, English, Ukrainian, French, and Yiddish very well. He also knows some German and Arabic. His amazing language skills are often used in the roles he plays.

Images for kids

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  Mark Ivanir

See also

In Spanish: Mark Ivanir para niños