Hanna Maron

Hanna Maron (; 22 November 1923 – 30 May 2014) was a German-born Israeli actress, comedian and theatre personality. She held the world record for the longest career in theater.

Life and career

Hanna Meierzak was born in Berlin, Germany on 22 November 1923. Her father, Isaac, was an electrician. As a child, her mother, Rosa, encouraged her acting career and enrolled her in a special school where she studied with the children of foreign diplomats. She appeared in stage productions, films, and radio plays. In 1931 she appeared uncredited in Fritz Lang's M. In 1932, she and her mother left Berlin for Paris. In 1933, she immigrated with her family to Mandate Palestine. The family settled in Tel Aviv and her father became the first immigrant to be hired by the Palestine Electric Company.

In 1940, Meron joined Habimah. During World War II, she volunteered for the Auxiliary Territorial Service of the British army, serving two years before joining the Jewish Brigade's entertainment troupe. In 1945 she joined the Cameri Theater in Tel Aviv. As a member of the repertory committee, she helped shape the company's repertoire, including new works by Israeli dramatists. Early on, she appeared in supporting roles, but after her success as Mika in He Walked in the Fields by Moshe Shamir, she became one of Israel's leading actresses. They were together for six years. Among her better known roles were in Pygmalion, The Glass Menagerie and Hello, Dolly!, as well as several plays by Nathan Alterman. She remained a peace activist. In late 2003, she returned to the Cameri to play in a comedy. In 2004 she starred in a theater event that reenacted an IDF refuseniks' trial.

She was married to architect Yaakov Rechter, with whom she had three children: Amnon, an architect, Ofra, a philosopher, and Dafna, an actress.

Hanna Maron died in Tel-Aviv, Israel on 30 May 2014, aged 90.

Legacy in popular culture A new graphic novel biography is due to appear in German in September 2016: Barbara Yelin, Vor allem eins: Dir selbst sei treu. Die Schauspielerin Channa Maron, lit. First and foremost: be true to yourself. Actress Hanna Maron.

In 2017, an exhibition was created by Barbara Yelin and David Polonsky after Yelin's graphic novel. It was shown at German high schools (the Heinz Berggruen Gymnasium in Berlin and the Humboldt Gymnasium at Vaterstetten), the Berlin International Literature Festival, and the Goethe Institutes in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Awards and honours

In 1971, she was awarded the Herzl Award for her work in arts. In 1973, Maron was awarded the Israel Prize in theatre. In 1994, she received an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University. Ynet dubbed her "The first lady of Israeli theater". She was cited as an inspiration by many Israeli actors, including Yehoram Gaon and Gila Almagor.