Itzik Cohen

Itzhak "Itzik" Cohen (; born 9 September 1968) is an Israeli actor, filmmaker, and television producer. He is best known for portraying Captain Gabi Ayub in the political thriller television series Fauda.

After serving in the Israel Defense Forces, he received his BA with honors in 1993 from the Department of Theater at Tel Aviv University. In 1996, together with a few of his classmates, he founded the drag band The band helped bring drag into the Israeli mainstream, making appearances in the Uri Pasteur-directed musical All is Legend (alongside Michal Yannai), and the educational television program Return of the Sheriff. That same year, he starred in Ayad Akhtar’s play The Who & The What at the Haifa Theatre, as Afzal, a father desperately struggling to ensure his daughter marries within the faith. For his performance, he was nominated for Actor in a Leading Role at the Israeli Theater Prize Awards.

Film and television In 2002, Cohen created, along with Jonathan Cognac, the Israeli television series Johnny for Channel 2. He appeared in the series as well, playing the titular Johnny's Iraqi mother.

In 2004, he starred in the teen drama Big Head as Elhanan, the school principal. After its cancellation in 2009, the show was brought back for a special sixth season in 2017, and Cohen returned to revive his role.

In 2009, Cohen starred in the film A Matter of Size as Herzl, an overweight man who decides to join a sumo wrestling team. For his performance, he won the Visitor's Booth in Israel award for Best Actor, and was nominated for the Ophir Award for Actor in a Leading Role. The following year, he finished in third place on the fifth season of the Israeli version of Dancing with the Stars.

Cohen had his international breakout role in 2015, on the political thriller television series Fauda. He plays Captain Gabi Ayub, the top interrogator in Israel's Shin Bet unit. The show has received international critical acclaim, with The New York Times voting it the best international show of 2017.

In 2021, he started working on the TV show The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem.

Personal life Cohen was born in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, to a Jewish family.

He served in the Israel Defense Forces as a soldier.

In 1998 Cohen married Michal Kirschenbaum, and they have a daughter. Cohen came out as gay in 2002, and the couple divorced in 2005, but in 2012 they had a son, Raphael, together. In 2013 he had bariatric surgery and lost 50 kg of his weight.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2001 Minutes of Glory Dedi 2003 Sima Vaknin is a Witch Avi Vanunu 2006 Charlotte's Web Ike the Horse Hebrew dub 2009 A Matter of Size Herzl Nominated for Ophir Award: Actor in a Leading Role 2010 The Guest The Guest 2016 The Women's Balcony Aaron 2017 Maktub Elkaslasi 2017 The Son of Bigfoot Wallace Bear Hebrew dub

Television Year Title Role Notes 1997 Shuli's Boy Niso TV film 2002 Johnny Doris Creator 2004-2007; 2017 Big Head Elhanan Berdugo 2010 Dancing with the Stars Himself 3rd place; Israeli version 2012 New York Toka Abharmi 2015-2016 Galis Spector 2015–present Fauda Captain Gabi Ayub 2020 The Masked Singer (Israel) Dragon 4th Place 2021 Oslo Yossi Beilin TV film2021-2022 The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem Avraham