Raz Degan

Raz Degan (born August 25, 1968) is an Israeli-born actor, film director, cinematographer, and photographer based in Italy. After completing military service, Degan worked internationally as a model before signing with the Milan-based agency Riccardo Gay Model Management, which he has credited with helping build his early recognition in Italy. He has appeared in international productions alongside directors including Oliver Stone and Ermanno Olmi, and directed the 2016 documentary The Last Shaman, executive-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Career

Acting and filmmaking Degan made his film debut with an uncredited cameo in Robert Altman's Prêt-à-Porter (1994). He went on to appear in Italian television productions including the miniseries Sorellina e il principe del sogno (1996), directed by Lamberto Bava, and Le ragazze di Piazza di Spagna (1998).

Photography Degan is also a photographer whose work focuses on indigenous cultures and remote environments; it has been published and exhibited in several countries. His projects have included The Lost Sadhu and Raz in the Urban Jungle.

Television In 2010, Degan competed in the sixth season of Ballando con le Stelle and co-hosted the documentary series Mistero alongside Daniele Bossari and Marco Berry. In 2017 he won the twelfth season of L'Isola dei Famosi, the Italian version of Survivor, with 89 percent of the public vote. In 2018 he created, directed, and hosted Raz & The Tribe for Sky Atlantic, a docu-reality series in which he and guests including Asia Argento, Luca Argentero, and Piero Pelù visited remote communities in Ethiopia, Sumatra, and Papua. He joined the cast of the RAI 1 drama Un passo dal cielo for its eighth season, beginning in January 2025.

Personal life Degan was born on a kibbutz in northern Israel and has said he grew up amid the country's periods of conflict. In October 2023, he said his family's kibbutz had been evacuated during that month's escalation of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and that his elderly father had initially refused to leave.

Degan has lived in a converted trullo in Ostuni, Puglia, where he has described himself as combining acting with farming.

Filmography Films Year Title Role Notes 1994 Prêt-à-Porter Uncredited Cameo 1996 Call Girl Inspector Tony Messina 1998 Coppia omicida Vito 1999 Titus Alarbus 2004 Alexander Darius III of Persia 2007 One Hundred Nails Il professorino ("The Professor") 2008 Albakiara Ispettore Castri 2009 Barbarossa Alberto da Giussano Also known as Sword of War 2011 Forces spéciales Zaief 2012 Omamamia Silvio 2022 Under the Amalfi Sun David Credits per Rotten Tomatoes.