Yigal Naor

Igal Naor (; born ) is an Israeli actor, sometimes credited as Yigal Naor.

Naor has acted over three decades, in both film and television. His notable film credits include his debut in Deadline (1987), an award-winning role in Saint Clara (1996), and international roles in Munich (2005), Rendition (2007), Green Zone (2010), and 300: Rise of an Empire (2014). In television, Naor is recognized for his title role in the miniseries House of Saddam (2008), along with performances in The Honourable Woman (2014), Homeland (2015), Riviera (2017–18), and Fauda (2017–18).

His most recent movie was the 2026 American historical drama film Monument, directed by Bryan Singer. In that film Naor acted as General Antoine Lahad, leader of the South Lebanon Army, alongside Jon Voight and Joseph Mazzello.

Early life Naor was born on June 25, 1958, in Givatayim, Israel, to Mizrahi Jewish parents. His parents had emigrated from Baghdad, Iraq, in the early 1950s following the creation of Israel.

Because his parents worked long hours, Naor was raised primarily by his Iraqi-born grandmother during his first five years. As a result of this upbringing, his first language and mother tongue was Arabic; he spoke exclusively Arabic and did not know any Hebrew during his early childhood years.

He studied at Tel Aviv University.

Film career 1987–99 Naor began his professional acting career in 1987, making his feature film debut as Antoine in the war thriller Deadline (also released as Witness in the War Zone), directed by Nathaniel Gutman and starring Christopher Walken. Over the next decade, he appeared in productions including the drama film The Seventh Coin. The film became a hallmark of 1990s Israeli cinema, sweeping the national awards circuit. For his performance, Naor won the 1996 Ophir Award for Best Supporting Actor—presented by the Israeli Academy of Film and Television and regarded as the "Israeli Oscar."

2000–09 In 2005, Naor transitioned into mainstream international cinema when director Steven Spielberg cast him as the Palestinian official and target Mahmoud Hamshari in the historical political drama Munich. This role opened the door to a series of appearances in major Hollywood thrillers. In 2007, he co-starred alongside Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep, and Jake Gyllenhaal in the political thriller Rendition, directed by Gavin Hood. Naor played Abasi Fawal, a ruthless North African prison director executing the CIA extraordinary rendition policy.

In 2008, Naor was cast in the titular role of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in the four-part biographical miniseries House of Saddam, a joint television docudrama production between the BBC and HBO that tracked the inner workings, domestic relationships, and eventual fall of the Iraqi dictator and his family. The casting of an Israeli Jew of Iraqi descent to portray Saddam Hussein drew international media attention, triggering both critical curiosity and political discussion within the Middle Eastern arts community. Naor's performance was met with critical acclaim from international television critics, who described his screen presence as transfixing and chillingly convincing. Reviewers noted that Naor avoided playing the dictator as a one-dimensional caricature, instead delivering a careful performance that juxtaposed Hussein's documented bursts of charm and regional pride with his volatile megalomania and systemic cruelty. Serena Davis of The Daily Telegraph was impressed that "Naor's towering version of the dictator envisioned him as both adept family schemer and political giant."

2010–present Director Paul Greengrass cast Naor as a deceptive and high-value Iraqi insurgent leader, in the 2010 Iraq War political thriller Green Zone, starring opposite Matt Damon. In 2014, Naor portrayed the historical Persian monarch King Darius I in Zack Snyder's blockbuster sequel epic historical action film 300: Rise of an Empire.

His most recent movie was the 2026 American historical drama film Monument, directed by Bryan Singer. In the movie, Naor acted as General Antoine Lahad, leader of the South Lebanon Army, alongside Jon Voight and Joseph Mazzello.

Television career Naor has also worked in international television, and his television roles include portraying a Syrian general in season five of Showtime's political espionage thriller series Homeland (2015), and starring as a former security chief turned criminal figure, across 15 episodes of the British luxury crime drama series Riviera (2017–19). Additionally, he portrayed the retired former head of a special operations unit and father of the main protagonist Doron, in the Netflix-distributed Israeli action-thriller series Fauda (2017–18).

Selected filmography and television

Deadline (1987) – Antoine The Seventh Coin (1993) – Grocer The Mummy Lives (1993) – Egyptology official Saint Clara (1996) – Headmaster Tissona Ha-Dybbuk B'sde Hatapuchim Hakdoshim (1997; also known as Ahava Asura) – Sender Miss Entebbe (2003) – Avram Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi (2003) – Headmaster Avihu Munich (2005) – Mahmoud Hamshari Djihad! (2006, TV Movie) – Colonel Walid Rendition (2007) – Abasi Fawal House of Saddam (2008, TV Mini-Series) – Saddam Hussein A House Divided (2008) – Ahmed Occupation (2009, TV Mini-Series) – Dr. Sadiq Alasadi Green Zone (2010) – General Mohammed Al Rawi The Infidel (2010) – Arshad El-Masri I Am Slave (2010) – Said Dead Europe (2012) – Syd Sinbad (2012, TV Series) – Emir Farewell Baghdad (2013) – Salman Ambassadors (2013, TV Mini-Series) – President Karzak The Honourable Woman (2014, TV Mini-Series) – Shlomo Zahary 300: Rise of an Empire (2014) – King Darius I Suicide (2014; also known as Hitabdut) – Muki Homeland (2015, TV Series) – General Youssef False Flag (2015, TV Series) – Gavriel "Gabi" Silver The Women's Balcony (2016) – Zion The Promise (2016) – Mesrob Riviera (2017–19, TV Series) – Jakob Negrescu Stratton (2017) – Tariq Alawi Maktub (2017) – Tzafuf Damascus Cover (2017) – General Fuad Fauda (2017–18, TV Series) – Amos Kabilio The Unorthodox (2018) – Rabbi Ovadia Yosef On the Ropes (2018, TV Mini-Series) – Sami Al-Amir Oslo (2021, TV Movie) – Joel Singer Hit & Run (2021, TV Series) – Tamir Edri Legend of Destruction (2021) – John of Giscala Wendell & Wild (2022) – Manberg Highway 65 (2024) – Nissim Kugel (2024) – Rabbi Vermout Monument (2026) – General Antoine Lahad, leader of the South Lebanon Army

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 1996 Ophir Award Best Supporting Actor Saint Clara 2009 Golden Nymph Award Outstanding Actor in a Mini-Series House of Saddam 2019 Equity Ensemble Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Mini-series or Telemovie On the Ropes