Yoram Gal

Yoram Gal (Hebrew: יורם גל; born 7 January 1952) is an international Israeli painter, playwright, director, actor and theater, TV and cinema producer.

Biography

Early life Yoram Gal was born in Jerusalem, son of Ephraim Roytenberg (known as Fima), a Jewish painter born in Harbin, China and who emigrated to Israel in 1949, and Naomi Margalit, born in Jerusalem, a teacher and economist. His parents divorced when Gal was one year old. When he was six, his mother married Yossef Gal, an economist, and the three moved to the center of Jerusalem. Three years later, his sister Aya, later a psychologist, was born, and when he was 11 the family moved to London, UK, where his stepfather represented the state of Israel as the economic attache's in the embassy. Gal began painting at age 12 when he underwent psychotherapy at the Anna Freud Clinic in London.

Early career (1970s) Gal emerged in the Israeli theater scene in the late 1970s. His first stage play, Everyman (כלאדם), premiered in 1978 at Tel Aviv University’s theater under the direction of Edna Shavit. Around this time, he began appearing in Israeli television dramas, including Kamikaza (Israeli Educational Television, 1977) and Under a Black Cloud’s Shadow (בצל ענן שחור, Channel 1, 1980).

Theater (1980s–1990s) Throughout the 1980s, Gal became a leading figure in Israel’s alternative and fringe theater movement.

In 2024 Gal published his novel I IMAGINE.

Visual art (2000s–Present) In painting, Gal found catharsis for his soul's storms, and at age 15 he passed the A' Level exams in Art, which enabled him to enter art college. The leading Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot published a favorable critique of the show, written by the renowned critic Miriam Tal.

From 1973–1977 Gal studied Theater and Cinema at Tel Aviv University (Hons. BFA).

Personal life In 1978 Gal married his ex theater professor Edna Shavit, and was her two year old son's stepfather. They divorced in 1994. In 1996 he married Nili Dotan, playwright and screenwriter, and in 2000 their son Nimrod was born. They divorced in 2013. In 2016 he married Tzlila Hurvitz, their marriage lasted 4 years.

Filmography Theater Everyman, director Edna Shavit, 1978. ''Hanoch and Sophocles, director Yoram Gal, 1980. Billy-Bull The Great, director Edna Shavit, 1983. Outs, director Yoram Gal, 1984 Isaac the Crybaby and his revenge on the Homeland, director Aviel Hadari,1985 The Careerist, director Dorit Yerushalmi, 1987 Bergman, Theater in London, director Yigal Azrati, 1988, in English. The Rooster, director Edna Shavit, 1989. Jacobo Hero of Goldonia, director Edna Shavit, 1989.

Gal has written many plays which have not yet been produced, among them Psyche (1983), Spiritolini (1989), Professor Bergman (1982), Gabriella (1993), Hanita sets out on Life (1994), El Rais Is Coming (1994), The Egotist (1994), The Individualist and The Devil (1993), The Buick and The Caravan (1992) and Shira from T (1990).

Theater acting The Family (1976) Everyman (1978) Billy-Bull The Great (1983) Outs (1984) Yehezkel Fireman's Tales (1986) Eliezer Ben-Yehuda (1982) Herzl - King of the Jews (1987) The Miser (1994–2003) The Rooster (1990) A gentle Spirit (1993)

Plays for children and youth Yaki Anaki, director Agnes Poldash, 1980. The Old Man Walks, director Edna Shavit, 1986. King of The Jews, director Edna Shavit, 1988. Where did the Laughter go, co-directed by Gal/Sover, 1988. Anatoly’s Hope, co directed by Gal/Sover, 1990. Drugs Lie, director Arieh Sover, 1990. David’s Violin, co-directed by Gal/Sover, 1992. Maranos, Shema Israel, director Yaki Mecherez, 1992. Rutty Heroine of Jerusalem, director Yoram Gal, 1993. Deddy and Lisa Salamat, director Yoram Gal, 1994. Let There Be Light, director Yoram Gal, 1995. Safely, director Yoram Gal, 1995. Don Quixote, director Ednan Tarabshe, 1994. The Old Man and I''', 2001. Yotam The Wild One, director Yoram Gal, 2003.

Visual design (stage) Rubber Merchants by Hanoch Levin (1978)

Cinema and TV Wrote and directed the feature film "WILD",

Directing Hanoch and Sophocles (1980) Outs (1984) The House is going to be empty again (1996) The Old Man and I (2001) The Game (2001)

TV and film acting Under a black cloud's shadow (1980) Remembrance of Love (1982) A Dinner of Herbs (1988) Friends of Yael (1990) Kamikaza (1977) Black day in Sde Avraham (1984) Shmita Year (1986) The mirrors Scale (1991) The Revolutionary - Life of Jesus (1995–96) The Tale of the man who was silent (1998) Yes or No (2000)

Notes and references