Haya Harareet
Chaja Hararit , known as Haya Harareet ( Hebrew חיה הררית; * September 20, 1931 as Haya Neuberg in Haifa , Palestine ; † February 3, 2021 in Marlow , Buckinghamshire ) was an Israeli film and theater actress and screenwriter , best known for the classic film Ben Hur .
biography
Chaja Hararit was born under the name Haya Neuberg as the daughter of Polish immigrants. As an actress she went by the name Haya Harareet and began her career in the theater , so she was on stage at the Israeli Cameri Theater . She made her film debut in 1955 in Höhe 24 does not answer , a political film by director Thorold Dickinson about the War of Independence of 1948. Harareet achieved international fame in 1959 through her participation in the monumental film Ben Hur , which won eleven Academy Awards . In it she embodied the leading female role of Esther at the side of Charlton Heston . She was the only member of the cast who came from Israel, the original location of the Ben Hur story .
Despite the positive press and a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , she was later unable to build on the success of Ben Hur . By 1964 she was to appear in a total of eight feature films, most of which were shown in Europe, for example in the adventure film The Mistress of Atlantis . Although Harareet was always cast in the female lead, her breakthrough to international film star was ultimately denied. In the mid-1960s she withdrew from acting, only to appear again in 1974 for a role in the obscure short film My Friend Jonathan . Instead, she concentrated on her work in the theater and studied political science . In 1967 Harareet wrote the screenplay for the British feature film Every Night at Nine , a thriller with Dirk Bogarde in the lead role.
Harareet's first husband was an Israeli she lived with in Tel Aviv and whom she divorced before 1961.
Chaja Hararit was married to the British film director Jack Clayton from 1984 until his death in 1995. Most recently, the actress lived a secluded life in retirement. She died at her Buckinghamshire home in February 2021, aged 89. With her, the last surviving person died who had a role mentioned in the credits in Ben Hur .
Filmography
- 1955: Height 24 does not answer (Giv'a 24 Eina Ona)
- 1957: La donna del giorno
- 1959: Ben Hur (Ben-Hur)
- 1961: The Secret Partner
- 1961: The mistress of Atlantis (Antinea, l'amante della città sepolta)
- 1962: Men Who Love Life (The Interns)
- 1962: La leggenda di Fra Diavolo
- 1964: L'ultima carica
- 1967: Every night at nine (Our Mother's House) (as a screenwriter)
- 1974: My Friend Jonathan (short film)
Web links
- Haya Harareet in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual proof
- ↑ a b c d Nirit Anderman: 'Ben-Hur' Star, Israeli Actress Haya Harareet, Dies. In: Haaretz.com . February 3, 2021, accessed on February 4, 2021 (English): "Harareet was born Haya Neuberg in Haifa in 1931 to Polish immigrants"
- ↑ Overnight to Stardom . In: Independent Press-Telegram , November 15, 1959. Retrieved February 5, 20121.
- ↑ Israeli Movie Star May Quit Hollywood and Return 'Home' . In: The National Jewish Post and Opinion , March 10, 1961. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Harareet, Haya |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hararit, Chaja; חיה הררית (Hebrew); Neuberg, Haya (maiden name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Israeli film and theater actress and screenwriter |
DATE OF BIRTH | September 20, 1931 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Haifa , Palestine |
DATE OF DEATH | February 3, 2021 |
Place of death | Marlow , Buckinghamshire |