Retired Israeli theater, film star Yossi Pollak dies aged 81

Veteran Israeli performer Yossi Pollak, who worked in film, television, theater, and directing, has died after a career spanning more than four decades.

Actor and director Yossi Pollak died at the age of 81 after a career spanning more than four decades in Israeli theater, film and television, as well as in directing.

Pollak, born in 1945, began his professional career in the early 1970s. Over the years, he performed at Habima, the Cameri Theatre, the Haifa Theatre, Beit Lessin Theatre and the Khan Theatre.

In theater, Pollak took part in numerous productions and, as a director, staged works including “Endgame,” “Orphans,” “Othello,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “Of Mice and Men.”

A career spanning stage, film and television

Among the films in which he appeared were “The Thousand Wives of Naftali Siman Tov,” “The Silver Platter,” “Shuf Al HaPartzuf” and “A Place in Heaven.”

His notable stage roles included performances in “Othello,” “Uncle Vanya,” “King Lear,” “Of Mice and Men,” “The Story of a Horse,” “The Bent” and “I’m Not Rappaport,” for which he won Actor of the Year.

More than a decade ago, Pollak announced his retirement from acting. In an interview at the time with Walla Culture, he said: “I have already fulfilled all my dreams.”

Following news of his death, the Habima Theatre said: “The National Habima Theatre bows its head and mourns the passing of actor and creator Yossi Pollak, one of the leading actors of the theater who left a mark on the world of culture in Israel. We share in the family’s grief and send our condolences.”