Nissan Nativ

Nissan Nativ (Hebrew: ניסן נתיב) (originally Notovich;[1] 1922 – 20 April 2008) was an influential Israeli director, actor and acting teacher.[2]

Biography

Nativ was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 1922 and first moved to Mandate Palestine in 1937.[2] He joined the Jewish Brigade during World War II and served in the Armor Corps. He was a commander during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.[2] After the war, Nativ enrolled at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[2]

Nativ moved from Israel to Paris where he studied mime.[2] He worked as an Israeli theatre director and at Israel Radio when he returned from France.[2]

Nativ founded the Nissan Nativ School of Acting in 1963.[2] The renowned acting school holds classes in both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.[2] Many of Israel's best known actors, such as Keren Mor, Tiki Dayan and Moshe Ivgi are alumni of Nativ's school.[2] Despite its success the school has suffered from financial difficulties during the 1990s and 2000s, which nearly forced it to close.[2]

The Israel Prize committee decided to confer the Israel Prize, for theatre, on Nativ in 2008 citing his contributions to Israeli theatre and culture.[2][3][4] The committee stated in its opinion that "You cannot imagine Israeli theater without Nissan Nativ."[2] It also cited Nativ's training of generations of Israeli actors and directors through his Nissan Nativ School of Acting.[2]

Nativ died before he could receive the Israel Prize in person.[2] He was found dead of an apparent heart attack in his apartment in Tel Aviv at the age of 86 on 20 April 2008.[2]

See also

References

External links