Lior Raz

Raz was born and raised in Ma'ale Adumim, an Israeli city of 40,000 inhabitants in the West Bank, seven kilometres (4.3 mi) from Jerusalem. His Mizrahi Jewish parents fled to Israel from Iraq and Algeria.^[4][5] His father served in Israel in Shayetet 13 and in Shin Bet before later running a plant nursery.^[4][6] His mother is a teacher.^[4] His native language is Hebrew, although Raz grew up also speaking Arabic with his father and grandmother at home, and with some Palestinian workers, who were his playmates, at his father's plant nursery.^[6][5][4]

After Raz graduated from high school at the age of 18, he enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces and became a commando in the elite undercover counter-terrorism unit known as Sayeret Duvdevan.^[6][4] He also served in the Duvdevan Unit in the reserves for 20 years.^[6]

For three years, until Raz was 19, he had a girlfriend named Iris Azulai.^[6][4] In October 1990, a Palestinian Arab stabbed and killed Iris Azulai to death with a 15-inch knife in Jerusalem.^[6][4] The man who killed her was later released from prison in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange in which 1,027 prisoners were released in order to obtain the release from captivity of the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held prisoner by Hamas for five years.^[6][4]

In 1993, after his military service, Raz moved to the United States, and was hired by a security contracting firm as Arnold Schwarzenegger's bodyguard.^[5] In an interview with Israel Hayom he said: “the company turned to me since they knew my military background, for me it was the most glamorous thing, to be the watchdog of Schwarzenegger and his wife".^[7]

When Raz returned to Israel at age 24, he studied at Nissan Nativ Drama School in Tel Aviv.^[5]

In his early acting years, Raz acted in various plays, such as Don Juan at Gesher Theater, Macbeth and The Teenagers. He also played small roles on Israeli TV series. In 2004, he played a police investigator in Michaela, and 'referee Ben Shabat' in Adumot. In 2005 he appeared as Shimi in his first feature film Gotta Be Happy. In 2008 he appeared in television drama Srugim as Yisrael, and a year later in comedy-drama Mesudarim as a Shin Bet agent, and as Maor in Noah's Ark^{[clarification needed]}.^[5] In 2011 he played a police unit commander in Nadav Lapid's drama film Policeman, and as Asa'el in the political drama Prime Minister's Children alongside Rami Heuberger.^[5]

In 2012, Raz portrayed Nissan Title in yes psychological thriller spying-drama The Gordin Cell, and appeared in the film The World is Funny as Barak.^[5] In 2013, he played the role of the police commander in the fourth season of the crime drama series The Arbitrator, and in 2014 appeared in the film The Kindergarten Teacher.

In 2014, he created with Haaretz journalist Avi Issacharoff the critically acclaimed political thriller television series Fauda, in which Raz stars as Doron Kabilio, the commander of an undercover counter-terrorism Mista'arvim unit.^[5] In 2016, the show won six awards, including Best Drama Series, at the Israeli Academy Awards.^[8] In December 2017, The New York Times voted Fauda the best international show of 2017.^[9] In 2018, the show won 11 Israeli TV Academy Awards, including best TV drama, best actor for Raz, and best screenplay, casting, cinematography, recording, and special effects.^[10]

In 2018, Raz played a Magdala community leader in the film Mary Magdalene, written by Helen Edmundson.^[11] The same year, he appeared in Operation Finale, playing Isser Harel, the Director of the Mossad (Israel's intelligence agency).^[5]

In August 2021, Netflix released a new series named Hit & Run which stars Raz. The show was co-created by Raz, Avi Issacharof, Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin.^[12]

Fauda production company, Faraway Road Productions, was also co-founded by Raz and Issacharoff, then, in 2022, was acquired by Candle Media, with continued involvement from both partners.^[13][14]

In 2023, he and Fauda co-creator Avi Issacharoff created Ghosts of Beirut, a four-part spy drama that revisits the true-life manhunt for Imad Mughniyeh, which streamed on Showtime starting 19 May and made its on-air debut on 21 May.^[15]

In the same year he began starring alongside Rotem Sela and Yehuda Levi in A Body That Works, a surrogacy drama series on Keshet 12. The series was a major success in Israel, and was the highest rated drama of 2023 in the country. It was released internationally by Netflix.^[16][17]

In 2024 Raz stars alongside Sela and Zohar Strauss in the Israeli drama film, Soda by Erez Tadmor. It is based on the story of Tadmor's grandfather, a Jewish partisan during the Second World War and his subsequent post-war life in Israel.^[18] He has also appeared in Gladiator II, playing the role of Viggo in the big-budget film.^[19]

Raz is married to Israeli actress Meital Berdah, and they have four children. They reside in Ramat Hasharon, Israel.^[4][20][21]