Makram Khoury

Makram Khoury — Biography

Makram Khoury was born on 30 May 1945 in Jerusalem to a Christian Palestinian family. His father Jamil served as a magistrate under the British mandate; after the 1948 war the family fled briefly to Lebanon before returning and settling first in Acre and later in the Galilee village of Kafr Yasif. He began university studies in Jerusalem but left them for the stage, training in London before joining the resident company of the Haifa theatre. After years performing across Israel's major playhouses, he moved into film and television work in both Hebrew and Arabic by the close of the 1970s. In 1987 he became the youngest performer and the first Arab to receive the country's top civilian honour, and in 2013, on an eighth try, he also took home a leading national film prize. His screen credits include playing Tariq Aziz in House of Saddam and roles in Munich, Free Zone, The Syrian Bride and Wedding in Galilee. His daughter Clara Khoury has likewise built a career as an actress.