Yussuf Abu Warda

Yussuf Abu Warda — Biography

Yussuf Abu-Warda is an Arab-Israeli stage, film and television actor of Palestinian heritage. Working in both Hebrew and Arabic, he is a familiar face in the films of Amos Gitaï, and in 1999 he took over the direction of Al-Midan Theater in Haifa.

Born in the village of Jish, he moved with his family to Acre at the age of five and trained at the Beit Zvi theatre school. One of his first important screen roles was Bacem in Michel Khleifi's Wedding in Galilee (1987). In the 1990s and 2000s he worked often with Gitaï: Yom Yom, Kadosh (as Rav Shimon), Kedma, Promised Land (as Yussuf) and Disengagement came out of that collaboration. He also appeared in Eran Riklis's Cup Final (1991), playing George, was Saleh in For My Father (2008), and played Amram in the series Ha-Borer.

Among the works that reached international audiences are Nabeel Halaby in Cherien Dabis's Amreeka (2009) and Khalil in Hiam Abbass's The Inheritance (2012). Later credits include Ana Arabia, 3000 Nights, Holy Air, The Dead of Jaffa and No Name Restaurant (2022). He is a member of the Israeli Council for Culture and Art, and in October 2018 he received a lifetime achievement award from the Union of Israeli Performing Artists.