Albert Cohen

Albert Cohen was born in 1932 in Sofia

Albert Cohen was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 9 June 1932, to a Jewish family. He studied at a music and drama academy in Sofia and acted at the city's National Theatre as a child.

He immigrated to Israel in 1949 and joined the IDF, first serving in the armored corps. He then co-founded the Southern Command Band, where he acted, sang and played the accordion. After leaving the army he joined a satirical theatre group.

He acted at the Cameri Theatre from 1966 until his death, in plays such as The Comedy of Errors and Les Misérables. He also directed plays based on works by Chekhov. His films included Sallah Shabati in 1964 and Blaumilch Canal in 1969.

He dubbed many characters into Hebrew, including roles in Sesame Street, Dumbledore in Harry Potter and Merlin in The Sword in the Stone. He often worked on dubbing with his son Sharon.

He lived in Ramat Gan from 1960 and married twice. His first wife, pianist Ruth Mense, died in 1988. He died on 11 October 2025.