George Ovadiah

George Ovadiah was born in 1920 in Baghdad

George Ovadiah was born in Baghdad, Iraq, to a wealthy family of timber merchants. He studied at the American school in the city. He then began buying and distributing films and bought 2 movie theaters, which the government seized after Israel was founded.

In 1949 his family moved to Israel and he moved to Iran. From 1950 to 1964 he worked in Iranian cinema as a director and actor and directed 23 films. In 1967 he directed an Iranian-Israeli coproduction.

He settled in Israel in 1970 and directed 13 films there, mostly melodramas and comedies in the Bourekas genre. Some drew large audiences, such as Nurit, while critics of the time attacked his work. His later films, Nurit 2 in 1983 and The Aunt from Argentina in 1984, did poorly at the box office.

He died on 27 June 1996 and was buried in Yarkon Cemetery. He left 2 daughters and a son. In later years his films became cult films and drew academic study.