Film and televisionנורמאן עיסא

Nourman Issa

Norman Issa is an Arab-Israeli actor and director in theater, film and television, known for starring in the sitcom Arab Labor.

born 1967Lead role in Arab LaborFounding the Elmina TheaterThe 90 Minute War

Born: 17 June 1967, Haifa
Occupation: actor, stage actor, television actor, producer
Education: Beit Zvi

Nourman Issa was born in 1967 in Haifa

Norman Issa was born on 17 June 1967 in Haifa and grew up there in a Maronite Christian Arab family. His father was born in the village of Bir'im and his mother in the village of Jish.

He earned an insurance agent certificate but did not work in the field. He then studied acting at the Beit Zvi school in Ramat Gan.

Issa has acted and directed at Habima, the Haifa Theatre, the Cameri, the Beersheba Theatre and the Arab-Hebrew Theater in Jaffa, with roles in several Shakespeare plays. He played the lead in the sitcom Arab Labor, created by Sayed Kashua. His films include The Syrian Bride, My Lovely Sister and The 90 Minute War.

In 2012 he and his wife, playwright Gidona Raz, founded the multicultural Elmina Theater in Jaffa, where they live with their 3 sons. In 2015 he refused to perform in a settlement in the Jordan Valley, and Culture Minister Miri Regev threatened to cut government funding to his theater.

Nourman Issa's life in 8 milestones

1967
Born in Haifa.
1995
Made his film debut in Ronnie Ninio's Actors.
2004
Played a Syrian officer in The Syrian Bride.
2012
Won an Israeli Television Academy Award for Arab Labor.
2012
Founded the Elmina Theater in Jaffa with Gidona Raz.
2013
Appointed artistic director of the Haifa International Children's Theater Festival.
2015
Won the Ophir Award for Best Supporting Actor for The 90 Minute War.
2016
Played the lead role of Otto Quangel in Alone in Berlin at Habima.