Sasson Gabai

Sasson Gabai was born in 1947 in Baghdad

Gabai was born in Baghdad in 1947, the younger son of Moshe and Amira Gabai. His older brother was the diplomat Zvi Gabai. In 1951 the family came to Israel in Operation Ezra and Nehemiah and settled in Haifa.

He did his military service in the Military Police. He then studied theater and psychology at Tel Aviv University.

He began acting at the Khan Theater with the group of Michael Alfreds. Later he appeared at Habima, the Cameri, the Be'er Sheva Theater and Beit Lessin, where he is a permanent company member. He played Captain Hook in Peter Pan in 1988 and 1989.

On screen he won an Ophir Award for Time for Cherries and appeared in Rambo III. His role in The Band's Visit won him an Ophir Award and a European Film Award, and he later played the part on Broadway in 2018. He led the series Polishuk and played Nuchem in Shtisel.

He won further Ophir Awards for Gett in 2014 and Karaoke in 2021. He lives in Tel Aviv, is married to writer Dafna Helef and has five children, among them actor Adam Gabai.