Film and televisionיוסף אבו ורד

Yussuf Abu Warda

Yussuf Abu Warda is an Arab-Israeli actor of theater, film and television who founded and ran the Al-Midan Theater in Haifa.

born 1953Founding Al-Midan Theater in HaifaRoles in Amos Gitai filmsAmram in The Arbitrator

Born: 19 August 1953, Jish
Occupation: actor
Education: Beit Zvi

Yussuf Abu Warda was born in 1953 in Jish

Abu Warda was born on August 19, 1953, in the Galilee village of Jish, to a Maronite Christian Arab family. He was the eldest of 5 siblings, and his father was among those displaced from Kafr Bir'im. When he was 5, the family moved to Acre.

He studied at boarding schools in Nazareth and Kafr Yasif. He later studied acting with Nola Chilton and then at the Beit Zvi acting school in Ramat Gan.

In 1975 he joined the Beersheba Theater, and later acted with the Haifa Municipal Theater and Habima. He founded and directed the Al-Midan Arab Theater in Haifa from 1995 to 1998. He also directed a play by the writer Emile Habibi.

On screen he appeared in films such as Kadosh and Kedma, and was nominated for an Ophir Award for Kedma. From 2007 he played Amram in the series The Arbitrator, and in 2020 he appeared in Fauda. He is a member of the Israeli Council for Culture and Arts.

In October 2018 he received a life achievement award from the Union of Israeli Performing Artists.

Yussuf Abu Warda's life in 10 milestones

1953
Born in Jish in the Galilee.
1975
Joined the Beersheba Theater.
1984
Acted in Judd Ne'eman's film The Silver Platter.
1995
Founded the Al-Midan Arab Theater in Haifa.
1999
Played Rabbi Shimon in Amos Gitai's film Kadosh.
2002
Played Yussuf in Kedma and was nominated for an Ophir Award.
2007
Began playing Amram in the series The Arbitrator.
2018
Received a life achievement award from the Union of Israeli Performing Artists.
2019
Played a lead role in The Dead of Jaffa.
2020
Appeared in the series Fauda.