Clara Khoury (Arabic: كلارا خوري, Hebrew: קלרה ח'ורי; born 29 December 1976) is an American actress of Palestinian origins. She works in film,[1] television and theater. She grew up in Haifa, and now lives in California, US.

Clara Khoury
Born (1976-12-29) 29 December 1976 (age 47)
Haifa, Israel
OccupationActress
Years active1998–present
Websitewww.clarakhoury.com

Biography

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Clara Khoury is a Palestinian American actress born in Haifa, Israel. She is the daughter of the award-winning actor Makram Khoury. Her family is Greek Orthodox Christian.[2] She studied cinema at the Open University in Tel Aviv and drama at the Beit Zvi Acting School.

Acting career

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Khoury has worked in a variety of roles on stage including the lead in Antigone by Jean Anouih, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams and Salome by Oscar Wilde, in Arabic as well as in Hebrew and English. Her television work includes the series Parashat Hashavua, written by Ari Folman, and Arab Labor written by Sayed Kashua.

She made her big screen debut in 2002 in Rana's Wedding[3][4] by Hany Abu-Assad (director of the Oscar-nominated Paradise Now) which premiered in the International Critics' Week section at the 55th Cannes Film Festival representing Palestine.

In 2005 she gained international recognition for her role in The Syrian Bride, portraying a young Druze woman who risks losing her family by entering an arranged marriage with a Syrian national.[5] Directed by Eran Riklis (Lemon Tree) the film won the Audience Prize at the Locarno Film Festival.

Khoury starred in Lipstikka, a British / Israeli psychological drama by Jonathan Sagall, in competition at the Berlinale 2011. At the Al-Midan Arabic Theater in Haifa she starred in Juliano Mer-Khamis's adaptation of Roman Polanski's 1994 movie Death and The Maiden after the play by Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman.

Her film repertoire includes Hiam Abbas’s inheritance movie and Susan Youssef Marjoun and the Flying Headscarf and Amsterdam to Anatolia on Netflix.

Khoury starred in the acclaimed mini series Baghdad central for Chanel4 and Hulu and the series Homeland for Showtime.

Film

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Theater

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Television

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Awards and recognition

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Khoury won two Israeli Academy of Film and Television prizes for best actress as Bushra in the television sitcom Arab Labor.[2] She won the Best Actress Award for her leading role in Rana’s wedding at the Marrakech International Film Festival.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Clara Khoury IMDB (1976-)". IMDB.com. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  2. ^ a b Izikovich, Gili (20 February 2012). "Clara, the no-longer confused". Haaretz. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  3. ^ "PopMatters review of "Rana's Wedding"". popmatters.com. Archived from the original on 19 September 2003. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  4. ^ "Arab Films review of "Rana's Wedding"". arabfilm.com. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  5. ^ Felperin, Leslie (17 August 2004). "The Syrian Bride (Review)". Variety. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  6. ^ Cockrell, Eddie (13 February 2006). "Forgiveness (Review)". Variety. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
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