Jacques Cohen (Hebrew: ×–'× ×§ ×›×"ן‎; October 13, 1930 â€"
December 1, 2016) was an Israeli actor.Cohen, who was born in
Alexandria, Egypt, moved to Mandatory Palestine (present-day Israel)
with his parents when he was just 5 years old. The family settled in
Jerusalem, where Cohen became an actor during his 20s. Cohen first
came to prominence with the amateur Circle Theater, in English, in
Jerusalem, directed by Phillip Diskin. He played the lead in Jarry’s
‘Ubu Roi†for a year, 1965-1966. This was the first full length
production to appear on the stage of the Tzavta Club in Tel-Aviv. He
also performed the one-man play “Krapp’s Last Tape†by Samuel
Beckett.Cohen was best known for his starring role as Abu Rami, an
Arab Israeli restaurant owner, on the sitcom HaMis'ada HaGdola, from
1985 until 1988. The show, which aired for three seasons, was created
to appeal to both Jewish and non-Jewish television viewers in the
surrounding region. Cohen, who was already an accomplished stage and
television actor before HaMis'ada HaGdola, became so identified with
his iconic role of Abu Rahmi that he later became a spokesperson for a
major brand of hummus. Cohen spoke fluent Arabic and Hebrew, allowing
him to play characters in both languages.Cohen spoke Hebrew without an
accent. The dialogue for his best known role as restaurateur Abu Rahmi
on HaMis'ada HaGdola was mostly in Arabic, but also required lines in
Hebrew, as well as other languages, including Japanese and Yiddish.
December 1, 2016) was an Israeli actor.Cohen, who was born in
Alexandria, Egypt, moved to Mandatory Palestine (present-day Israel)
with his parents when he was just 5 years old. The family settled in
Jerusalem, where Cohen became an actor during his 20s. Cohen first
came to prominence with the amateur Circle Theater, in English, in
Jerusalem, directed by Phillip Diskin. He played the lead in Jarry’s
‘Ubu Roi†for a year, 1965-1966. This was the first full length
production to appear on the stage of the Tzavta Club in Tel-Aviv. He
also performed the one-man play “Krapp’s Last Tape†by Samuel
Beckett.Cohen was best known for his starring role as Abu Rami, an
Arab Israeli restaurant owner, on the sitcom HaMis'ada HaGdola, from
1985 until 1988. The show, which aired for three seasons, was created
to appeal to both Jewish and non-Jewish television viewers in the
surrounding region. Cohen, who was already an accomplished stage and
television actor before HaMis'ada HaGdola, became so identified with
his iconic role of Abu Rahmi that he later became a spokesperson for a
major brand of hummus. Cohen spoke fluent Arabic and Hebrew, allowing
him to play characters in both languages.Cohen spoke Hebrew without an
accent. The dialogue for his best known role as restaurateur Abu Rahmi
on HaMis'ada HaGdola was mostly in Arabic, but also required lines in
Hebrew, as well as other languages, including Japanese and Yiddish.
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