If you have a Netflix account, you have most likely heard about the hit TV show “Fauda.” What you may not know is that the show’s cocreator and lead star, Lior Raz, is not only a skilled actor and screenwriter.
Raz is a man of many talents. He’s been through so much in his 52 years on Earth, it’s enough to write an enthralling script about.
Here is ISRAEL21c’s list of 14 things you probably didn’t know about Lior Raz.
- Arab roots “In ‘Fauda,’ Raz’s character, Doron, often dialogues in Arabic as an undercover operative. Raz didn’t have to learn the language specifically for the role. In fact, he grew up speaking Arabic at home. Both his parents are Mizrachi (Eastern/African) Jews. His mother immigrated to Israel from Algeria, while his father made aliyah from Iraq.”
- Tragic love “In 1990, when Raz was 19, his girlfriend of three years, Iris Azulay, was stabbed to death by a Palestinian terrorist in Jerusalem. The murderer was released in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas that saw soldier Gilat Shalit released from a five-year captivity in Gaza.”
- Military service “That personal tragedy may have played a part in Raz becoming a commando in the elite undercover counter-terrorism unit, Sayeret Duvdevan, during his IDF service.”
- Terminator’s bodyguard “After completing his military service in 1993, Raz was hired by a security contracting firm to be the bodyguard of Hollywood’s biggest star at the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger.”
- Theater past “Inspired by his time with Schwarzenegger, Raz returned to Israel in 1995 and enrolled in the Nissan Nativ Acting Studio in Tel Aviv. He went on to act in a number of famed theater productions, including Molière’s ‘Don Juan’ and William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth.'”
- When life imitates art “After years of working as an actor in theater and television, in 2014 Raz cocreated ‘Fauda’ with a veteran Israeli journalist Avi Issacharoff, who specializes in Palestinian affairs.”
- The October 7 attacks “In June, it was announced that Raz and Issacharoff were tapped by Leviathan Productions to write a script for a film that would detail the events of the October 7 Hamas attacks, in which over 1,200 people were killed, and more than 300 were taken hostage.”
- Reserve duty “The age of mandatory military reservist duty in Israel clocks off at 46, depending on which unit you serve in. Raz, at 52, is no longer required to serve in the reserves. Yet following the October 7 attacks, Raz enlisted as a volunteer, joining the ‘Brothers in Arms,’ an alliance of reservists who originally formed to oppose the government’s judicial reform plan, and then helped families near the Gaza border.”
- ‘Fauda’ is not where it all began “In an interview a year ago, Raz said that ‘Fauda’ was not the first show he had created. In fact, he wrote an unspecified number of scripts and pitches in the past, which all failed.”
- Tattoo aficionado “Raz is a big fan of body art, boasting 30 tattoos on various parts of his body. Among them are an image of a Samurai and the birthdate of his murdered girlfriend.”
- PTSD “Raz has admitted to suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder following his intense military service.”
- Acting runs in the family “Raz’s wife, Meital Berdah, is also an actress. The two starred together in several projects, including TV shows ‘Fauda’ and ‘Hit & Run,’ which is also available on Netflix and was cocreated by Raz.”
- Big in Arabia “Thanks to his involvement with ‘Fauda,’ Raz has accumulated a large following on social media, including many followers from the Arab world.”
- He’s a Gladiator “Raz is starring in the highly anticipated Ridley Scott sequel to 2000 award-winning film ‘Gladiator,’ which propelled the career of actor Russell Crowe. ‘Gladiator II’ picks up years after the original film and is set to be released worldwide on November 22.
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