Mark Ivanir

Mark Alexandrovich Ivanir (Hebrew: מארק איווניר; Ukrainian: Марк Олександрович Іванір; Russian: Марк Александрович Иванир) is a Ukrainian-born Israeli actor, known for his character roles on American film and television. He is fluent in six languages, a skill often shown off in his performances.

Ivanir was born in Chernovtsi (now Chernivtsi), Ukrainian SSR. His family emigrated to Israel in 1972, and settled in the Pardes Katz neighbourhood of Bnei Brak. His father, Alexander “Sasha”, was an English teacher, and his mother, Malka, a German teacher. His maternal grandfather, Meshulem Surkis, was a Yiddish writer, journalist, actor, and theatre critic, who was a well known activist in the Yiddish cultural world. He was raised in a multilingual household; speaking Hebrew, Ukrainian, and Russian, and later learning English.

His national service in the Israeli Defense Forces saw him involved in Operation Joshua, one of two operations by the IDF to bring Ethiopian Jews from Sudanese refugee camps to Israel. After completing his service, he turned down a job offer from Mossad.[1] He briefly studied medicine, before deciding to a life in the performing arts. He completed two years in a circus school, traveled throughout Europe performing on the streets as a clown, and ended up working in the Parisian Cirque Pawelles. After leaving the circus, Mark entered into formal theatrical training under famed Israeli director Nissan Nativ, performing at the Cameri Theater and Israeli Opera.