Gideon Shemer was a stage and screen actor, director, broadcaster, and voice talent. Born in Tel Aviv, after graduating from the city’s legendary Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium high school, he joined the Haganah Jewish resistance organisation. When Israel’s 1948 War of Independence ended, Shemer left for the UK to study acting and directing. On his return, he was made the inaugural director of the Central Command Troupe (‘Lehakat Pikud Merkaz’) where he directed the hit musical comedy, Five-Five.
In 1953, whilst putting together an event marking the unification of various local authorities in Kibbutz Netzer Sireni, Shemer met his future wife, Naomi Sapir, who was the hired pianist for the event and would go on to become one of Israel’s all-time greatest composers and creators, Naomi Shemer. They married the following year and in 1962, had a daughter – Halleli (Lely), before divorcing in 1968.
Shemer performed on virtually every major theatre stage in Israel including the Cameri, Beersheba, Haifa, Zavit, Hasimta [‘the alley’], and Tmuna theatres. Highlights of his stage credits include After the Fall, My Fair Lady, Hedda Gabler. The Diary of Anne Frank, Two for the Seesaw, Yvonne, Princess of Burgundy, A Doll’s House, Measure for Measure, The Rebels, and Democracy. He also created and starred in an original stage show titled Love and Jazz that featured him reciting a variety of love songs to the sound of jazz music, performed by the Mel Keller Jazz Quartet.
Highlights of his film acting credits include The Hero’s Wife (Peter Frye, 1963), A Night in Tiberias (Hervé Bromberger, 1965), Is Tel Aviv Burning? (Kobi Jaeger, 1967), Iris (David Greenberg, 1968), The Rooster (Uri Zohar, 1971). Crazy Weekend (Ilan Moshenson, 1986), Under Western Eyes (Joseph Pitchhadze, 1996), and Walk on Water (Eytan Fox, 2004).
Highlights of his TV credits include Ramat Aviv Gimmel, Siton, Route 300 (aka Line 300), and The Champion.
