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Liraz Charhi

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Liraz Charhi
לירז צ'רכי‎
Liraz Charhi in 2015
Liraz Charhi in 2015
Background information
BornRamla, Israel
OriginIran, Israel
GenresIsraeli Hebrew music, Iranian music[1]
Occupation(s)Singer, actress
InstrumentVocals
Years active2004–present
Charhi in 2017 in Paris

Liraz Charhi (Hebrew: לירז צ'רכי) is an Iranian-Israeli actress, singer, and dancer. She is the niece of singer Rita Jahan-Farouz.

Early life and education

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Liraz Charhi was born in Ramla, Israel, to an Iranian Jewish family.[2]

Charhi began singing and performing at the age of 6,[3] and made her debut as stage actress at the Habima National Theatre, where she worked professionally from age 11 to 14; then she studied at the Beit Zvi Stage Arts School.[4]

She was enlisted as a soldier to the Israel Defense Forces, serving in the military band of the Education and Youth Corps, until 1999.[5]

Career

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Charhi appeared in the Israeli TV series Ha-Masa'it in 2002 and gained further attention after a nomination by the Israeli Film Academy (Ophir Award) for her role in the 2004 film Turn Left at the End of the World (Sof Ha'Olam Smola). She was invited to the Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles in 2006, and afterwards started pursuing a career in Hollywood.[6]

Charhi has since become known for her roles in the French mini TV series Revivre, and the films, Fair Game (2010)[7] and A Late Quartet (2012) in which she played the jogger and flamenco dancing girlfriend of Philip Seymour Hoffman.

As a singer she has released the singles "Od Tzohorayim" and "Al Tafsik" which have been played on radio in Israel.[4] Charhi's first album sung in Persian, Naz, was released in 2018.[8]

In November 2020, Charhi's second Persian album, titled Zan (meaning "woman"), was released on Glitterbeat Records in collaboration with Raman Loveworld and some other Iranian artists. Some artists collaborated anonymously, and some have joined the project publicly, despite the risks involved in collaborating with an Israeli artist. The first release from the album was "Injah".[8][9]

In 2020, she played Yael Kadosh, an Israeli Mossad agent in the Israeli espionage television series Tehran (Hebrew: טהרן), written by Zonder and Omri Shenhar and directed by Daniel Syrkin. The series is about the Iran–Israel proxy conflict; and it premiered in Israel on 22 June 2020 and on 25 September 2020 internationally on Apple TV+.[10]

In 2023, she was offered a role in Roland Emmerich's historical drama series, Those About to Die.[11] She ultimately had to turn the role down due to tour commitments with her music career.[12]

In June 2025, Charhi said that her international music career had faced setbacks since the October 7 attacks.[12] Three days after the attacks, most of her planned UK concerts were cancelled.[12] Her London-based record label delayed the release of her sixth studio album and asked her to take a pro-Palestine political stance on social media.[12] Charhi subsequently moved to another label.[12]

She was a songwriter for the 2025 film, Reading Lolita in Tehran, directed by Eran Riklis and based on the Iranian memoir of the same name by Azar Nafisi.[12] She also stars in the 2025 Nickelodeon adventure series, Quest.[12]

Personal life

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Charhi was married to Israeli composer and conductor Ziv "Kojo" Cojocaru from 2004 to 2010.[13] She married Israeli actor Tom Avni and they have two daughters.[5][14]

Five members of Avni's family were murdered during the Be'eri massacre amid the October 7 attacks.[12]

Discography

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Albums

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  • Naz (2018)[15]
  • Zan (November 2020)
  • Roya (October 7, 2022)

Songs / videos

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  • Zan Bezan (2019)
  • Injah (2020)
  • Bia Bia (2020)

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
2004 Turn Left at the End of the World Sarah Talkar
2010 Fair Game Dr. Zahraa
2011-2013 Sabri Maranan Canarit, Adam's date 2 episodes
2012 A Late Quartet Pilar
2015-2018 Where Do You Live? (Eifo Ata Hai?) Margo Shem Tov Main role
2018 Acre Dreams Ronit
2020 Tehran Yael Kadosh Main role
2025 Quest Liza 13 episodes
TBA The Rental 2 Agent Berenice Upcoming sequel

References

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  1. ^ "Iranian musicians help out in secret on Israeli singer's new record". TheGuardian.com. October 8, 2020.
  2. ^ "Liraz Charhi. Israeli's other Iranian Star". Iran-Israel Observer. April 27, 2013. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  3. ^ "'Tehran' star Liraz Charhi sings for women's freedom in Iran, Israel". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Her own song". Jerusalem Post. April 21, 2005. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Cornwell, Jane (February 10, 2021). "Liraz interview - I refuse to be silenced like women in Iran who see my videos and tell me "thank-you!"". Songlines. London: Mark Allen Group. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  6. ^ Pfefferman, Naomi (November 4, 2010). "Israeli Actress Liraz Charhi in "Fair Game" [VIDEO]". Jewish Journal. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  7. ^ Milne, Jeff (July 20, 2009). Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon: The Complete Guide to the Movie Trivia Game. Jeff Milne. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-615-28521-4.
  8. ^ a b Nash, Indiana (August 18, 2021). "Israeli-Iranian musician Liraz took time to discover her roots". The Daily Gazette. Schenectady, NY. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  9. ^ Oliver Holmes (October 8, 2020). "Iranian musicians help up in secret on Israeli singer's new record". Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  10. ^ "Production begins on timely and gripping new Israeli drama series TEHRAN – Cineflix". cineflix.com. October 28, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  11. ^ Vivarelli, Nick (21 March 2023). Roland Emmerich Gladiator Series ‘Those About to Die’ Starts Shooting at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios, New Cast Announced Variety. Retrieved on 30 June 2025
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Merlin-Rozhenzwaig, Orit (29 June 2025). 'Tehran' star: 'I was told to post "Free Palestine." I refused' YNet. Retrieved on 30 June 2025
  13. ^ "Ziv Kojo". Omnilexica.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  14. ^ "Liraz Charhi is singing for her sisters". www.thejc.com. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  15. ^ Honigmann, David (November 6, 2020). "Liraz: Zan — a secret Israeli-Iranian musical collaboration". www.ft.com. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
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