Jewish actors in hollywood

Hollywood has boasted a strong Jewish presence since its earliest days, due to the mass migration of European Jewry to America during the early twentieth century.

By the 1930s, six out of eight major Hollywood studios were owned and managed by Jews, and although many were secular and had distanced themselves from religious lifestyles, they still were often unashamedly Jewish.

Jewish Hollywood in the twentieth century has been described as being very socially Jewish, if not culturally. Jewish people in Hollywood often formed their own social circles, separate from the wider groups of colleagues and associates.

Some of the most notable Hollywood Jews from the last century include Marilyn Monroe, Lenny Bruce, and Groucho Marx.

Today, Hollywood has as strong a Jewish presence as ever, with many Jews who even speak openly about their Jewish identities, such as Beanie Feldstein, Ben Platt, and Mayim Bialik.

Jewish actor Lizzy Caplan discovers her family's unknown Holocaust story in 'Finding Your Roots'

In Tuesday’s episode of the PBS celebrity genealogy series “Finding Your Roots,” Caplan learns that one of her ancestors survived four camps - and that his wife and baby were murdered.

JANUARY 27, 2026|ByJACKIE HAJDENBERG/JTA

Actor Lizzy Caplan appears on an episode of PBS' "Finding Your Roots."

Hollywood star chosen as an ambassador for the Kérastase hair brand

American actress Sidney Sweeney, known for her roles in "The White Lotus" and "Euphoria", chosen as global ambassador for luxury hair brand Kérastase.

FEBRUARY 20, 2024|ByLEE SIVILIA

Alex Borstein, left, and Rachel Brosnahan in a scene from Season 3 of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

‘Mrs. Maisel,’ ‘Fleishman,’ Natasha Lyonne among Jewish nominees at strike-delayed Emmys

The awards come in a new context for show business and the Jewish world: one in which parts of Hollywood are wearing pins in support of Israeli hostages while the other criticizes Israel.

JANUARY 12, 2024|ByANDREW LAPIN/JTA

Cast member Josh Peck poses at a screening of the movie "Ice Age: Collision Course" at the Fox Studios Lot in Los Angeles, California, US, July 16, 2016.

Jewish actor Josh Peck wraps tefillin on Instagram in act of solidarity

The former child-star said he had not engaged in the religious and cultural tradition of wrapping tefillin since he was 13.

OCTOBER 29, 2023|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Ed Asner plays Holocaust survivor in film being released 2 years after his death

In “Tiger Within,” Asner plays a Holocaust survivor who becomes the unlikely friend of a homeless teenager who was raised by a Holocaust denier.

JULY 4, 2023ByJACKIE HAJDENBERG/JTA

Ed Asner speaking at the 2012 Phoenix Comicon in Phoenix, Arizona.

Alan Arkin, Jewish actor with uncommon versatility, dies at 89

Academy Award and Tony Award-winning actor, Alan Arkin, died on Thursday at age 89.

JUNE 30, 2023ByANDREW SILOW-CARROLL / JTA

Cast member Arkin attends the premiere for the television series "The Kominsky Method" in Los Angeles.

‘My Happy Ending’ tells a story of life and death - review

Playing a has-been Hollywood star quietly seeking treatment for cancer in an English hospital, Andie MacDowell radiates energy, fear, ego and even humor in her most interesting role since 1989.

JUNE 1, 2023ByHANNAH BROWN

ANDIE MacDOWELL (second from left) with the cast of ‘My Happy Ending.’

The other side of Richard Belzer - the mensch

The writer shows the other side of Jewish actor and comedian, Richard Belzer.

FEBRUARY 22, 2023ByDIANE NEAL

DIANE NEAL and Richard Belzer

David Schwimmer condemns the rise of antisemitism, criticizes Kanye West

David Schwimmer joins the other Hollywood celebrities in calling out Kanye West's antisemitism in a new Instagram post.

OCTOBER 11, 2022ByNOA FEIGENBAUM

David Schwimmer

30 years ago, Brendan Fraser & Matt Damon starred in ‘School Ties’ — a cult classic on antisemitism

Among actors Brendan Fraser and Matt Damon's first roles are one of the few mainstream Hollywood films to focus on antisemitism at non-Jewish schools.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2022BySTEPHEN SILVER/JTA

From left: Brendan Fraser, Randall Batinkoff, Matt Damon and Andrew Lowery at the Los Angeles premiere of the film, Sept. 11, 1992.

Adam Sandler dreams more than anything of coming to Israel

“Well, I haven’t been to Israel and I’m the Zohan, for God’s sake. I’m excited to get there,” said Adam Sandler in an interview to AARP.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022ByGABE FRIEDMAN/JTA

Adam Sandler is seen on the set of Netflix feature film, "Hustle" in Philadelphia, Aug. 27, 2021.

Shira Haas to play Israeli superheroine Sabra in MCU's Captain America 4

Shira Haas playing the role of Jewish Israeli superhero Sabra in the MCU's "Captain America: New World Order," set to be released on May 3, 2024.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2022ByGADI ZAIG

Left: Marvel superhero Sabra as she appears in the comics. RIGHT: Israeli actress Shira Haas

Mayim Bialik on Zionism, religion and being a director

I mentioned that I knew she receives many interview requests and I thanked her for agreeing to this one. “I look at two news sites every day: CNN and The Jerusalem Post,” she said.

MAY 5, 2022ByHANNAH BROWN

‘I DO tend to revolve in progressive and Modern Orthodox kinds of circles but the issue of Israel is a complicated one and likely will remain so.’

Jewish sensitivity in publishing and Hollywood

You don’t need to imagine the outcry that would occur today if the character of Rosa Parks were played by a white actress.

MARCH 3, 2022ByFERN REISS

A SCENE from ‘A Stranger Among Us,’ starring Melanie Griffith.