Ronit Elkabetz (Hebrew: רונית אלקבץ, Arabic: رونيت القبص, November 27, 1964 – April 19, 2016) was an Israeli actress, screenwriter and director of Moroccan descent. She worked in both Israeli and French cinema (she was fluent in French language) and won three Ophir Awards, with a total of seven nominations over her career.
She specialized in the roles of women who are confronted to various psychological, emotional and social hurdles in contemporary Israeli society. Her younger brother Shlomi became a director whom she worked with on a film trilogy in which she starred as the main character, Viviane Amsalem, a woman who struggles to overcome her difficulties (couple problems, sexism and religious pressure, mostly) and obtain divorce following her Arranged Marriage with a man she doesn't love.
She passed away from lung cancer on April 19, 2016 at the age of 51.
Notable works:
- Florentine (TV series)
- Sh'Chur
- Origine contrôlée (US title: Made in France)
- Metamorphosis of a Melody
- Late Marriage
- Or (My Treasure)
- The Band's Visit
- The Viviane Amsalem trilogy:
- To Take a Wife
- Shiva (also called Seven Days)
- Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
- The Girl on the Train
- Zion and His Brother
- Mabul
- Les Mains libres
- Zarafa
- Trepalium (TV series)
