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.

The loud, the quiet, and the hateful: Inside Hollywood's war over Israel

As Hollywood turns on Israel, some stars speak up, while claims of a pro-Israel blacklist collide with reality

SEPTEMBER 28, 2026|ByHANNAH BROWN

Lawrence Bender, pictured here with Israeli actress Rotem Sela, producer of ‘Red Alert,’ is among other Hollywood figures involved with The Brigade, a group formed by Jewish entertainment figures and allies, who have challenged antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment within the industry.

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

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

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

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.

Bob Saget passed away from trauma to the head, family shares

A statement explained that they "felt it only proper that the fans hear those conclusions directly from us."

FEBRUARY 10, 2022ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Actor Bob Saget arrives at the 2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California, US, February 25, 2017.

Noa Tishby’s guide to Israel - book review

Israeli expat Noa Tishby seeks to set straight her fellow secular liberals in Hollywood and on college campuses when it comes to her natal land.

JUNE 10, 2021ByBRANDON MARLON

Noa Tishby holds a copy of her new book at a launch event in Los Angeles in April

Before Helen Mirren, here are 7 actors who played Israeli prime ministers

It won’t be the first time that Meir has been portrayed in a big production. But Israeli prime ministers beyond Meir haven’t exactly hogged screen time in Hollywood productions over the years.

APRIL 10, 2021ByGABE FRIEDMAN/JTA

Helen Mirren

‘Donny’s Bar Mitzvah’ wants to be the raunchiest Jewish movie ever

“Donny’s Bar Mitzvah,” which is also having a theatrical release in New York City on Friday, is mostly an homage to the comedy cinema of the 1990s.

MARCH 26, 2021BySTEPHEN SILVER/JTA

Steele Robbins as Donny in "Donny's Bar Mitzvah."

Five notable Jewish, Israeli nominees for 2021 Oscars

“Mank,” the black-and-white Netflix film about Jewish screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, earned 10 Oscar nods, including for best picture, making up nearly half of Netflix’s total nominations.

MARCH 16, 2021ByEMILY BURACK/JTA

Sacha Baron Cohen poses for a photoshoot for the sequel to his 'Borat' film that was released on Oct. 23, 2020.

25 years after 'Casino': a primer on some of Hollywood's Jewish gangsters

The film's protagonist is based on Frank Rosenthal, a real Jewish gambling expert from Chicago who had ties to the Chicago Outfit and eventually headed to Vegas to run casinos for them.

NOVEMBER 28, 2020BySTEPHEN SILVER/JTA

Robert De Niro as Ace Rothstein in a scene from the 1995 film "Casino."

‘Dirty Dancing’ sequel starring Jennifer Grey announced

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer confirmed the news on Thursday.

AUGUST 8, 2020ByGABE FRIEDMAN/JTA

Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in a scene from the 1987 film "Dirty Dancing."

Carl Reiner, American Jewish comedy legend dies at 98

Reiner, whose career began before World War II and continued to his last moments, set the standard for the Jewish-inflected humor that reshaped Hollywood and influenced all of American society.

JULY 1, 2020ByHANNAH BROWN

Actor Carl Reiner, June 26, 2012

First image of Seth Rogen as Jewish pickle maker is historically accurate

The Seth Rogen Jewish immigrant pickle movie is still happening, and we now have some striking photo evidence.

APRIL 29, 2020ByGABE FRIEDMAN/JTA

Seth Rogen