Biography
Who is Mira Awad?
Early life and education
Mira Awad was born in Rameh, Israel. Her father, Anwar Awad, is an Arab-Christian physician from the Galilee, and her mother, Snezhanka, is a Bulgarian-Christian expert on Slavic languages. The two met while Anwar was studying medicine in Bulgaria.
As a teenager, Mira Awad developed her musical skills early, performing as a soloist for the band Samana at age 16. This group focused on Western rock music performed in Arabic. Later, she pursued formal musical training at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Ramat HaSharon, Israel. She also participated in workshops organized by the British Council and the BIArts program, and she attended the Body Theatre School after receiving a scholarship from the America-Israel Culture Foundation.
Acting and musical career
Mira Awad built a diverse career across music and television. She became well-known to Israeli audiences through her role in the sitcom Arab Labor, where she played the character Amal. Her film work includes appearing in The Bubble, directed by Eytan Fox, and singing theme songs for films such as Forgiveness and Lemon Tree.
Her theater credits include performing as Eliza Doolittle in the Israeli Opera production of My Fair Lady at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center. In 2006, she appeared as an IDF soldier in a musical adaptation of the novel Another Place, a Foreign City. Also, she participated in the Israeli version of Dancing with the Stars, reaching the semi-final stage. She also performed with the heavy metal band Orphaned Land on their 2013 album All Is One.
Eurovision and collaborative work
In 2009, Mira Awad represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest alongside the Jewish-Israeli singer Noa. They performed the song There Must Be Another Way, which featured partial Arabic lyrics. This marked a historic moment as she was the first singer of Arab or Christian origin to represent Israel at the competition. The duo finished in 16th place in the final. They also released a collaborative album of the same name that year.
Beyond her Eurovision work, she has collaborated with various artists throughout her career. In 2002, she worked with Noa on a version of the Beatles song We Can Work It Out and appeared on an album by Greek singer George Dalaras. In 2005, she collaborated with The Idan Raichel Project on the track Azini. She released her debut solo album, Acrobat, in June 2009, which she composed and wrote in collaboration with Israeli guitarist Amos Ever-Hadani.
Political activism and personal life
Mira Awad is active in political and social spheres. During the 2008 municipal elections in Tel Aviv-Yafo, she ran as a candidate for the Ir LeKulanu party. She has also publicly voiced support for the Hadash party. In 2009, she and Noa received the Haviva Reik Peace Prize for their commitment to dialogue between Arabs and Jews.
She identifies as both Palestinian and Israeli. Her personal life has included living in Tel Aviv with her husband, Kosta Mogilevych, before the couple moved to London in the summer of 2022. She continues to engage with contemporary issues, including public commentary on the Gaza war.
Birthday and age
Mira Awad was born on June 11, 1975, which makes Mira 51 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. Mira shares the date with 27 other famous people.
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