19.10.10

Israeli Famous People who look like American Famous People

I bet this has something to do with the Mosad.

If you watch Israeli TV for long enough, everyone starts to look familiar. We seem to have only about 15 actors, who get cast in every series, game show, or what have you. The same politicians trade minister slots in the government... over and over and over again. However, some of these figures look familiar not because I've seen them before, but because I've seen their American doppelgangers. Take a look:

1.  Israeli news anchor Yanun Magal (pronunciation?) and American president Barack Obama.  It's in the ears, people. And the haircut. And the skin tone. I'd like to see Obama's birth certificate for proof that he doesn't put his teleprompter skills to use on Chadashot Eser.

 
2. Israeli opposition leader Tsipi Livni and US vice president Joe Biden. As Isreallycool so astutely pointed out, these two looked like long-lost siblings on Biden's awkward trip to Israel. Or maybe there was something in the water.




3. American comedian Steve Carell and Israeli Serious Dramatic Actor Lior Ashkenazi. Seriously, these guys could play twins. My theory is that Steve Carell is secretly fed up with playing the repressed idiot all the time and moonlights in Hebrew in dramatic roles. My husband laughs at me for always calling Lior Ashkenazi "the Israeli Steve Carell"... and then for calling Steve Carell "the American version of the Israeli Steve Carell."



4. Israeli actress Maya Maron and American Comedian Sarah Silverman. Actually, considering they're both Jewish, these two actually could be cousins. From the shoulders up, this is also pretty much exactly what I looked like when I was twelve.



5. Israeli "model and actress" Orit Fox and American "model and actress" Pamela Anderson. Ok, so Orit Fox is actually a terrifying premonition of what Pamela Anderson is going to look like 20 plastic surgeries down the road, but still-- isn't the resemblance kind of striking? I love how they are both attempting to give the same sexyface in the picture above. Or maybe Orit Fox is trying to smile. It's really hard to tell.



6. Israeli "Monit HaKesef" guy Idan Rosenblum and American Australian "Was in a Chick Flick with Jennifer Lopez" guy Alex O'Loughlin. When I was flying back to Israel from the US this summer, I watched "The Back-Up Plan," a really dumb chick flick starring Jennifer Lopez. The whole time I kept staring at the male romantic lead, Alex O'Loughlin, thinking, "Wow, he looks just like the Israeli money cab guy." What? Of course that's why I was staring!


 7. The Israeli "Bachelor" and Nate Berkus, Oprah's design guy.  Among the many reasons why I couldn't take "HaRavak" seriously: Guy Gior, the bachelor himself, is probably the only person in Israel to have Nate Berkus's hair. And face. And taste in clothing. And... 

8. Israeli celebrity chef Aharoni and Mr. Miyagi. Just kidding-- Aharoni doesn't actually look like anyone. Nobody, not even Spock, can match those eyebrows.

9. My scuba instructor and Javier Bardem. Imagine Javier Bardem with George Clooney's hair and Homer Simpson's belly, plus an endless supply of Turkish coffee and cigarettes, and you'd have my Israeli scuba instructor.

Then there's the newscaster who looks exactly like Rupert Everett, and the Spanish/Israeli actress who looks exactly like Andie MacDowell, but I haven't had much luck trying to figure out their actual names in Hebrew.

Have you noticed any Israeli-American dopplegangers?

12 comments:

  1. Hooray for the return of How To Be Israeli!

    I can't find a picture, but one of my professors last semester looked like Ehud Barak's twin.

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  2. Awesome to have you back - and great post!

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  3. Bryan, my husband's grandmother looks so much like Golda Meir that people have stopped in the street to stare at her... we should get together a bunch of prime minister impersonators. :)

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  4. Hey I just want to tell you I love your blog!!! I'm brazilian but I live in America and my heart is Israeli. I never been there but this is my life goal! I will live there some there!
    Thanks for sharing!
    Talita

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  5. Talita, for some reason a lot of my best friends here in Israel are Brazilian, so if you come to visit we can show you around :)

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  6. Hey, love your blog!
    It's always interesting to me to know what newcomers think of life here.

    Sophie.

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  7. I've been waiting for you to come back to blogdom! When you say "and then for calling Steve Carell "the American version of the Israeli Steve Carell" it kinda reminds me of how Israelis call a front axle a backax kidmi, a front back axle...

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  8. maya, this is *priceless* and fascinating and...eerily accurate! love. it! :)

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  9. haha... love the "backax kidmi"

    Minnesota mamaleh, thanks!

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  10. OMG this is so funny. I actually always call Lior Ashkenazi the Israeli Steve Carell also! Its so true

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  11. The name of the anchorman for Channel 10 news is Ynon (pronounced "Eenon")

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  12. Lol the Eyebrows XD

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