Omar Sharif Jr. Joins Keshet’s Israeli Series ‘The Baker And The Beauty’
EXCLUSIVE: Actor and LGBTQ advocate Omar Sharif Jr. is set to join the third season of the Israeli series The Baker and The Beauty from Keshet Studios.
Created by Assi Azar, the series goes by the Hebrew name Lehiyot Ita and is one of the most popular and watched series in Israel. The romantic dramedy which debuted in 2013 follows the love story between a simple baker Amos (Avraham Aviv Alush) and a wealthy international superstar Noa (Rotem Sela Rotem Sela). Sharif Jr. will recur as a Hollywood agent from Lebanon.
The Baker and the Beauty became a global sensation when Keshet International sold the original series in Hebrew in multiple foreign markets, including to Britain’s Channel 4 VOD platform, Walter Presents. The show has inspired multiple adaptations and remakes, including an American version produced by Keshet Studios and Universal Television for ABC. The stateside version came from Dean Georgaris and David Frankel and starred Victor Rasuk and Nathalie Kelley in the title roles. The Latinx-fronted series was set in Miami and was canceled after one season. Unfortunately, it was canceled in a time when Latinx representation on TV is little to none.
Alongside the U.S., the series was sold by Keshet International for remakes in Greece, the Netherlands, Russia, India and Brazil. In the Netherlands, it was remade for NET5; in Russia, it was remade for CTC. The Israeli iteration is now available on Amazon Prime Video in over two hundred territories and on Netflix in Israel.
Oded Ruskin, who directed the first two seasons of the original series in 2013 and 2017 respectively, will direct the new season. Enav Shenhar by Shenhar Productions will produce. Shooting is expected to start before the end of the year in Tel Aviv.
Sharif Jr. is the grandson of Hollywood legend Omar Sharif. Based in Los Angeles, Sharif. Jr. previously worked at GLAAD as the organization’s National Spokesperson. He has also served as an Ambassador for the Human Rights Foundation as well as The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
His previous credits include Jim Sheridan’s The Secret Scripture with Rooney Mara and Vanessa Redgrave as well as 11th Hour with Salma Hayek. He recently starred in the pilot Melange alongside Morgan Fairchild and Scott Evans which aired on Logo TV’s digital channels earlier this year.
Sharif Jr. is repped by Innovative Artists and Key Talent Management.
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