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Gila Golan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gila Golan
Gila Golan in 1966
(photographer Ron Kroon)
Born
Kraków, German-occupied Poland
Other namesGila Rosenhaus
Miriam Goldenberg
Occupation(s)Model and actress
Years active1964–1985
Spouses
  • Alex Urban
    (m. 1964; div. 1968)
Matthew Bernard Rosenhaus
​
​
(m. 1969; died 1980)​
  • Third husband?
Children3
Beauty pageant titleholder
Major
competition(s)		Miss Israel 1960
(1st Runner-Up)
Miss World 1960
(1st Runner-Up)

Gila Golan (Hebrew: גילה גולן) is an Israeli actress and former model.

Early life

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Golan does not know when or where she was born. Her parents were murdered in the Holocaust and she was adopted by Zoshia Zawatcki, who saw her wandering the streets of Kraków.[1][2] She was given the name Zoshia Zavatski by her Polish family and renamed to Mara Goldenberg in Israel.[3] She also used the names Miriam Goldenberg and Gila Goldenberg.[4]

Golan attended a Youth Aliyah boarding school in Aix-les-Bains, France for two years before moving to Israel on January 14, 1948. She worked at a kibbutz for four years.[5][6] Golan was not conscripted into the Israel Defense Forces due to her not knowing her age.[7]

Career

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Golan was spotted by an American photographer and appeared in the Israeli women's magazine LaIsha.[8] In 1960, she was the runner-up for Miss Israel behind Aliza Gur.[9] She placed second in the Miss World 1960 competition[10] and changed her name to Gila Golan to prevent the religiously conservative family she lived with in Tel Aviv from learning about it.[11][12] She was sent to the United States to raise funds after the competition.[13]

In June 1964, Golan signed a contract with Columbia Pictures. Her first role was as Elsa Lutz in Ship of Fools[1] as a replacement for Sabin Singen, who dropped out due to illness.[3] She was given acting lessons by Herbert Berghof.[14] The Hollywood Foreign Press Association selected her to hand out the awards for the 22nd Golden Globe Awards.[15]

Golan starred in Our Man Flint,[16] which was banned in Lebanon due to her being an Israeli citizen.[17] She also appeared in The Valley of Gwangi[18] and Three on a Couch. Golan ended her career in 1969, citing her poor pay of $150 a week for Our Man Flint while Columbia earned $1,500 as she was on loan, and said that her former agent was sabotaging her career.[19] In the 1980s she aided the fundraising and organization of the 2nd Israel Film Festival.[20]

Personal life

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Golan married Alex Urban in 1964, but became separated in 1965, and divorced in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, in 1967.[21][22] She married Matthew Bernard Rosenhaus on September 16, 1969, in Montreal, Canada, and had three children with him.[23][24][25] Rosenhaus became the largest stockholder in Columbia in 1973.[26]

The city of Seattle ceremonially adopted Golan on April 29, 1966, with Mayor James d'Orma Braman as her godfather.[27] She became a citizen of the United States in 1969.[28] Golan sold her apartment at The Pierre for $10 million in 2014. She now lives in Florida with her third husband.[29]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes Reference
1965 Ship of Fools Elsa [1]
Kraft Suspense Theatre Constanze “Tantsy” Lipp Episode: The Safe House [30]
1966 Our Man Flint Gila [16]
Three on a Couch Anna Jacque
I Dream of Jeannie Princess Tarji Episode: This is Murder [31]
1967 Catch as Catch Can Emma [18]
1969 The Valley of Gwangi T.J. [32]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Columbia Signs Up Gila Golan". The Spokesman-Review. June 21, 1964. p. F13 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "'Miss Israel' In Beach Revue Was Left An Orphan By Nazis". The Miami News. January 2, 1962. p. 5B – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Gila Golan On Andy Williams Show". The Reporter Dispatch. February 4, 1965. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Girl Without a Past Finds a Future". Hartford Courant. December 19, 1965. p. 18E – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Israel Beauty To Appear At Dinner of Federation". The Daily Item. May 1, 1963. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Gila Golan's Real Life Story Is Better Than Movie Script". The Morning Call. August 1, 1965. p. F3 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Gila Golan, Israeli Actress, Escaped Draft". Odessa American. April 15, 1965. p. 6C – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Gila Golan Wins Another Beauty Title". Valley Times. January 20, 1965. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Aderet, Ofer (September 5, 2021). "'Half-Breed': The Secrets of Miss Israel Finalist Born to an Arab Father and Jewish Mother". Archived from the original on December 7, 2024.
  10. ^ "Argentine Girl Chosen Miss World". Los Angeles Times. November 8, 1960. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ LIFE Magazine, 2 Oct 1964, Vol. 57, No. 14, 135
  12. ^ "Nameless Waif Becomes New Film Glamor Queen". The Pittsburgh Press. May 30, 1965. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ LIFE Magazine, 2 Oct 1964, Vol. 57, No. 14, 135
  14. ^ "The girl with no name signs up with Columbia". The Star-Ledger. June 29, 1964. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "To Present Awards". The Salinas Californian. December 18, 1964. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b "Miss Israel Signs Movie Contract". Oakland Tribune. March 23, 1965. p. 55 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Lebanon Bans 'Our Man Flint'". Los Angeles Times. April 23, 1966. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b "Story Nets Cool $Million". St. Louis Jewish Light. June 21, 1967. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Gila Golan Gives Up On Hollywood". Detroit Free Press. July 6, 1969. p. 7R – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Israel Film Festival in LA comes full circle at 35". The Jerusalem Post. June 2, 2022. Archived from the original on December 8, 2024.
  21. ^ "Gila Golan and Hubby Will Call It Quits". Montreal Star. October 4, 1966. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Divorce". Berwick Enterprise. February 28, 1968. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ 1972 Who's Who 1972, p. 2705.
  24. ^ Ragan 1976, p. 163.
  25. ^ "Wedding Bells for Gila Golan". Los Angeles Times. September 19, 1969. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Marriage Boosts Gila's Prospects". Detroit Free Press. August 14, 1973. p. 17A – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "A Vignette". San Francisco Examiner. April 30, 1966. p. 6S – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Citizenship". The Des Moines Register. January 22, 1969. p. 6S – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Goldberg, Niva (May 18, 2014). "Movie Star Gila (Golan) Rosenhaus Sells Her Apartment At The Pierre Hotel For $10 Million". Jewish Business News. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024.
  30. ^ "Miss Israel Soars to TV and Film Stardom". Press & Sun-Bulletin. May 15, 1965. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Gila Golan Plays Princess". The Ithaca Journal. August 27, 1966. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Film Changes Title". Atlanta Journal. March 9, 1969. p. 20F – via Newspapers.com.

Works cited

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gila Golan.
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