Moran Atias

Moran Atias (Hebrew: מורן אטיאס‎‎; born April 9, 1981) is an Israeli actress. She gained fame in the Italian films Gas, Oggi sposi, and Mother of Tears. She is best known for her work with Paul Haggis in the 2008 TV series Crash and the 2013 film Third Person. She currently stars on the FX television series Tyrant. In Italy, she was spokeswoman for 2005–06 for the City of Milan in their campaigns against graffiti and animal cruelty in the city. Atias was born in the city of Haifa in northern Israel, to Israeli-born parents of Moroccan Jewish descent. She appeared on the youth television programme Out of Focus at age 15, although her plan to serve in the Israeli Defense Forces was frustrated by a diagnosis of meningitis at age 17. She pursued modelling, instead, in Germany and then Italy, where she was discovered and became a model for Roberto Cavalli.

Her work on the film The Next Three Days led to Third Person, a project that Atias pitched and helped develop with Paul Haggis. She was chosen to play the role of 'Monika,' an Romanian gypsy. To prepare for the role, she lived in Italy for four months and immersed herself in the gypsy lifestyle, living without the basics of running water or electricity. She studied with Michael Margota at the Italian Actor's Studio to perfect the Italian and Romanian accents. She also served as a co-producer and a co-consultant for the script. The film premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. During her second trip to Haiti, she took part in a workshop at Cine Institute in Jacmel. She is a goodwill ambassador for IsraAid. In May 2010, she worked with Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) and hosted and organized a charity event at Cannes Film Festival. In November 2010, she hosted and organized a charity event for APJ in New York, with proceeds going to the first free high school for the children of the slums of Haiti.