Yadin Gellman
Yadin Gellman | |
|---|---|
ידין גלמן | |
| Born | 2 October 1993 |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Occupations |
|
Yadin Gellman (Hebrew: ידין גלמן; born 2 October 1993) is an Israeli film, television and stage actor and model. He was the first celebrity Israeli victim of the October 7 attack, sustaining serious injuries amid the Be'eri massacre.[1]
He has starred films such as Image of Victory (2021) and Victory (2023). He will next star in Now More Than Ever, an Israeli romantic comedy produced by Amy Schumer and inspired by his own life after surviving October 7th.
Beginning in 2021, he starred alongside Amit Rahav in Habima Theatre's stage production The One My Soul Loves, which was inspired by the 2009 Tel Aviv gay centre shooting.
Early life
He was born and raised in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Baka in Israel.[1] His Jewish parents are Religious Zionists from Canada and the United States.[1] His mother, Karyn, runs an art gallery in Jerusalem.[1]
As a conscript in the Israel Defense Forces, he served as a fighter, officer and commander. After his service, he moved to Tel Aviv and enrolled in the Yoram Loewenstein Performing Arts Studio.
Career
His first screen role was as a series regular in the Israeli teen drama, Rising about pre-1948 life in the country, where he appeared alongside Yuval Segal.[2]
In 2020, he was cast as Palmach commander Avraham in Avi Nesher's War of Independence drama film, Image of Victory.[3][1] He drew praise for his performance, and during production, Nesher requested that he show the cast how to handle firearms.[1] The following year he starred in an acclaimed teen-drama series, Palmach - Rising, about young recruits in the Palmach.[4]
In 2021, he starred alongside Amit Rahav and shared the role of Adam with Daniel Litman in Itai Segal's play The One My Soul Loves at the Habima Theatre. The play is based on the true events of the Tel Aviv gay centre shooting and deals with conversion therapy.[5] He returned to the role for a special performance at Nicosia Municipal Theatre in Nicosia in Cyprus in October 2022.[6][7]
In 2023, he played Shlomo Harlap, reuniting with Litman, in the Israeli musical film Victory, set after the Six-Day War.[1]
In 2024, he began staring alongside Michael Aloni and Lucy Ayoub in the military intelligence series, 8200. In the same year, Arugam Bay, a film he stars in, about young Israelis that travel to Sri Lanka to deal with wartime trauma.[8]
In May 2025, it was announced that he would be starring in a new Israeli romantic comedy, Now More Than Ever, produced by Jewish American actress, Amy Schumer and directed by Eliran Peleg. The script is inspired by Gellman's own story of survival from October 7. It follows the journey of an injured Israeli soldier (Gellman) who rises to fame as a national hero and is sent on a public diplomacy (Hasbara) mission to New York City. There, he's paired with a Jewish American escort who’s so fed up with talk of Israel and Zionism that she’s on the verge of joining the demonstrations against him herself.[9][10]
He is also a model, and in 2024 appeared in a new campaign for Renuar.[1]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Palmach - Rising | Daniel Fleming | 30 episodes |
| Image of Victory | Commander Avraham | ||
| 2024 | Victory | Shlomo Harlap | |
| Arugam Bay | Gal | ||
| 2024-present | 8200 | 8 episodes | |
| TBA | Now More Than Ever |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The One My Soul Loves | Adam | Habima Theatre | [6] |
Personal life
In 2023 he got engaged to Israeli news anchor, Adva Dadon.
Amid the October 7 attacks on Israel, he was one of the first soldiers, as an officer with the Special Forces to enter Kibbutz Be'eri, which had been infiltrated by Hamas and was the scene of the Be'eri massacre.[11][12][1] He and other soldiers saved the lives of many families on the kibbutz.[13] The soldiers were outnumbered by Hamas and Gellman sustained gunshot wounds to his chest, hand and leg.[1][13] Amid his recovery he has been on speaking engagements in the United States, including Harvard Law School, to share his experiences.[1][14]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Yadin Gellman: A soldier in the movies and in real life The Jerusalem Post. 11 February 2024
- ^ New teen drama looks at life in pre-1948 Israel Israel Hayom. 4 June 2020
- ^ East Bay Jewish film fest: An Egyptian journalist, a young mother and a defeat in early Israel The Jewish News of Northern California. 9 March 2022
- ^ Zaltzman, Lior (1 July 2025). All the Jewish TV Coming in July 2025 Kveller. Retrieved on 5 July 2025
- ^ Summer 2022 Jerusalem Theatre. Retrieved on 9 July 2024
- ^ a b Israeli play featuring Netflix actors opens major theater festival in Cyprus The Jerusalem Post. 22 December 2022
- ^ HaBima-National Theatre's performance in Cyprus Embassy of Israel in Cyprus. 29 October 2022
- ^ Brown, Hannah (18 December 2024). Israelis go to Sri Lanka to process trauma in ‘Arugam Bay’ The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved on 25 June 2025
- ^ Zaltzman, Lior (27 May 2025). Amy Schumer Is Helping Develop an Exciting Israeli Rom-Com Kveller. Retrieved on 24 June 2025
- ^ (20 May 2025). ‘Now More Than Ever’: The Jewish Rom-Com That’s Anything But Cute JFeed. Retrieved on 25 June 2025
- ^ Entertainers trade their microphones for guns The Jerusalem Post. 11 October 2023
- ^ Israeli actor describes experience on the front lines CNN. 3 November 2023
- ^ a b Israeli TV correspondent’s actor boyfriend seriously wounded in fighting with Hamas: ‘He’s a hero’ The New York Post. 9 October 2023
- ^ Yadin Gellman: Oct. 7 Survivor, IDF Special Ops, Noted Israeli Actor Harvard Law School. Retrieved on 9 July 2024