Itay Tiran, born in 1980, studied classical piano in the Petach Tikva Municipal conservatory and later majored in music at Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts. Itay proceeded to replace his lifelong focus on music with the world of drama. In 1999 he enrolled in the Beit Zvi Acting School, where his exceptional talent was immediately apparent and gained him many scholarships and awards. His roles as a third-year student included Mozart in "Amadeus," Nero in "Brittanicus" and Berger in the musical "Hair."　　Upon completing his studies Itay joined the Cameri Theater of Tel Aviv. Among his parts there: Eilif in "Mother Courage," Franz J?gerst?tter in "Eye Witness," Nicolah in "Caviar and Lentils" the title role in "Hamlet" & Christian in "Festen". In April 2006, Itay won the Best Actor Award in Israeli Theater for "Hamlet". In 2010 he played Kittel in "Ghetto".　　Itay appears regularly on various television series, and has played leading roles in award winning films, such as "Forgiveness" (Mechilot), which was presented at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival and "Beaufort", which won the 'Silver Bear' Award for Best Director at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival & was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Category 2008. He also has a lead role in Samuel Maoz's movie "Lebanon" which won The Golden Lion at Venice 2009.　　In March 2007, Tiran received rave reviews from audiences and media in Washington DC for his performance as Hamlet in the the Tel Aviv Cameri Theater production's World Tour. This award-winning rendition was presented as part of the Shakespeare in Washington Festival of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.