Assi Dayan
A turbulent and brilliant creative force who held a mirror to Israeli society's complexities through raw, personal cinema.
1945–2014 (age 69)·Israeli film director, actor, screenwriter and producer·Birthday: November 23·The Silent Generation
Biography
Assi Dayan lived and worked in the long shadow of his father, military hero Moshe Dayan, a dynamic that fueled a lifetime of artistic rebellion and personal tumult. As an actor, he was a magnetic, brooding presence in dozens of Israeli films. But his deeper impact came from behind the camera. In the 1990s, he directed a string of fiercely introspective films like 'Life According to Agfa' and 'The Gospel According to God' that stripped away national myths to examine alienation, fractured families, and political disillusionment. His work was unflinchingly autobiographical, often reflecting his own public struggles with addiction and depression. Dayan became a controversial but essential voice, using his personal chaos to craft a searing, unsentimental portrait of a nation grappling with its identity.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Assi was born in 1945, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Assi Was Born
The biggest hits of 1945
#1 Movie
The Bells of St. Mary's
Best Picture
The Lost Weekend
Assi's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1945Born
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1950Started school
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1958Became a teenager
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Could drive
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1963Could vote
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Turned 21
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1975Turned 30
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 40
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 50
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 60
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2014Died at 69
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
Key Achievements
- Directed and starred in 'Life According to Agfa' (1992), a dark ensemble drama considered a landmark of critical Israeli cinema.
- Won the Ophir Award (Israel's Oscar) for Best Director for 'The Gospel According to God' (2004).
- Acted in over 70 films and television shows, including iconic roles in 'He Walked Through the Fields' and 'Azit the Paratrooper Dog'.
- His film 'Mr. Baum' (1997) won the award for Best Film at the Jerusalem Film Festival.
Did You Know?
He was the youngest son of Israeli military leader and politician Moshe Dayan.
He was married four times, including to singer and actress Ninet Tayeb, who was 37 years his junior.
He was a prolific film critic, writing a regular column for the Israeli newspaper Maariv.
He publicly documented his battles with cocaine addiction and bipolar disorder.
“I am a professional liar. That's what an actor is, and that's what a director is.”
