Jacques Cohen Performs On Israel Television Comedy Editorial Photo

Israeli stage, screen and television actor Jacques Cohen is seen during a live in-studio tv taping in 1986 of a multi-cultural, hilarious Israeli comedy series, called `The Big Restaurant,` or in Hebrew, `Ha Mis`ada Gdola.` Cohen was born in 1930 to a Jewish- Egyptian family in Alexandria, Egypt. When he was a child of 5 the family emigrated to then British Mandate Palestine. The show was unique because it was performed in Arabic, and Hebrew, with occasionally sprinklings of English and French. Subtitles appeared in Hebrew, Arabic, and English, but it was often possible to understand the plot and even some particulars since slapstick was frequently employed. Cohen played the role of `Abu Rahmi,` the restauranteur in charge of the comic circus during which actors playing tourists visiting the fictitious, presumably East Jerusalem eatery joined in the frenetic misadventures. The show was popular during its 3-year run, from 1985-1988 not only in Israel, among Arab and Jewish viewers, but also in neighboring Jordan, and internationally, even in far-flung Australia. Cohen appeared in the American action film, `Delta Force,` portraying a Lebanese government minister. Toward the end of his life, Cohen actually purchased and ran a restaurant of his own. A beloved national entertainment figure, he died from pneumonia complications at a hospital in Rehovot, Israel on December 1, 2016, at the age of 86.