ACTOR · BORN 1931 · DIED 2021

Haya Harareet

Born

20 September 1931

Died

3 February 2021

16 archived facts · 4 topics · 1 source · Last reviewed Sep 2026

10 Interesting Facts About Haya Harareet

1. #001

   Haya Harareet was the last surviving star of Ben-Hur (1959).

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2. #002

   Haya Harareet spoke Hebrew, English, French and Italian fluently.

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3. #003

   Haya Harareet's first husband, Nachman Zerwanitzer, was an Israeli irrigation engineer. They had an apartment in Tel Aviv.

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4. #006

   In March 1960, MGM cast Haya Harareet in a planned film about Charlemagne. She was to play a passionate woman caught in a love triangle with the Frankish ruler and his son. The epic, a Ted Richmond production, was to be "the first story-film ever to be made in Cinerama". The studio hoped to begin shooting later that year in a foreign country with a cast of thousands headed by famous actors. In April, Harareet, Robert Douglas and George Hamilton made screen tests directed by Richard Thorpe. In the early 1960s the film was postponed and eventually cancelled, and Harareet left the studio.

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5. #007

   According to gossip columnist Sheilah Graham, MGM refused to loan Haya Harareet to other studios until the premiere of Ben-Hur (1959).

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6. #010

   Haya Harareet was under contract to MGM for four years (1958-1961). When that deal ended, she turned down a new three-year contract with them because she did not want to settle in Hollywood.

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7. #013

   In 1958, Italian filmgoers voted Haya Harareet "Actress of the Year" for her performance in the Italian film The Doll That Took the Town (1957).

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8. #014

   Haya Harareet's colour screen test for the Italian-French film Journey Beneath the Desert (1961) was included in DVD releases of Ben-Hur (1959).

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9. #015

   "Harareet" ("mountainous") is the Hebrew form of the original family name Neuberg, which means "new mountain" in German.

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10. #016

    In 1959, MGM's plans for Haya Harareet included a biography of the Hungarian Jewish poet and Second World War hero Hannah Senesh.

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    1. IMDb — IMDb

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