Daliah Lavi – born Daliah Lewinbuk on October 12, 1942, in Shavei Tzion, Israel – was a schlager singer, actress, and model. In 1952, she met legendary actor Kirk Douglas while he was filming in Israel, and she explained to him that she wanted to be a dancer. Douglas persuaded her parents to send her to study ballet in Stockholm, Sweden. She appeared in her first film, Hemsöborna, in 1955. Relocating back to Israel, her acting career took off in 1960 and she appeared in many European and American productions. In 1962, she appeared with Kirk Douglas in the film Two Weeks in Another Town. Further films included Lord Jim (1965), The Silencers (1966), Casino Royale (1967), and many other films. Record producer and songwriter Jimmy Bowien took interest in her career and kickstarted her schlager singing career in 1969 in Germany. Her chart hits included "Oh, Wann Kommst Du?" (1970), "Willst Du Mit Mir Geh’n?" (1971), “Jerusalem” (1971), and many others. While her career slowed down in the 1980s, Daliah Lavi continued to release music up through 2008, when she had a sizable hit with “C’est la vie – So ist das Leben”. She also had a string of hit albums including Daliah (1970), Daliah Lavi (1971), Jerusalem (1972), Neuer Wind (1976), and C’est La Vie – So ist Das Leben (2008). Daliah Lavi died on May 3, 2017, at the age of 74.
