The 'Homeland' Spy Who Started Out as an Israeli Intelligence Operative

Mark Ivanir was on the verge of joining the ranks of Israel’s spies, but instead he chose an acting career that led him to Hollywood and a star role in the hit American TV series.

Jan 25, 2016 4:25 PM

Mark Ivanir likes the idea of being a spy. So much so that the Israeli actor, who plays the Russian secret agent Ivan in the fifth season of “Homeland,” once almost became a real international man of mystery.

Comments

Sign in to join the conversation.

Sort comments by

1

ICYMI

The Arous brochure for European tourists.

'Red Sea Diving Resort' Hits Netflix. Here's the Unbelievable Mossad Op Behind It

Palestine refugees initially displaced to Gaza board boats to Lebanon or Egypt, in 1949.

How Israel Systematically Hides Evidence of Brutal 1948 Expulsion of Arabs

Mosaic depicting Jonah being swallowed by a fish, Huqoq synagogue.

Israel's Most Beautiful Mosaic Reveals Ancient Liberal Judaism

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is interviewed by Reuters at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, U.S., June 20, 2019

Jared Kushner's Plan for Palestine Is Even Crazier Than You Thought

A cyclist passes Hasidic Jews outside of a synagogue on Bedford Avenue in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Aug. 13, 2013.

How Christians Invented 'Judaism'

Miriam Adelson and Roman Abramovich. - credit: Doron Flumm

Haaretz 2019 Rich List Meet the Wealthiest People in Israel

A screen shot of Iranian model Negzzia's Instagram account. Her photos got her in trouble in Iran.

Fleeing Iran's Modesty Police, Lingerie Model Ends Up on Paris Streets

Smoke and fire following reported Syrian government forces' bombardment on the town of Khan Sheikhun, Idlib, June 6, 2019.

A New Alliance Is Emerging in the Middle East, and What's Behind Trump's Tweet?

Rabbis debating

Who Decided What Books the Hebrew Bible Would Contain?

An envelope that held a letter from Janina Iwanska to her father. The hidden message: “Five female Polish political inmates have escaped. We are preparing a new escape.”

Nazis Experimented on These Women. They Told the World, in Brilliant Code

Queen of the Skies: How El Al flight LY001 and the 747 made the Jewish world smaller

How El Al's 747 Connected Israel and the Jewish World

Israel Defense Forces soldiers carrying the coffin of Sgt. Itamar Ilya, one of the members of the elite Shayetet naval commando unit who was killed in a raid in Lebanon on September 4, 1997.

Nasrallah Reveals New Details About Ambush, Killing of 12 Israeli Commandos

Palestinian teen Osama Hajajeh attempting to flee Israeli soldiers, Tuqu, West Bank, April 18, 2019.

Israeli Soldiers Shoot Bound, Blindfolded Palestinian Teen Trying to Flee

Sheshonq's name carved into a block of stone, possibly part of a victory stele, found in Megiddo, northern Israel

Move Over, Moses: A Pharaoh May Have Created the Ancient Kingdom of Israel

Cardinals in the Vatican.

Sex Parties, Drugs and Gay Escorts at the Pope's Residence: Undercover in the Vatican

Then Representative-elect Ilhan Omar attends a press conference in the capitol, Washington D.C., November 30, 2018.

Keep It Up, Ilhan Omar

Jordan Peterson. Has a simple explanation for his extraordinary popularity: In a culture that sanctifies victimhood, he proposes that people confront life’s inevitable pain unflinchingly.

The Enlightment According to Jordan Peterson

Jeroboam I praying to the false idols of the golden calves in the temples of Dan and Bethel, lower section of the lancet window of Solomon from under the main North Rose stained glass window, 1233, on the Northern side of the transept of Chartres Cathedral, Eure-et-Loir, France

Meet the Real King David

FILE Photo: A sloth sleeps while hanging from a tree.

Why Do We Need Sleep? Israeli Scientists Solve the Mystery

An electoral campaign poster bearing the portrait of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party. Tel Aviv, April 3, 2019

Netanyahu Deserves to Win the Election. And We Israelis Deserve Him