Biography
Moni Ovadia, also credited as Salomone Ovadia, is an Italian actor, musician, singer and theatrical author. Born on 16 April 1946 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, to a Jewish family, he moved with his family to Milan in early childhood. He graduated in political science from the University of Milan and began his artistic career as a singer and musician with the Almanacco Popolare under Roberto Leydi. In 1972 he founded the Gruppo Folk Internazionale, focusing on songs and music from the Balkans.
Ovadia has created and performed numerous musical theatre works centred on Yiddish and klezmer traditions, including the show Oylem Goylem. His screen credits include the role of Lucio in Nanni Moretti's Caro diario (1993), Filippo Neri in Caravaggio's Shadow (2022), the rabbi in Memories of Anne Frank (2009) and Uncle Jacob in Anita B. (2014). He has also composed music for films such as Senza pelle (1994) and The Seventh Room (1995).
