Gil Ofarim

Gil Doron Reichstadt Ofarim (born 13 August 1982) is a German singer, songwriter, and actor, also known as the lead singer of the bands Zoo Army and Acht.

Gil Ofarim
Ofarim in 2018.
Background information
Birth nameGil Doron Reichstadt Ofarim
Born (1982-08-13) 13 August 1982
Munich, West Germany
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer
InstrumentsElectric guitar
Years active1997–present
Associated acts
  • Acht
  • Zoo Army
Websitewww.gilofarim.de

Early life

Ofarim is the first child of Israeli musician Abi Ofarim (1937–2018), whose career – both solo and with first wife Esther Ofarim – dates back several decades, and his third wife Sandra. He has a younger brother, Tal, a musician, who was born in 1984. Gil speaks German, Hebrew, and English. He sings in English and German.

Music career

Ofarim's showbiz career took off in May 1997 when he was spotted in a Munich underground station by a talent scout for Bravo magazine and was asked to do a pictorial story spread. The article generated thousands of letters from fans and he landed a recording contract with BMG. His first single "Round 'n' Round (It Goes)" was released in November 1997 and became a top 40 hit in Germany. Ofarim' debut album Here I Am was released to international success in May 1998.[1]

2003–2007: On My Own
Ofarim on stage at the Hockenheimring in 2004.

After several other successful singles, Ofarim became increasingly disenchanted with being a teen idol. His 2003 album On My Own, released on Neotone Records, showcased his move in a different musical direction, taking his work further into the pop rock and adult contemporary genres.[2] While the album failed to chart,[3] it produced the single "The Reason" and led to a stint as Bon Jovi's opening act on the German leg of their Bounce Tour.[2] In 2004, Ofarim ventured into acting when he co-starred in the ProSieben coming-of-age film Endlich Sex! alongside Jasmin Schwiers. In it, he played musician Christoph, the love interest of lead role Saskia. The film was broadcast to moderate ratings but was largely panned by critics.[4] Ofarim performed several songs in Endlich Sex!, including "In Your Eyes" which was released by Neotone as a single in March 2004.[5]

Starting in 2005, Ofarim became the lead singer of the rock band Zoo Army, also consisting of his broter Tal, Roland Söns and Dominik Scholz. They released their first single "I'm Alive" and their debut album 507 in the first half of 2006.[2] The same year, he had a supporting role in the RTL two-part television drama film Sturmflut, a fictionalized ensemble story depicting the events surrounding the North Sea flood of 1962. Starring a roster of bankable television actors such as Jan Josef Liefers and Götz George, the film earned largely favorable reviews and strong ratings.[6] Also in 2016, Ofarim played the lead role in the American b movie Strip Mind, which opened in Germany on 3 January 2007. The psychological thriller was largely panned by critics who criticized its casting, pacing and the "horrible" synchronization.[7] The following year, Disney consulted him to record "So nah," the German version of Jon McLaughlin's "So Close" from the musical fantasy film Enchanted (2007) as well as "Mehr als du seh’n kannst," a re-written version of Rufus Wainwright's "Another Believer," for the computer-animated science fiction comedy film Meet the Robinsons (2007).[2]

2008–present: Band career and Alles auf Hoffnung

In 2008, Ofarim had a guest role in an episode of the children's television series Ein Fall für B.A.R.Z..[2] The same year, he formed another rock band, Acht, along with Oswin Ottl, Petros Kontos, and Andy Lind. Their debut album, Stell dir vor, entirely recorded in German and released in 2010, reflected a new domestic-marketing approach. The quartet supported American singer Alex Band throughout his European concert tour.[2] Also in 2020, Ofarim had appeared as a guest in the ZDF crime television series Ein starkes Team.[2] In October 2012, Ofarim was a contestant on the second season of The Voice of Germany. Coached by singer Xavier Naidoo, he was eliminated in the season's quarter final.[8] His live performances of The Goo Goo Dolls's "Iris" (1998) and Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" both entered the German Singles Chart and marked his first chart entries in a decade.[8]

In 2013, Ofarim had a recurring role a Mick in the mystery series Armans Geheimnis, produced by and broadcast on Das Erste. In 2017, he took part in the German TV series Let's Dance and became winner with his dance partner Ekaterina Leonova. On 1 August 2019, he was revealed to be the Grasshopper on The Masked Singer where he was placed as runner-up.

Personal life

In 2007, a newly identified species of moth from the Amata genus and found in Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights was named Amata gil after him.[9]

On 15 December 2014 Gil married his longtime girlfriend Verena Brock. On 6 March 2015 the couple welcomed their first child, a son Leonard (Leo) Dean Ofarim. On 30 January 2017 the couple welcomed their second child, a daughter Anouk Marie Ofarim.

The couple separated, giving Gil full custody of the children. However the exact date and year of this is still not exact. Gil Ofarim has kindly asked that all press and media leave him and Verena Brock alone during this difficult time.

Discography

Studio albums
Title Album details Peak positions
GER
[3]		 AUT
[10]		 SWI
[11]
Here I Am
  • Released: 25 May 1998
  • Label: RCA Local
  • Formats: CD
 204734
The Album
  • Released: 2 May 2 2000
  • Label: Ariola
  • Formats: CD
 ———
On My Own
  • Released: 26 May 2003
  • Label: Neotone
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 ———
Alles auf Hoffnung
  • Released: 28 February 2020
  • Label: We Love Music
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 57141

Singles
  • "Round ’n’ Round (It Goes)" (1997)
  • "Never Giving Up Now" (1998)
  • "If You Only Knew" (featuring The Moffatts) (1998)
  • "Here I Am" (1998)
  • "Let the Music Heal Your Soul" (featuring Various Artists) (1998)
  • "Talk to You" (1998)
  • "Walking Down the Line" (1999)
  • "Out of My Bed (Still in My Head)" (1999)
  • "It's Your Love" (2000)
  • "The Reason" (2003)
  • "She" (2003 – not released)
  • "In Your Eyes" (2004)
  • "I'm Alive" (Zoo Army) (2006)
  • "Still" (Acht) (2010)

References
  1. Gil Ofarim fan site. URL referenced 27 August 2007.
  2. Stellmacher, Horst (4 June 2020). "Gil Ofarim: „Ich habe Jon Bon Jovi wüst beschimpft"". express.de. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  3. "Gil Ofarim discography". germancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  4. Gehringer, Thomas (25 March 2004). "Der „Bravo"-Fotoroman funktioniert auch als Pro-7-Komödie". tagesspiegel.de. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  5. "In Your Eyes – Single". amazon.de. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  6. "Mehrteiler „Die Sturmflut"". tittelbach.tv. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  7. "Strip Mind". kino.de. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  8. "Gil Ofarim: Der einstige Teenie-Star will es noch einmal wissen". augsburger-allgemeine.de. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  9. Witt, Thomas J.; Kravchenko, Vasiliy D.; Spiedel, Wolfgang; Mooser, Josef; Junnila, Amy; Müller, Günter C. (2007). "A new Amata species from Israel (Arctiidae, Syntominae)" (PDF). Nota Lepidopterologica. 30 (2): 367–373. ISSN 0342-7536.
  10. "Gil Ofarim discography". austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  11. "Gil Ofarim discography". hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
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