Clara Khoury (Arabic: كلارا خوري, romanized: Klārā Khūrī, born 29 December 1976) is an Israeli Palestinian–American actress. She works in film, television and theater. She grew up in Haifa, and now lives in California, United States.
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Biography
Clara Khoury was born to a family of Palestinians in Haifa, Israel. She is the daughter of the award-winning actor Makram Khoury. Her family is Greek Orthodox Christian. She studied cinema at the Open University in Tel Aviv and drama at the Beit Zvi Acting School. Her brother Jamil Khoury is an actor and composer, while her sister Roula Khoury is an art curator.
Acting career
Khoury has worked in a variety of roles on stage including the lead in Antigone by Jean Anouilh, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams and Salome by Oscar Wilde, in Arabic as well as in Hebrew and English. Her television work includes the series Parashat Hashavua, written by Ari Folman, and Arab Labor written by Sayed Kashua.
She made her big screen debut in 2002 in Rana's Wedding by Hany Abu-Assad (director of the Oscar-nominated Paradise Now) which premiered in the International Critics' Week section at the 55th Cannes Film Festival representing Palestine.
In 2005 she gained international recognition for her role in The Syrian Bride, portraying a young Druze woman who risks losing her family by entering an arranged marriage with a Syrian national. Directed by Eran Riklis (Lemon Tree) the film won the Audience Prize at the Locarno Film Festival.
Khoury starred in Lipstikka, a British / Israeli psychological drama by Jonathan Sagall, in competition at the Berlinale 2011. At the Al-Midan Arabic Theater in Haifa she starred in Juliano Mer-Khamis's adaptation of Roman Polanski's 1994 movie Death and The Maiden after the play by Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman.
Her film repertoire includes Hiam Abbas’s Inheritance and Susan Youssef's Marjoun and the Flying Headscarf and Amsterdam to Anatolia on Netflix.
Khoury starred in the acclaimed mini series Baghdad Central for Channel 4 and Hulu and the series Homeland for Showtime.
In 2024, Khoury starred in the award-winning Palestinian feature film Thank You for Banking with Us, directed by Leila Abbas. The film premiered at the British Film Institute (BFI) and earned Khoury the Best Actress award at the Casablanca International Film Festival for her portrayal of Maryam Casablanca Festival. In 2025, she participated in Don't Be Long Little Bird, directed by Reem Joubran.
In 2025, Khoury starred in The Voice of Hind Rajab directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, which had its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. and Sink directed by Zain Duraie, which will premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival in the Discovery section.
Filmography
Theater
Death and the Maiden—Paulina - (2010) Juliano Mer-Khamis
Hebron, Khalil / Rania -- (2007) Oded Kotler
Period of Adjustment—Isabel - (2006) Dedi Baron
Cruel and Tender—Laela - (2005) Artur kogan
Salome—Salome - (2005) Ofira Henig
The Glass Menagerie—Loura - (2004) Muneer Bakri
Gilgamesh, He is not Dead—Houmbaba - (2003) Francois Abuo-Salem
Anigone—Antigone - (2002) Gdalya Besser
Tiger at the Gate—Andromaque - (2002) Ido Ricklin
Television
On Any Saturday - created by Anat Asulin, Rani Blair
Kavanot Tovot - director Uri Barbash
Arab Labor - written by Sayed Kashua
Maktub - director Avi Mussel
Papadizi - director Ori Sivan
The Police Man - director Ram Levi
Homeland - created by Gideon Raff, Howard Gordon, and Alex Gansa
Baghdad Central - written by Stephen, director Alice Troughton
Awards and recognition
Khoury won two Israeli Academy of Film and Television prizes for best actress as Bushra in the television sitcom Arab Labor. She won the Best Actress Award for her leading role in Rana's wedding at the Marrakech International Film Festival.