Joel Basman

Joel Basman, born 23 January 1990, is a Swiss actor best known for having played Franz Kafka in the ARD Miniseries Kafka in 2024. Born in Zurich, Switzerland, Basman is the son of a Swiss Christian mother and an Israeli-Jewish father who were tailors in the Swiss fashion industry. Raised in the Aussersihl neighborhood, he spoke Swiss-German and Hebrew and was raised bilingual. He has one older sister who resides in Israel. His acting career started in 2004 as a bold teenager named Zizou for the weekly soap opera Lüthi und Blanc. In the following years, he played significant roles in films and TV series and gained recognition in the industry. In 2007, he played the main part in the film Jimmie portrayed as an autistic boy. He received numerous awards for his acting, including the Shooting Star for his performance as a Russian teenager on the film Luftibus in February 2008, as well as the Schweizer Fernsehpreis (Swiss TV-Prize) and Cinema Tous Ecrans prize for the best main part later that year. Basman completed his studies at the European Film Actor School in October 2008. In 2012, he appeared in the three-part TV film Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter (Our mothers, our fathers). His versatility as an actor is evident in his roles, including his performance in a video game called Late Shift in 2016. His acting prowess continued to flourish as he landed the lead role in The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch in 2018, which was acquired by Netflix.