Shimon Peres: Movies & Box Office

Shimon Peres (born Szymon Perski, 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was a towering figure in Israeli politics whose career spanned seven decades, making him one of the longest‑serving public servants in the world. From his early days as a youth activist in the HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed movement, he quickly attracted the attention of David Ben‑Gurion and was appointed deputy director‑general of the Ministry of Defense at the age of twenty‑nine, later becoming its director‑general and playing a pivotal role in the procurement of French aircraft and the establishment of Israel’s secret nuclear program. Over the ensuing years Peres held virtually every senior cabinet portfolio—Immigrant Absorption, Communications, Transportation, Defense, Foreign Affairs, Finance and more—served as a member of twelve governments, and was elected to the Knesset continuously from 1959 until his election as President in 2007, a record‑breaking tenure of 48 years. He served twice as Prime Minister (1984‑1986 and 1995‑1996), was instrumental in negotiating the 1994 Israel‑Jordan peace treaty, and, together with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, received the Nobel Peace Prize for the Oslo Accords. After stepping down from the presidency in 2014, he continued to champion peace through the Peres Center for Peace and remained an outspoken advocate for technological innovation and education, even embracing social media platforms to reach younger audiences.

Beyond politics, Peres was a prolific author of eleven books, a poet and songwriter who composed verses from the age of eight, and a polyglot fluent in Polish, French, English, Russian, Yiddish and Hebrew. He maintained close cultural ties, famously discovering his cousinship with Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall, and was honored with numerous international awards, including the Legion of Honour, an honorary knighthood, and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom. His legacy is marked by a relentless pursuit of peace, a deep commitment to Israel’s security, and an enduring belief that technology and dialogue could bridge the deepest divides.