Rona-Lee Shimon

Rona-Lee Shimon is an Israeli actress best known internationally for her role as the soldier Nurit in the acclaimed political thriller series “Fauda.” Born in Ramat Gan, Israel, into a family of mixed Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, Polish, Iraqi and Persian Jewish heritage, she trained first as a dancer before turning to acting.

She studied ballet from early childhood, joined the Bat Dor dance troupe as a girl and later won a full scholarship to the Royal Ballet Academy in Amsterdam. After several years of theatre school she performed in stage musicals including “Cabaret,” “Chicago” and “West Side Story,” building a foundation in movement and performance that would shape her later screen work.

Shimon reached a wide Israeli audience through television roles in series such as “Ha’Shir Shelanu” before joining “Fauda,” where her portrayal of Nurit — an undercover unit member whose story unfolds across multiple seasons — brought her international recognition as the show found a global audience on Netflix. Her preparation for the part included firearms training, Krav Maga and kickboxing.

Her other credits include the Netflix series “Messiah” (2020) and the Prime Video action series “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf” (2025), in which she played Eliza Perash, extending her reach into English-language productions. She has also appeared as a judge on the Israeli edition of “Dancing with the Stars,” drawing on her extensive dance background.

With a career spanning classical dance, musical theatre and screen acting, Shimon has become one of the more internationally visible Israeli performers of her generation. The worldwide success of “Fauda” in particular has carried her work far beyond Israel, and she has continued to move between local productions and international series.

Critics and fans have singled out the physical commitment she brings to her roles, a reflection of her dance training and the demanding action sequences of series like “Fauda.” Beyond acting she has remained connected to the performance world through television and stage work in Israel, and her move into English-language projects has positioned her for a broader international career in the coming years.