Odeya Rush

Rush was born Odeya Rushinek on 12 May 1997 into a Jewish family in Haifa, Israel.^[1] In Hebrew, her given name means "I will thank God".^[4] As an eight-year-old growing up in her hometown of Haifa, Israel, she wrote and performed plays.^[5]

Her family moved to the United States when she was nine years old so that her father could take up a job as a security consultant in Alabama.^[6][7] When she arrived, Rush did not know English and could only speak Hebrew.^[8] She attended the N. E. Miles Jewish Day School in Birmingham, Alabama, where she resided;^[4][9] she later moved to Midland Park, New Jersey, where she attended public school.^[10]

In the beginning of 2013, Rush moved to Los Angeles with her family. She has six brothers; four of them are younger than her—two sets of twins who reside with their parents in Los Angeles, and two older paternal half-brothers who reside in Israel.^[6][11]

Before becoming an actress, Rush began her career in her childhood and adolescence when she was discovered as a model in the United States, appearing in major campaigns and advertisements for fashion brands Polo Ralph Lauren, Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, and H&M.^[12]

She also starred in a summer campaign for a collaboration between FILA and Urban Outfitters in 2018.^[13]

Her first acting roles began in 2010 in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, in the episode "Branded", in which she played the character Hannah Milner; and in the television series Curb Your Enthusiasm in the episode "Mister Softee", as Emily.

Her first film role was in 2012, playing Joni Jerome, the best friend of Timothy, in the Peter Hedges-directed Disney film The Odd Life of Timothy Green.^[14]

Rush co-starred, as Fiona, in the science fiction film The Giver (2014), based on the 1993 novel of same name from Lois Lowry, and directed by Phillip Noyce. The film also starred Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, Alexander Skarsgård and Taylor Swift.

In 2015, Rush played Ashley Burwood, niece of Johana Burwood (played by Sarah Hyland), in the comedy film See You in Valhalla. Rush's next role was the female lead in the film Goosebumps, based on the R. L. Stine's popular book series. Rush played Hannah Fairchild, the "daughter" of R. L. Stine (portrayed by Jack Black), who teams up with her neighbor to fight the Goosebumps monsters.^[15]

In 2016, Rush completed filming the satirical comedy film Dear Dictator, in which she starred with Michael Caine and Katie Holmes.^[16] She was also cast as Ella Hatto, opposite Sam Worthington, in action-thriller film The Hunter's Prayer directed by Jonathan Mostow.^[17]

In 2017, she had a supporting role in Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird; Rush was nominated along with the rest of the cast for numerous awards. The film earned five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. In that same year, she also starred in The Bachelors with J. K. Simmons.^[18]

In 2021, Rush played the title role in her first Hebrew-language Israeli drama series, Baalat HaChalomot,^[19] and, in the following year, she played Macy in the comedy-drama film Cha Cha Real Smooth and River in the supernatural horror film Umma.

• 2013: Rush was named one of Hollywood's 20 up and coming young actresses under 20 to watch by The Midwest TV Guys^[20]
• 2014: Rush was one of two Israeli actresses, along with Gal Gadot, to be named as Hollywood's newest leading ladies by InStyle magazine^[21]

• List of Israelis
• Women in Israel
• List of Jewish actors
• List of Jews in the performing arts

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• Interview: Get the inside scoop on starlet Odeya Rush on Calabasas Courier (13 November 2012)