Gil Ofarim

Gil Ofarim
Background information
Birth name Gil Doron Reichstadt Ofarim
Born (1982-08-13) 13 August 1982
Munich
Genres Pop, pop rock
Occupation(s) Singer
Instruments Electric guitar
Years active 1997–present
Labels Neo-Ne / SonyBMG
Associated acts Zoo Army
Acht
Website www.gilofarim.de

Gil Doron Reichstadt Ofarim (born 13 August 1982 in Munich, Bavaria) is a German singer, songwriter, and occasional actor. He is currently also known as the lead singer of the bands Zoo Army and Acht.

Music career

Gil's showbiz career took off in May 1997 when he was spotted in a Munich underground station by a talent scout for Bravo magazine and was asked to do a pictorial story spread. The article generated thousands of letters from fans and he landed a recording contract with BMG. His first single "Round 'N' Round (It Goes)" was released in November 1997 and became a Top 40 smash in Germany. His album Here I Am was released to international success in May 1998.[1]

After several other successful singles, Gil became disenchanted with being a teen idol. His 2003 release On My Own showcased his move in a different musical direction.

Starting in 2005, Gil was the lead singer of Zoo Army. Zoo Army consisted of Gil, Tal (his brother), Roland Söns and Dominik Scholz. They released their first single "I'm Alive" and album 507 in the first half of 2006.

In 2010, Gil formed another band, Acht, which focuses on a driving hard rock sound. Acht's debut album, Stell dir vor, is entirely in German, reflecting a new domestic-marketing approach.

In October 2012, Gil was a contestant on The Voice of Germany.

Acting and TV career

He is also active as an actor and played the part of Christoph in the Pro7 production, Endlich Sex! ("Finally Sex!") in 2004 and as Stefan Döbbelin in the TV two-part Sturmflut, Die (The Storm Tide) in 2006. He also played Max in the psycho-thriller Strip Mind, which opened in Germany on January 3, 2007. His latest role is Mick in the children's TV-series Armans Geheimnis (Arman's Secret) from 2015-unknown.

In 2017, he took part in the German TV series Let's Dance and became winner with his dance partner Ekaterina Leonova.

Personal life

Gil's father was Israeli musician Abi Ofarim, whose career (both solo and with first wife Esther Ofarim) dates back several decades. His mother, Sandy, is Abi's third wife. Gil speaks German, Hebrew, and English. He sings in English and German.

In 2007, a newly identified species of moth from the Amata genus and found in Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights was named Amata gil after him.[2]

On December 15, 2014 Gil married his longtime girlfriend Verena Brock. The couple had their first child on March 6 2015, named Leonard Dean Ofarim.

Discography

Albums

  • Here I Am (1998)
  1. "Intro-Welcome"
  2. "See It In Your Eyes"
  3. "If You Only Knew" (feat. The Moffatts)
  4. "Bang, Bang, Bang"
  5. "Round ’n’ Round (It Goes)"
  6. "I Am So In Love"
  7. "Am I Crazy?"
  8. "Come On, Come On"
  9. "For Heaven's Sake"
  10. "Charline"
  11. "I Need You"
  12. "Bandstarter"
  13. "Never Giving Up Now"
  14. "Goodbye"
  • Children Of The World (1998)
  • The Album (2000)
  1. "Out Of My Bed (Still in My Head)"
  2. "Say What You Want"
  3. "Stop"
  4. "U & I"
  5. "Never on My Mind"
  6. "It's Your Love"
  7. "Right Now"
  8. "Emotions"
  9. "Everytime"
  10. "The Only One"
  11. "The Truth in Your Eyes"
  12. "On & On"
  13. "Sometimes I..."
  14. "Close 2 Perfect"
  15. "Walking Down the Line"
  16. "If You Only Knew"
  17. "Round 'N' Round"
  18. "Never Giving Up Now"
  19. "Talk to You"
  • The Best Of Gil ... So Far (2001)
  • On My Own (2003)
  • 507 (Zoo Army) (2006)
  • 507 Limited Edition (Zoo Army) (2006)
  • Stell dir vor (Acht) (2010)

Singles

  • "Round ’n’ Round (It Goes)" (1997)
  • "Never Giving Up Now" (1998)
  • "If You Only Knew" (featuring The Moffatts) (1998)
  • "Here I Am" (1998)
  • "Let The Music Heal Your Soul" (featuring Various Artists) (1998)
  • "Talk To You" (1998)
  • "Walking Down The Line" (1999)
  • "Out Of My Bed (Still in My Head)" (1999)
  • "It's Your Love" (2000)
  • "The Reason" (2003)
  • "She" (2003 - not released)
  • "In Your Eyes" (2004)
  • "I'm Alive" (Zoo Army) (2006)
  • "Still" (Acht) (2010)

References

  1. ↑ Gil Ofarim fan site. URL referenced August 27, 2007.
  2. ↑ Witt, Thomas J.; Kravchenko, Vasiliy D.; Spiedel, Wolfgang; Mooser, Josef; Junnila, Amy; Müller, Günter C. (2007). "A new Amata species from Israel (Arctiidae, Syntominae)" (PDF). Nota Lepidopterologica. 30 (2): 367–373. ISSN 0342-7536.
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