Gilles Ben-David

 Gilles   B en - David  ( b . October 25 t h, 1955 ) , is an Israeli actor & Muppeteer  who still per form s  MOISHE OOFNIK  , Israel ' s answer to  OSCAR THE GROUCH  , ( as well as  OSCAR  ' s cousin ). Fluent i n English & French, as well as Hebrew , Ben - David 1 st played the role  o n Rechov Sumsum in 1982. He reprise d the p art on Shalom  SESAME , ''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Sesame_Street_Stays_Up_Late!  SESAME   STREET  S t ay s Up Late ! ], the 1997 Rechov Sumsum — Shara ' a Simsim co - production  wit h Palestine , live appearance s , & most recently , the 2006 revival of Rechov Sumsum''. He also performed Noah on Sippuray Sumsum & trained Muppeteers  for the new season of Rechov Sumsum.

As Ben - David recall ed in an inter view, " Like all good thing s in life , I got the part of  MOISHE OOFNIK  by accident . " He was just out of acting school , & a friend was working as a production assist ant on Rechov Sumsum. Ben - David asked if an audition could be arrange d :

" Just to know what an audition is like . I didn ' t even know what the show was about . So he tell s me, ' listen , this is an audition f or a puppet . ' I didn ' t even know what a puppet w as , I never held 1 in my hand . I said , ' I pay taxes , I deserve an audition . ' He auditioned w / actor Nathan Dattner . Operating the  GROUCH  , he said , " C o me o n , I  ' ll f ix your pencil , " & broke Dattner ' s prop w / out hesitation . He won the  part.

The puppeteer also spoke positively of the brief attempt at collaboration with Palestinian   performers & crew : " Talk about cooperation . Take for example 5 peo ple jammed among wires & monitors, sweating together , & someone say s , ' Could you move your leg so I can see the monitor ? ' You ' re working with human being s , that ' s it . It ' s teamwork . "

Out side o f  OOFNIK , Ben - David ' s career as a performer has encompassed the  Spitting   Image  - style political puppet series  Hartzufim  ( puppeteering Israel ' s Foreign Minister David Levy & o ther figure s ) , as well as stage acting , & reciting Jules Verne in French & Hebrew at the Institut Francais 2005 Science & Imagination conference. On camera, he h as appeared i n various live - action film s , in either English or Hebrew , including the thriller s  The   Human   Shield  &  The   Ambassador  & the short film  Pepe ' s Choice  , plus episode s of the Israel i TV prison drama  Zinzana .

Muppeteer Credit s

 * Shalom  SESAME  :  MOISHE OOFNIK