Hadar Ratzon was born in
Jerusalem,
Israel, to a family of
Mizrahi Jewish (
Yemenite-Jewish) descent. She grew up in
Hod HaSharon, Israel. Ratzon-Rotem participated in several
student films, including Ticking Bomb by Atar Ofek (
Kinneret Academic College) and Here Lies the Dog by Shahar Hadad (The College of Theater Puppetry). In 2007, she was cast in the American production
Rendition, directed by
Academy Award winner
Gavin Hood. In the film, she portrayed the partner of
Jake Gyllenhaal, appearing alongside
Meryl Streep,
Alan Arkin, and
Reese Witherspoon, as well as Israeli actors
Igal Naor and
Raymond Amsalem. That same year, she also performed in the youth play What a Youth, written and directed by Hagit Rechavi Nikolayevsky. In 2008, she returned to the Yoram Loewenstein Studio as a guest alumna to play Jennifer in Ray Cooney's Two and Two Make Sex, directed by Roni Mendelson. That year, she co-founded a sketch comedy group called "Six Sitting," which performed original material at the
Tzavta theater. In 2009, she appeared in the German production Your Soul, a film based on
Batya Gur's book Murder in Bethlehem, directed by Peter Patzak. She played Zohara Bashari alongside
Geula Nuni,
Gabi Amrani,
Dvir Benedek, and
Galit Giat. That same year, she participated in the
Haredi production Sand Tears, directed by Rechi Elias. In 2010, she was cast in the lead role of the musical Sigal at the Yoram Loewenstein Studio, directed by
Tsedi Tsarfati. The musical follows the stormy romance between
Aris San and
Aliza Azikri. Ratzon-Rotem played the lead role opposite Erez Regev. Due to the musical demands of the role, she trained for several months with vocal coach Riki Bogatin. The production was a major success and was acquired by the
Habima Theatre; Ratzon-Rotem and Regev retained their lead roles in the professional production alongside
Rotem Abuhab,
Guy Zu-Aretz, and
Shlomi Koriat. In 2011, she also appeared in the Habima production of Neither by Day nor by Night by Avraham Raz, directed by Roi Horovitz, starring alongside
Lia Koenig. In 2012, she filmed an episode for the long-running Polish series For Better and for Worse. In September 2012, she starred in the pilot episodes of the series Tel Aviviyot on
Channel 10, a show inspired by
Sex and the City co-starring
Hila Vidor and
Neta Plotnik. Between 2012 and 2015, Ratzon-Rotem appeared in several high-profile television series. She played a role in the second season of the thriller
Prisoners of War (Hatufim) and the first season of the American series
Tyrant, both created by
Gideon Raff. In 2015, she appeared in the second season of
The Gordin Cell and guest-starred in the American series
Homeland as Tova. In 2019, she gained international recognition for portraying Nadia Cohen, the wife of Israeli spy
Eli Cohen, in the
Netflix miniseries
The Spy, created by Gideon Raff and starring
Sacha Baron Cohen. In 2021, she participated in the drama series
The Gendarmerie (HaShotrim), based on the "avenging cops" affair, alongside
Tsahi Halevi and
Shani Cohen. In 2025, she played police officer Mali in the Kan 11 thriller series
Jaffa. Since completing her studies, she has been represented by
Perry Kafri. == Filmography ==