Assi Dayan

Asaf "Assi" Dayan (Hebrew: אסף "אסי" דיין‎; 23 November 1945 – 1 May 2014) was an Israeli film director, actor, screenwriter and producer.

Personal life

Assi Dayan is the youngest son of Israeli general and minister of defence Moshe Dayan and peace activist Ruth Dayan (née Schwartz). He has two siblings: politician and author Yael Dayan, born 1939, and sculptor Ehud (Udi) Dayan, born 1942. After military service and studying philosophy and English literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, he embarked on a career as film actor, which eventually also lead to directing.

He has been married three times and has four children: New York gallery owner Amalia Dayan and Avner Dayan with first wife Aharona Melkind; writer Lior Dayan with second wife, actress Caroline Langford, daughter of Barry Langford, and Assia Neumann Dayan after a short affair with Augusta Neumann. In 1999, his third wife, ceramic artist Vered Tandler Dayan, made a documentary film about him, Living, Period.

In March 2009, Dayan was indicted on suspicion of drug use and beating his girlfriend. In the wake of an earlier conviction for possession of drugs, he received a suspended sentence and 200 hours of community work as part of a plea bargain. Dayan admitted at the time that he was in possession of cocaine for personal use.