Gil Ofarim

Infobox musical artist
Name = Gil Ofarim

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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Gil Doron Reichstadt Ofarim
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1982|8|13
flagicon|GermanyMunich, Bavaria, Germany
Died =
Origin =
Instrument = Electric guitar
Voice_type =
Genre = Pop Rock
Occupation = Singer
Years_active = 1997 - present
Label = Neo-Ne / SonyBMG
Associated_acts = Zoo Army
The Moffatts
URL = http://www.gilofarim.de/
Notable_instruments =

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

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 in May 1998 and was very successful in several Asian countries, including Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore. He became the first musician to have three singles ("Never Giving Up Now," "Talk To You," and "If You Only Knew" - a collaboration with The Moffatts) on Thailand's Top 5 simultaneously. [ [http://www.yongsi.com/gil] Gil Ofarim fan site. URL referenced August 27, 2007.]

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, as well as his physical appearance.

Since June 2005 Gil is the lead singer of Zoo Army. Zoo Army consists 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.

He is also active as an actor and played the part of Christoph in the Pro7-Production "Endlich Sex! (Finally Sex!)" in 2004 and Stefan Döbbelin in the TV two-part "Sturmflut, Die (The Storm Tide)" in 2006. His latest role is Max in the psycho-thriller "Strip Mind" which opened in Germany on January 3, 2007.

Gil speaks German, Hebrew, and English. He sings in English.

Although Gil is virtually unknown in the United States, he has an impressive underground fan following. He had a brief surge in popularity in the late 1990s when Hanson fans noticed that Gil's younger brother, Tal, bore a strong resemblance to Zac Hanson.

His Israeli father, Abi Ofarim, was a star in his own right, a folk artist, who had a group with his first wife Esther Ofarim. Gil's mother, Sandy, is Abi's third wife.

Discography

Albums

* "Here I Am" (1998)
* "Children Of The World" (1998)
* "The Album" (2000)
* "The Best Of Gil ... So Far" (2001)
* "On My Own" (2003)
* "507" (Zoo Army) (2006)
* "507 Limited Edition" (Zoo Army) (2006)

ingles

* "Round'n'Round (It Goes)" (1997)
* "Never Giving Up Now" (1998)
* "If You Only Knew" (featuring The Moffats) (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)
* "The Reason" (2003)
* "She" (2003 - not released)
* "In Your Eyes" (2004)
* "I'm Alive" (Zoo Army) (2006)

External links

* [http://www.gilofarim.de Official website]
* [http://www.zooarmy.com/ Official Zoo Army website]

References