British-born Israeli actress Caroline Langford dies at 68 after battle with cancer

Caroline Langford, the British-born Israeli actress known for her roles in 1980s Israeli cinema and her marriage to the late actor-director Assi Dayan, died on Friday at age 68 after a battle with cancer. Langford, born in London in 1958, moved to Israel at 14 and became a familiar face in popular films, winning the Kinor David Award for Best Actress for her role in Dayan's 1982 film "King for a Day." She is survived by her husband, son, and daughter.

Caroline Langford, the British-born Israeli actress who became a prominent figure in Israeli cinema during the 1980s and was married to the late actor and director Assi Dayan, died on Friday at the age of 68 after a battle with cancer. Born in London in 1958, Langford was the daughter of British television director Barry Langford and moved to Israel with her family when she was 14. After beginning her career as a singer and entertaining soldiers during her army service, she became one of the best-known actresses in Israeli popular cinema of the period. She appeared in several of the hugely popular hidden-camera prank movies associated with Yehuda Barkan and Yigal Shilon, among them "Smile, You've Been Had," "We'll Meet Around the Bend," and "We'll Meet at the Beach." Her other Israeli films included Nadav Levitan's "Girls," "A Crazy Dad," and Dayan's "Am Yisrael Hai." She also had a role in the popular Menahem Golan action movie "The Delta Force," with Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin. One of her most significant roles was the female lead in Dayan's 1982 film "King for a Day," for which she won the Kinor David Award for Best Actress. Langford and Dayan, the son of former Israeli defense minister Moshe Dayan, fell in love during the production and later married. Their son, writer and television personality Leore Dayan, has described himself as literally a "product of Israeli film." Langford and Dayan eventually divorced, although their relationship and their often-turbulent family life remained the subject of intense public interest for years. Dayan died in 2014. Langford spoke in interviews about leaving Israel and placing Leore in foster care when he was very young, saying she now understands she suffered from postpartum depression, and that she and her son eventually became close. She also said that she and Dayan eventually had a good relationship after their divorce. Langford eventually settled in Los Angeles and remarried. She continued to work periodically in Israeli television, including a role in the comedy series "Sisters." She is survived by her husband, Gil Bankstein, her son Leore Dayan, and her daughter, Daniela.