Gil Ofarim

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

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 to international success in May 1998.[1]

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. Starting in 2005, Gil was the lead singer of Zoo Army. Zoo Army consisted of Gil, Tal (his brother), Roland S?ns and Dominik Scholz. They released their first single "I'm Alive" and album 507 in the first half of 2006.

In 2010, Gil formed another band,"Acht" which focuses on a driving hard rock sound. Acht's debut album, "Stell dir vor," is entirely in German, reflecting a new domestic-marketing approach.

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 D?bbelin 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.

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

Although Gil is virtually unknown in mainstream United States, he has an impressive underground fan following.