Israeli actor Alon Aboutboul has died after collapsing on a beach, local sources confirmed on Tuesday. 

The 60-year-old actor had been swimming in the waters off HaBonim beach in northern Israel before he returned to the shore and collapsed in front of shocked tourists. 

It is reported that Aboutboul, known for his roles in films such as Rambo III and The Dark Knight Rises, initially mentioned feeling unwell after getting back to the beach. 

Paramedics attempted to resuscitate the actor at the scene after a call was placed at after a call at 8.22am, but were unable to save his life. 

Aboutboul is survived by his partner Shir Bilya, an Israeli writer and director, and their four children. 

Paying tribute to Aboutboul on the social media platform X, Israeli Culture and Sport Minister Miki Zohar expressed that it was “deeply painful” to learn of his passing.

Israeli actor Alon Aboutboul has died after collapsing on a beach, local sources confirmed on Tuesday.

Aboutboul’s film credits included Batman epic The Dark Knight Rises, in which he played Russian nuclear physicist Dr. Pavel (pictured)

His first Hollywood break came in 1988, with the actor taking a small role as Nissem in Peter MacDonald’s 1988 blockbuster Rambo III (pictured)

He wrote: ‘Last night I watched an interview with him, where he talked about filming a movie he recently participated in, and the passion for the profession that radiated from him was evident even after so many years in the field. 

‘Alon was an Ophir Award and Television Academy Award winner and over the years portrayed a wide range of characters to which he brought depth and emotion, leaving a deep mark on Israeli culture. May his memory be blessed.’

A popular tourist destination because of its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, the 4.5 kilometre HaBonim beach strip is considered to be one of the most rugged coastal areas in Israel. 

Born in 1964 to a Sephardic Jewish family in Kiryat Ata, Aboutboul began his acting career as a teenager after graduating from Thelma Yellin High School of Arts in 1983.

His first Hollywood break came just five years later, with the actor taking a small role as Nissem in Peter MacDonald’s 1988 blockbuster Rambo III, starring alongside Sylvester Stallone. 

Further screen roles included that of a soldier Steven Spielberg’s critically acclaimed drama Munich, a 2005 rendering of Mossad’s response to 1972 Olympics massacre.

He also featured alongside Joshua Jackson in cult science fiction show Fringe, before the actor landed a pivotal role in Christopher Nolan’s final Batman offering. 

Starring alongside Christian Bale and Tom Hardy, Aboutboul played Dr. Leonid Pavel – the Russian nuclear physicist kidnapped by Batman nemesis Bane in 2012 blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises. 

Aboutboul is survived by his partner Shir Bilya, an Israeli writer and director, and their four children (pictured with Bilya at the New York premiere of The Dark Knight Rises in 2012) 

The late actor is pictured alongside three of his children at Hollywood’s ArcLight Theatre in 2016

After hijacking the CIA plane upon which Pavel is a passenger in the film’s opening scene, Bane – memorably played by Hardy – is heard telling his terrified captive: ‘Calm down, doctor. Now is not the time for fear. That comes later.’ 

Recent TV credits include US dramas Homeland, Body of Lies, NCIS Los Angeles and SVU.

Until 2022 he worked alongside Damson Idris in Showtime crime-drama Snowfall, playing Avi Drexler – an Israeli drug-lord with links to Mossad. 

He left the show after featuring in 25 episodes of the hit show, across five seasons.  

Across his 42-year career – much of it spent working in Israeli film and television – Aboutboul won numerous accolades, among them the Ophir Award and an Israeli Television Academy Award. 

Until 2022 he starred in crime-drama Snowfall, playing Avi Drexler – an Israeli drug-lord with links to Mossad (pictured)

He was back on the big screen alongside Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman in 2015 blockbuster London Has Fallen (pictured)