Assaf Cohen (born October 31, 1972) is an American actor. Born in Mountain View, California and raised in Palo Alto, California, Cohen is of Yemenite, Russian, and Israeli descent. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a BA degree in Integrative Biology. Initially planning to attend medical school, Cohen decided to pursue a career in acting instead.
Cohen's early career included work at various regional theaters in California, such as The Magic, Marin Shakespeare Company, Marin Theatre Company, TheatreWorks, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, and PCPA Theaterfest. He then moved to the East Coast to earn an MFA in acting from the Professional Actors Training Program at Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts. Later, Cohen relocated to Los Angeles, where he performed at South Coast Repertory and began a career in film and television.
Cohen was born in Mountain View, California and raised in Palo Alto, California, where his family settled after living for a number of years in Israel.[citation needed] He is of Yemenite, Russian and Israeli descent.[citation needed] Cohen graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a BA degree in Integrative Biology.[citation needed] Foregoing earlier plans of attending medical school, he instead pursued professional acting.[citation needed]
Cohen worked for a few years at regional theaters such as The Magic, Marin Shakespeare Company, Marin Theatre Company, TheatreWorks, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, and PCPA Theaterfest. He then next moved east and earned an MFA degree in acting from the Professional Actors Training Program at Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts, where he studied under New York Acting teachers William Esper, Maggie Flanigan and Deborah Hedwall. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he performed at theaters including South Coast Repertory and began his career in film and television.