Ralph Inbar
1938-2004
In Memoriam
About Ralph Inbar
TV-producer, director and on-air personality Ralph Inbar (1938-2004) was born in The Hague, The Netherlands, survived the Holocaust and moved to Israel after finishing high-school in 1956. There he joined a kibbutz and studied at the prestigious art academy Bezalel in Jerusalem, after having served in the Israeli army.
He started his television career in 1963 after moving to Paris and working at French state television ORTF, directing legendary music artists such as Jacques Brel, Gilbert Bécaud and Johnny Halliday.
Two years later he was “discovered” by Dutch & German TV-star Rudi Carrell, who wanted Ralph to direct his top-rated “The Rudi Carrell Show” in Holland, Ralph’s native country.
He produced and directed Holland’s first pop-music series: “Fanclub” featuring many world-famous pop-stars i.e. Jimmy Hendrix, Tom Jones, Cliff Richard and the Beatles.
In 1968 he relocated back to Israel and joined the founders of Israel Television, producing and directing Israel’s very first and highly-rated entertainment shows.
From 1972 on he produced and directed countless music series and specials for TROS TV/Holland and for other European TV-Stations. Featuring legendary artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Ross, Michel Legrand, Gilbert Bécaud, Charles Aznavour, Olivia Newton-John, the Count Basie and Lionel Hampton Orchestras.
Besides being a producer and director, in 1980 he also became the host of Holland’s most popular hidden camera show “Bananasplit” and founded his own TV production company Funchannel in 1987. He created various formats such as “Selfportrait “Take 2” and ”TV-Masqué (TeleMasquerade)” for which he was awarded the prestigious Golden Rose of Montreux in 1992.
Ralph was also the Artistic Director of the 1999 Eurovision Songcontest in Jerusalem and later on divided his time between working and living in the Netherlands and in Israel.
Ralph Inbar’s shows were amongst Holland’s most watched and highly appreciated programs, he continued working on TV shows until he passed away at the age of 65 in 2004. He leaves behind a legacy of high-quality TV formats that are still being produced today.