Mili Avital (Hebrew: מילי אביטל; born 30 March 1972) is an Israeli-American actress. Avital built an international career, starting in her native Israel, starring on stage, film and television, winning the Israeli Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1992, and nominated for Best Actress in 1994. That year she moved to New York and started to work almost immediately in America. She has maintained her career in both countries since.
Avital was born in Jerusalem, the daughter of graphic designers Noni and Iko Avital. Her family is Jewish. She was raised in Tel Aviv and Ra'anana. She attended the Thelma Yellin High School of Arts in Givatayim.
In 1993 she arrived in New York City to study acting at the Circle in the Square Theatre School. The following year, discovered by an agent while working as a waitress, she was cast as the female lead in the 1994 science fiction film Stargate, for which she received a Sci-fi Universe award. She has appeared in films such as Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man opposite Johnny Depp, Doug Ellin's Kissing a Fool opposite David Schwimmer, Polish Wedding opposite Claire Danes, and Robert Benton's The Human Stain opposite Anthony Hopkins. In 1999, she portrayed a Bosnian rape victim in the pilot episode of the long-running NBC legal drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Avital appeared in three other episodes of the series: "Parasites", "Manhattan Vigil", and "Depravity Standard". She also appeared in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Palimpsest". Her television work includes Scheherazade in the Emmy-nominated ABC miniseries Arabian Nights to rave reviews, Jon Avnet’s Uprising, and After the Storm . In 2009-2010 Avital appeared in the FX TV show Damages, in a recurring role as the mistress to the husband of Patty Hewes (Glenn Close). She recently appeared in the 2012 ABC television series 666 Park Avenue.