As a child Gila Golan was found orphaned, wandering in a Polish town
at the end of World War II. She was adopted by a family, sent to a
French boarding school, and finally sent with other refugee youngsters
to a kibbutz in Israel; along the way she acquired the name "Miriam
Goldenburg." In 1961 she won the Miss Israel beauty contest; taking
the name Gila Golan, later that year she placed second in the Miss
World competition in London. It was in London that she met Columbia
Pictures executive William Cohan and his wife, who came to view her as
their foster daughter; they sponsored her move to Hollywood and
entrance into films. Golan debuted onscreen in 1965, playing leads in
a handful of Hollywood films during the late '60s. ~ All Movie Guide |
