Angela Bassett started her film career in 1985 with the film Back to the Future.
Gidean Rafael -LRB- גדעון רפאל 1913 -- February 10 , 1999 -RRB- was an Israeli diplomat and one of the founders of the Israeli Foreign Ministry .. diplomat. diplomat. Israeli Foreign Ministry. Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( Israel ). He was born Gideon Ruffer in Germany to a Jewish family , the son of a prosperous furrier .. Germany. Germany. He studied law at the University of Berlin .. University of Berlin. Humboldt University of Berlin. In 1933 , when the Nazis rose to power in Germany , he escaped to France , where he studied at an agricultural school in Toulouse , and in 1934 , he made aliyah to Palestine , where he was one of the founders of kibbutz HaZore'a .. Germany. Germany. France. France. Toulouse. Toulouse. aliyah. aliyah. HaZore'a. HaZore'a. Rafael joined the Haganah , and was a commander during the 1936 -- 39 Arab revolt in Palestine .. Haganah. Haganah. He was later sent to Europe on missions to help illegally smuggle European Jews into Palestine , in defiance of British immigration restrictions .. In 1940 , he was sent to Rhodes by the Haganah to negotiate with a representative of Adolf Eichmann for the transfer of German Jews to Palestine .. Haganah. Haganah. Rhodes. Rhodes. Adolf Eichmann. Adolf Eichmann. He discussed a plan to have 40,000 German Jews sent to Palestine via Rhodes , but the plan fell apart after Italy , which then ruled Rhodes , entered World War II .. Rhodes. Rhodes. Italy. Italy. World War II. World War II. During World War II , he enlisted in the British Army , and fought in the Syria-Lebanon Campaign .. World War II. World War II. British Army. British Army. Syria-Lebanon Campaign. Syria-Lebanon Campaign. After he was discharged in 1943 , he began working for the Jewish Agency .. Jewish Agency. Jewish Agency for Israel. He worked in intelligence , as a liaison with Allied forces and Jewish populations in Europe .. In 1945 , he assisted in preparing the Jewish case for the Nuremberg Trials .. Nuremberg Trials. Nuremberg Trials. He also directed efforts to recover lost Jewish property in Europe .. In 1947 , he became a member of the Jewish Agency 's delegation to the United Nations .. Jewish Agency. Jewish Agency for Israel. United Nations. United Nations. Upon Israeli independence in 1948 , he was one of three founding members of the Israeli Foreign Ministry , along with Moshe Sharett , Israel 's first Foreign Minister , and a secretary .. Israel. Israel. Israeli Foreign Ministry. Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( Israel ). Israeli independence. Israeli Declaration of Independence. Moshe Sharett. Moshe Sharett. Rafael served as an aide to Sharett , and subsequently became an adviser to the Israeli delegation at the United Nations .. United Nations. United Nations. In 1953 , he returned to Israel , and was in charge of United Nations and Middle Eastern affairs at the Israeli Foreign Ministry until 1957 .. Israel. Israel. Israeli Foreign Ministry. Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( Israel ). United Nations. United Nations. He conducted secret negotiations with Arab officials , and maintained these secret contacts into the 1970s .. In 1957 , he was appointed Israel 's ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg , and permanent observer in European and UN institutions in Geneva .. Israel. Israel. Belgium. Belgium. Luxembourg. Luxembourg. Geneva. Geneva. He served in these positions until 1960 .. In 1967 , he became Israeli ambassador to the UN , and was serving in this position during the Six-Day War .. Six-Day War. Six-Day War. In 1968 , he returned to Israel , and was Director-General of the Foreign Ministry until 1972 .. Israel. Israel. In 1973 , he was appointed Israel 's ambassador to the United Kingdom , and served in this position until 1977 , when he returned to Israel and retired .. Israel. Israel. United Kingdom. United Kingdom. He subsequently published a book about his career .. Rafael died in 1999 at the age of 85 .. As he had willed that his body be donated to science after his death , there was no funeral .. Rafael married Nurit Weissberg , and the couple had a son , Amnon , and two daughters , Michal and Ruth .. At the time of his death , he had seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren .