[1] Cohen, who was born in Alexandria, Egypt, moved to Mandatory Palestine (present-day Israel) with his parents when he was just 5 years old.

Cohen was best known for his starring role as Abu Rami, an Arab Israeli restaurant owner, on the sitcom HaMis'ada HaGdola, from 1985 until 1988.

[2] The show, which aired for three seasons, was created to appeal to both Jewish and non-Jewish television viewers in the surrounding region.

[2] Cohen, who was already an accomplished stage and television actor before HaMis'ada HaGdola, became so identified with his iconic role of Abu Rahmi that he later became a spokesperson for a major brand of hummus.

[2] The dialogue for his best known role as restaurateur Abu Rahmi on HaMis'ada HaGdola was mostly in Arabic, but also required lines in Hebrew, as well as other languages, including Japanese and Yiddish.