Uzi Baram was born in Jerusalem to a political-literary family. His father, Moshe Baram, was the Minister of Labor in the first Rabin government (1974-1977), and one of the leaders of the Labor Party. His son, Nir Baram, is an accomplished writer, whose books have been translated into many languages. His brother, Haim, is a journalist and writer, part of the non-Zionist left.

Uzi served as the National Chairman of the Student Union, following which he was the first chairman of the Labor Party’s youth organization. From 1977-2001 served in the Israeli Knesset, where he was active in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, particularly on its sub-committees. From 1984-89 he was the Secretary General of the Labor Party, leading the party’s democratization. In the Rabin and Peres governments he served as Minister of Tourism, at one point also doubling as Minister of the Interior.

On retiring from the Knesset, he became Chairman of the Board of the Beit Lessin Theater, serving in this capacity for 12 years. He was also a partner in a political and media consultancy firm. In 2009 his novel At Night’s End was released, about Jerusalem during his childhood years, prior to the establishment of the state. Baram regularly publishes articles in Haaretz.