Middle East actors

Karim Abdel Aziz was born in Egypt on 17-8-1975. He was raised by his father the director Mohamed Abdel Aziz who has a valuable history in the Egyptian cinema; hence the technical environment in which he grew up had a prominent role in the ease of entry and work in the field of cinematography. Karim graduated from the Academy of Arts in 1997 as a director; he worked as an assistant director for a brief period until he discovered that he felt pleasure to stand in front of the camera and by then he decided to enter the world of acting.

Hiam Abbass, also Hiyam Abbas, is a Palestinian actress and film director. Abbass was born in Nazareth, Israel, to a Muslim Arab family. She was raised in the village of Deir Hanna. Since the late 1980s, she has lived in Paris and holds French citizenship. During the filming of the Steven Spielberg film Munich (2005), Abbass lived in a hotel with the Palestinian Arab and Israeli actors for three months. During that time, they had many discussions that "helped both sides grow closer." In an interview in 2006, Abbass said, "I still remember how difficult it was for the Arab actors to manhandle the Israeli actors in the first scene where the Israeli national team is taken hostage."

Hany Adel is known for Clash (2016), Hidden Strike (2023) and Tito (2004).

Saleh Bakri was born on 1 March 1977 in Jaffa, Israel. He is an actor, known for The Band's Visit (2007), The Teacher (2023) and The Present (2020).

She is a French film and television actress, best known for her roles in Tout ce qui brille (2007) and, in 2006, Paris, je t'aime and Sheitan.

She has already been nominated for 9 awards and won 4, including a César (french movies award) in 2012 as most promising actress.

She met her husband on the set of the movie "Un Prophète"(2008).

Hafsia Herzi , born in Manosque, is a French actress and director. She grew up in Marseille.

Hafsia Herzi, of Tunisian origin by her father and Algerian by her mother, is the youngest of a family of four children (two brothers and a sister, Dalila).

In 2019, she released her first feature film as a director, You deserve a love , followed by Bonne Mère two years later.

Hafsia Herzi was only 13 years old when she landed a role, albeit a minor one, in Notes sur le rire, a TV movie for France 3 adapted from the novel by Marcel Pagnol. She followed this up with a few extra roles, and auditioned for the series Plus belle la vie and Sous le soleil; trials at the end of which she was not selected.

It was in 2005 that her luck changed for the young actress: her meeting with Abdellatif Kechiche proved decisive, as he offered her the lead role in La Graine et le mulet, in which she brilliantly and sincerely played the character of Rym. A first try, a master stroke: Hafsia Herzi won the Marcello Mastroianni Prize at the 64th Venice Film Festival in 2007, and the César for the Best Female Hopeful (meilleur espoir féminin) in early 2008.

Having never taken acting classes, she left Marseille and moved to Paris, where she enrolled in law at the university, took acting classes at the conservatory and even took diction classes to soften her Mediterranean accent. She decided to devote herself exclusively to the cinema, and quickly obtained the main roles in Française and L'Aube du monde, for which she learned Iraqi. In 2009, she plays under the direction of Francis Huster in Un homme et son chien, alongside Jean-Paul Belmondo before sharing the star with Jacques Dutronc for the fourth film of Xavier De Choudens: Joseph et la fille.

The year 2011 seems to be the year of consecration for the young actress because we find it in the poster of four films and not least: Jimmy Rivière's Teddy Lussi-Modeste, Le Chat du rabbin where she lends himself to the exercise of dubbing, L' Apollonide - souvenirs de la maison - close de Bertrand Bonello et La Source des femmes by Radu Mihaileanu, alongside the much sought after Leïla Bekhti. In Hiam Abbass' Héritage, the actress plays the rebellious Hajar, the youngest daughter of the Arab family at the center of the film.

More and more present on the screens, Hafsia Herzi multiplies projects and her roles gain importance, like her performances in Fugues marocaines, Le Sac de farine, Certifiée halal or Sex Doll. She also collaborates again with Abdellatif Kechiche on the two controversial Mektoub, my love. The actress also tastes the joys of the thriller via Persona non grata by Roschdy Zem, in which she gives the line to Nicolas Duvauchelle and Raphael Personnaz.

In 2019, the actress directs her first feature film, Tu mérites un amour, in which she also plays the lead role.

Biyouna was born in Belcourt (Alger, Algeria) in 1954 during the war of liberation against France. Her sister was a famous singer known as Leila Djazaria. Her mother was selling tickets in a famous theater "le Dounyazad". As a little girl she often watched famous Egyptian singers and actresses at this cinema, that's why she decided to start belly dancing when she was 14 in the most famous cabarets of Alger. In 1973 while she was visiting Algerian television studios, director Mustapha Badie noticed her "big mouth". He was looking for an actress an important part of a television series "La Grande Maison", based on a trilogy by Algerian writer Mohamed Dib. Biyouna made a test and she was the best. She mostly worked for Algerian television and did some one-woman shows all over Algeria even when the terrorism was at its top. She had never leave her native country until director Nadir Mokneche asked her for the role of Meriem in "Le Harem De madame Osmane" in 1999, filmed in Morocco, but supposed to be Algeria during terrorism. She's still living in popular Alger, Bab el Oued, where she's a star. Now she's working in both France and Algeria for television and cinema.

Born in 1940, Mohamed Majd took his first steps on the stage in the late 1950s. After 10 years acting in theaters, he turned to the cinema and acted in the shorts of Abdelmajid R'chich then alongside Anthony Quinn in the historical epic : The Message (1975), Moustapha Akkad. Renowned Moroccan actor at the age of 47, he gained international fame, By Casting Director Ahmed Boulane to play along side with John Hurt in a Richard Stroud movie Deadline. and in Philippe de Broca The Thousand and One Nights (1989). Then Nabil Ayouch's Ali Zawa gives him his big come back to the Morrocan Cinema.

He died due to respiratory difficulties, at the age of 73.

Maged El-Kidwani was born on 10 December 1967 in Shobra, Cairo, Egypt. He is an actor, known for Cairo 678 (2010), Saa'a wi Nos (2012) and Hibta: El-Muhadharah el-Akhirah (2016).

Suheir Hammad was born on 25 October 1973 in Amman, Jordan. She is a writer and actress, known for Salt of This Sea (2008), When I Stretch Forth Mine Hand (2009) and What I Will (2013).

Nadine Labaki was born on 18 February 1974 in Beirut, Lebanon. She is an actress and director, known for Where Do We Go Now? (2011), Capernaum (2018) and Caramel (2007). She has been married to Khaled Mouzanar since October 2007.

Yasmine Al Massri is an international actress, contemporary artist and dancer. Born in Lebanon, from a Palestinian father and an Egyptian mother. At age 20, she moved to Paris to study, and graduated from the prestigious L'Ecole des Beaux Arts de Paris in Multimedia and live performances.

Her artistic interdisciplinary career began in dancing, when in 2000 she joined the Thouraya Baghdadi's Dance company in Paris. Inspired by great choreographers, she explored classical and innovative ways of performing Arab repertoire and opened herself to world folklore, Flamenco, Salsa and African dance. Shortly afterwards she created her own personal style of performance and directed herself in numerous performance videos that have been seen in performance arts festivals around the world.

Al Massri's first big break as an actress was in the award-winning Lebanese film "Caramel" written and directed by Nadine Labaki. At the 2007 Cannes Film Festival it generated tremendous critical acclaim and went on to be the most successful Arab film to date. It also got Al Massri a best actress award with the film's ensemble of actresses at the Abu Dhabi International Film Festival, and later a nomination at the Asia Pacific Screen Award 2007.

In 2008, director Najwa al Najjar cast Yasmine in the lead role of her award winning film "Pomegranates and Myrrh" alongside Hiam Abbass. The film opened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009 and Yasmine went on to win the Youssef Chahine Best Actress award for her performance at the Rabat International Film Festival.

In 2010 Yasmine starred in Julian Schnabel's internationally acclaimed film," Miral", alongside Vanessa Redgrave, Hiam Abbas, Frieda Pinto and Willem Dafoe. Her latest movie "The Last Friday", won the best film award at the Dubai International Film Festival 2011.

More recently, Yasmine was seen as a series regular opposite John Malkovich in the NBC series Crossbones and also as a series regular in the ABC series Quantico.

In 2015, Variety included her on their list of breakout performances, which also included the likes of Rami Malek, Aziz Ansari, Titus Burgess, Taraji P. Henson, Ben Mendelsohn and more.

Abdellatif Kechiche was born on 7 December 1960 in Tunis, Tunisia. He is a writer and director, known for Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013), Games of Love and Chance (2003) and The Secret of the Grain (2007).

Sabrina Ouazani was born on 6 December 1988 in Saint Denis, France. She is an actress and director, known for The Past (2013), Games of Love and Chance (2003) and Paris (2008).

Hend Sabry is a Cairo-based Tunisian actress and lawyer. She was born in Tunis on 20th November and received her license in law at the Faculty of Law of Tunis in 2001. Later she completed her masters in law intellectual property and copyright in 2004. Her acting debut was at the age of fourteen in the Tunisian production "Les Silences du Palais" (Silence of Palaces) in 1994. After starring a number of Tunisian productions, Hend's breakthrough was through "Muzakirat Murahiqua" (A Teenager's Diary) that was considered the most controversial film in 2002. Her role gave her immediate stardom across the Arab world and in a short span of time she became one of the most prominent Tunisian actresses in Egypt and the Arab world. Sabry is prominently involved in social and humanitarian work; since 2009, she has been working closely with the UN World Food Programme on raising awareness about hunger in the region. In 2010, Sabry had officially become a WFP Regional Ambassador. She is also one of four women who have contributed in the Facebook campaign inspired by the Arab spring titled "The Uprising of Women in the Arab World" which promotes gender equality in accordance with the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights and calls to grant freedom, independence and security for Arab women."

Egyptian actor Khaled Nabawy managed to quickly grab audiences attention and film critics respect through his choice of material, following his discovery by famous director, Youssef Chahine. He presented Khaled as the Hollywood's way in making stars, he put him in the best view and allowed the camera to love him.

Khaled has already played comedian, dramatic and villain roles. He is a cinema lover, working about 12 hours daily to reach the role's depth

Forty-years ago. Youssef Shahin presented the new actor (Omar El Sherif) in (Struggle in the valley) 1954, and brought to light the first universal Egyptian star, and here he is doing it again in 1994 by presenting (Khaled El Nabawy) in the (Emigrant) and bringing to light a new universal star, He may pass all the expectancies.

Hasan El-Raddad is known for Kheyanah Mashruah (2006), Gawazah Miri (2014) and At Gunpoint (2022). He has been married to Amy Samir Ghanem since 4 November 2016.

Mohamed Ramadan began acting while at school. He has received the award for greatest nationwide talent three times consecutively - an unprecedented achievement. He started his career with small roles in TV series like "The Cinderella," until he had his big break in Yousry Nasrallah's "Ehky Ya Scheherazade" (Scheherazade, Tell me a story). He then went on to star in blockbusters produced by the the famous Egyptian producers Mohamed and Ahmed El Sobky, which made him one of the most valuable actors in the middle east. Mohamed Ramadan is perhaps the only Egyptian actor to have been praised by the internationally renowned performer 'Omar El-Sherif who stated that he had chosen Mohamed to perpetuate his acting legacy.

Hani Salama was born on 4 July 1977 in Cairo, Egypt. He is an actor and composer, known for Control Room (2004), The Other (1999) and Ouija (2006). He is married to Riham Salama. They have two children.

Bassem Samra, a renowned, award wining, Egyptian Actor, born on May, 24th,1971 , has started his Acting career in 1990 with late director Mr. Youssef Chahine. After that, he starred in the feature film, Al Madina, where he depicted an unforgettable character. Mr. Samra has earned a place among the top Actors in the Middle East, and his won awards from International Festivals, and worked with directors of high caliber. His role in 'Yacoubian Building", followed by the series, "Asia" and "Zat" have showcased his unsurpassed talent and versatility. Other notable films are, After the Battle, Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Face, and The Farah.

Khaled El-Sawi was born on 25 November 1963 in Alexandria, Egypt. He is an actor and assistant director, known for The Blue Elephant (2014), El Farah (2009) and The Yacoubian Building (2006).

Nahed El Sebaï is an Egyptian young actress, she was born in Cairo, Egypt 25 May 1987,into a family considered to be one of Egypt's pioneers in the cinema industry, AS She is the granddaughter of the well-known Egyptian actor Farid Shawqi and his wife the famous Egyptian singer and actress Huda Sultan, Her mother is the producer Nahed Farid Shawqi and her aunt is Rania Farid Shawqi, the well-known actress. Nahed had participated in many Film and television business, She also participated in the global film entitled «After the Battle» won at Cannes in 2012.

With a significantly eminent talent and undeniable powerful presence, Menna Shalaby managed to establish a name for herself in the cinema and television industries early on, thanks to her exceptional talent and commanding attitude. She rose to become one of the most recognized, admired, and sought-after Arab cinema and television actresses.

Menna began her acting career in 2001 with a role in Hadeeth Al Sabah Wal Masaa, one of the most popular and widely viewed television dramas at the time (Morning and Evening Talk). This was only the beginning of her meteoric climb to stardom, as she soon landed roles in well-known films and television series.

Her natural charm and acting talent, which shone through in each of her performances, catapulted her to unprecedented heights in her career. She has flourished in a wide range of genres, including romance, drama, thrillers, and comedy, due to her incredibly diverse aptitude and acting ability.

Menna performed a variety of roles in comedy, drama, action, and romance films. Her famous cinematic roles include El Saher (The Magician) (2001), Baheb El Cima (I Love Cinema) (2004), Ahla al Awqat (Best of Times) (2004), Heya Fawda (Chaos) (2007), screened at Venice International Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival, Al Ma' wal Khodra wal Wajh al Hassan (Brooks, Meadows and Lovely Faces) (2016), screened at Locarno Festival, Baad El Mawkeaa (After the Battle) (2012), screened at Cannes Film Festival, Microphone (2010), Nawara (2015), as well as Marwan Hamed's hits, Al Aslyeen (The Originals) (2017), and Diamond Dust (2018), which won three awards at the 1st Casablanca Arab Film Festival in Morocco. The film generated more than 32 million EGP (1.8 million USD).

Keen on supporting emerging filmmakers, Shalaby performed the lead role in director Adam Abd ElGhaffar's short film Fork and Knife, which competed in the Short Films Competition at the 2nd El Gouna Film Festival in 2018. Furthermore, Menna's filmography includes Khayal Ma'ata (Scarecrow)(2019), which marks her reunion with Ahmed Helmy after 11 years of their first work together in sorry for the disturbance (2008).

Shalaby's most successful TV roles include Neeran Sadeeqa (Friendly Fire) (2013), Haret El Yahoud (Jewish Quarter) (2015), and Wahet El Ghoroub (2017). Aside from her acting profession, Menna has participated in various charity initiatives for persons with disabilities, raising awareness about the difficulties these people experience in Egyptian society.

Menna has previously won numerous awards at local and international film festivals, including the Faten Hamama Excellence Award at the 41st Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), where she was also hosted in an in-conversation moderated by American film critic Jay Weissberg on the sidelines of the CIFF, where she reflected on her acting career and milestones along the way. She also won the Best Actress Award at the Egyptian National Film Festival for her roles in El Saher (2001) and An El Eshq Wel Hawaa (2006), as well as the Arabian Cinema Awards (ACA) and the Arab Star Festival for her role in Diamond Dust (2018), as well as the Dubai, Tetouan, Oran, and Cairo Film Society festivals for her role in Nawara (2015), and the Egyptian Catholic Center Cinema Festival for her role in Banat West El Balad (2005), for which she also won a Special Award at the Damascus International Film Festival.

Menna was also voted 'Best Actress' by the public in a number of surveys held by Arab and Egyptian publications and radio stations. In addition, she was honored by the Tetouan International Mediterranean Film Festival in Morocco and received an Honorary Award at the Aswan International Women Film Festival (AIWFF) in 2019 for her remarkable cinematic career in Egypt and the Arab globe.

She also received multiple honors for her television roles, including the Critic's Award for Best Actress at the Arab Satellite Channels Festival for her performance in Wahet El Ghoroub (2017).

Menna has also served on juries for some of the world's most prestigious film festivals, including the Cairo International Film Festival, the Carthage Film Festival (Official Competition), the Malmö Arab Film Festival in Sweden (Feature-Length and Short Film Competition), and the El Gouna Film Festival (Feature Narrative Competition).

Menna Shalaby showed a strong presence online by having three different hit projects which premiered on ShahidVIP. Every Week Has a Friday, which led her to become the first Arab actress to be nominated for an International Emmy Award; Nemra Etnein drama series, in which she starred in an episode, under the title: Awel Embareh (The Day Before Yesterday), opposite Ahmed Malek, directed by Mohamed Shaker and written by Mariam Naoum. And last but not least, the second season of Leh La'a (Why Not?) which was written by Mariam Naoum and directed by Mariam Abou Ouf, the series received huge audience acclaim and won Menna an honorary mention at the Egyptian Catholic Center Cinema Festival.

In 2021, she collaborated with OPPO on the Reno6 Series ad, with the theme "Every Emotion, In Portrait." The goal of this campaign is to urge people to treasure their treasured experiences and memories. The promotional campaign included a short film titled "Photograph: The Space Between Us," starring Menna Shalaby and Nabil Issa.

Menna's most recent projects include Al'Ins W AlNems (2021), in which she co-stars with comedian Mohamed Heneidy. As well as, two box office hits; El Gareema (The Crime), starring Ahmed Ezz and directed by Sherif Arafa, and Men Agl Ziko, starring Kareem Mahmoud Abdel Aziz and directed by Peter Mimi, the film is now available for streaming on Netflix.

Her latest 15 episode series Betlou' Al-Rouh', directed by Kamla Abou Zekry, screened in Ramadan 2022 on MBC and ShahidVIP, garnered her the Best Actress Award at the 2022 Cairo Drama Festival and Best Actress Award in The Arab World at the 2022 Murex D'or ceremony.

Shalaby's latest work is Shahid's TAGHYEER GAW series, which aired during the 2023 Ramdan season to terrific audience reception. Earlier in 2023, the megastar was also honored at the second edition of the Cairo Drama Festival alongside directors Kamla Abo Zekri and Peter Mimi, as well as acclaimed actors Maged El-Kidwany, Mona Zaki, and Karim Abdelaziz.

As for the Ramadan 2024 race, Shalaby will be opting for the radio instead of the small screen; the star is hosting a radio series titled BEIT OM EL GHOLAM airing on NRJ, Egypt's 92.1 radio station. The series is directed by Moustafa Mounir and written by Mohamed Ismail.

Although she had no interest at all on being an actress, Mona Zaki is now a remarkable leading star. Mona started her career in acting accidentally, when she met Mohamed Sobhi, the famous Egyptian Actor and Director. Mona is a Mass Communication student at the fourth grade. Her dream is to prove herself as a good actress. She wants to make good remarkable roles in her career as a Super Star. 'There is a lot to do'.

Nelly Karim is an Egyptian actress, fashion model and ballerina. She was born December 18, 1974 in Alexandria, Egypt for An Egyptian father and Russian Mother. Nelly Karim has drawn attention for her 2006 refusal to portray "seductive roles". She won Best Actress award in the Cairo International Film Festival in 2004 for her role in Enta Omry. She also won Jury Grand Prize at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards for her role in 678 and Best Actress at the Arab Film Festival in 2012 for 678.Nelly Karim has four children, the last of which was born in 2011.