Amr Waked ( ar, عمرو واكد ; born ) is an Egyptian film, television and stage actor. He is best known to international audiences and in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

for his role in the 2005 film ''

Syriana ''Syriana'' is a 2005 American political thriller film written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, loosely based on Robert Baer's 2003 memoir '' See No Evil''. The film stars an ensemble cast consisting of George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wri ...

''. Other prominent roles include a Yemeni Sheikh called Muhammad in ''

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen ''Salmon Fishing in the Yemen'' is a 2011 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Lasse Hallström and starring Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Kristin Scott Thomas and Amr Waked. Based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Paul Torday, an ...

'', Pierre Del Rio in

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed or produced the films ''Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and ''La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Besson is associated with the '' ...

's '' Lucy'' and Farouk Hassan in ''

Ramy Ramy is a masculine given name which may refer to: * Ramy Ashour (born 1987), Egyptian retired squash player * Ramy Ayach (born 1980), Lebanese singer * Ramy Bensebaini (born 1995), Algerian footballer * Ramy Essam (born 1987), Egyptian musician ...

. '' In 2019, Waked was sentenced to eight years in prison by an

Egyptian military The Egyptian Armed Forces ( arz, القُوّات المُسَلَّحَة المِصْرِيَّة, alquwwat almusalahat almisria) are the military forces of the Arab Republic of Egypt. They consist of the Egyptian Army, Egyptian Navy, Egypti ...

court for spreading

false news Fake news is false or misleading information presented as news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person or entity, or making money through advertising revenue.Schlesinger, Robert (April 14, 2017)"Fake news in reality ...

and insulting state institutions. For that reason, he has no intention of returning to Egypt. He has been residing in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

since October 2017.

Career

Waked's first major role was in ''Ashab wallah business'' (2002) (''Are we friends or just a business''). Reviewers reported that he portrayed the role of "Gehad" so well that many viewers left the theater believing he was actually a

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

actor, rather than Egyptian. His first lead role was as Ahmed in ''Deil el Samaka'' (''The Fish's tail'') (2003), and in 2005 he worked alongside

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by George Clooney, numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film A ...

in the film ''

'', for which in 2006 he won a 'Special Award for Arabs in The International Cinema' at the

Cairo International Film Festival The Cairo International Film Festival ( ar, مهرجان القاهرة السينمائي الدولي) is an annual internationally accredited film festival held in Cairo Opera House. It was established in 1976 and has taken place every year sin ...

. Waked joined the cast of the Egyptian

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

''Lahazat Harega'' (''Critical Moments'') in 2007, shooting 32 episodes for season one. In 2008, Waked joined the cast of the BBC/ HBO

House of Saddam ''House of Saddam'' is a 2008 British docudrama television miniseries that charted the rise and fall of Saddam Hussein. A co-production between BBC Television and HBO Films, the series was first broadcast on BBC Two (in the United Kingdom) in f ...

'' to portray

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...

's son-in-law Hussein Kamel. Since the lead role of Saddam Hussein was played by

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i actor Yigal Naor, Waked faced punishment by Egypt's Actors Union which opposes normalization of ties with Israel. The union threatened to ban him from all future projects in Egypt. Waked was also criticized by supporters of the

cause for taking acting role in ''

Wonder Woman 1984 ''Wonder Woman 1984'' (also known as ''WW84'') is a 2020 American superhero film based on the DC character Wonder Woman. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, Atlas Entertainment, and The Stone Quarry, and distributed by Warner Bros. ...

'' starring Israeli actress and former IDF soldier Gal Gadot. In 2009, Waked co-hosted the

33rd Cairo International Film Festival The 33rd annual Cairo International Film Festival was held from November 10 to November 20, 2009. Indian director Adoor Gopalakrishnan was the President of the Jury. Films in competition The following films competed for the Golden Pyramid. Digi ...

, and in 2010 he rejoined the cast of ''Lahazat Harega''. He joined Hollywood stars

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among '' Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Amer ...

Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He received a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2007, he received an Honorary C� ...

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...

, and

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...

in the 2011 film, '' Contagion'' and co-starred in the British film ''

'' with

Emily Blunt Emily Olivia Leah Blunt (born 23 February 1983) is a British actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three British Academy Film Awards ...

Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British ...

, and Kristin Scott Thomas. and also co-starred in '' Lucy'' alongside

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...

and

Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Ingrid Johansson (; born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2018 and 2019, she has featured multiple times on the ''Forbes'' Celebrity 100 list. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 ...

. In 2017, he moved to Spain and was sentenced to eight years in prison by an Egyptian court for making pro-democracy comments on social media. Due to these charges, Waked is not able to return to Egypt. Since 2019, Waked has played the father of main character Ramy Hassan on the

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television seri ...

series ''

''.

Filmography

Films

Television

* ''Lahazat Harega'' ( ''Critical Moments'') Season One (32+ episodes, 2007) * ''

'' (3 episodes, 2008) * '' The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall'' (2008) * ''Lahazat Harega'' (''Critical Moments''), Season Two (32+ episodes, 2010) * ''Abwab el khoof'' (2011) * ''Awlaad Al-Shaware'a'' * ''

Spiral In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point. Helices Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:Flight of the Storks ''Flight of the Storks'' is a 2012 French English-language action thriller miniseries directed by Jan Kounen and based on Jean-Christophe Grangé's 1994 novel of the same name. Plot Jonathan Anselme, a young English academic, teams up with Max ...

'' (2013) * '' Marco Polo'' (2014) * ''

Riviera ''Riviera'' () is an Italian word which means "coastline", ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria, in the form ''Riviera ligure'', then shortened in English. The two areas ...

'' (2017) * ''

'' (2019–present)

Theater

* 1992, ''Afareet Hamza We Fatma'' as Hamza * 1992, '' Vinegar Tom'' as The Devil * 1993, ''Crimes Of The Heart'' as Doc * 1993, ''Al Ghaba Al Saeeda'' as The Fox * 1994, ''Tales From Agabad'' as Hero * 1994, ''Compass Berserk'' as Montigu * 1994, ''The Bus'' as Ahmed * 1995, ''Oedipus The President'' as Prometheus * 2000, ''Al Ze'ab Yohaddid Al Madinah'' as The Journalist * 2002, ''Shabab Rewish Tahn'' as Ahmed

Recognition

Awards and nominations

* 1999, won Film Writers and Critics Special Award at Alexandria International Film Festival * 1999, won Best Supporting Actor award at Alexandria International Film Festival for ''Gannat al shayateen'' * 2003, won Best Actor award at Alexandria International Film Festival for ''Dail el samakah'' * 2006, won Special Award for Arabs in The International Cinema at

for ''

'' * 2006, won Horus Award for Best Supporting Actor at Cairo National Festival for Egyptian Cinema for ''Dam el ghazal'' * 2010, won Best Supporting Actor at Dear Guest Festival for ''Ibrahim Labyad'' * 2010, won Best Actor for Second Role at Cairo National Festival for Egyptian cinema for ''Ibrahim Labyad'' * 2013, won Best Actor at Dubai Film Festival for the Egyptian movie ''Winter of Discontent''

Notes

References

External links

* * * Carlo Coppola
Anche l’attore Amr Waked sulle barricate del Cairo per la libertà
lsdmagazine.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Waked, Amr 1973 births Living people Egyptian male film actors Egyptian male television actors Egyptian male stage actors Male actors from Cairo The American University in Cairo alumni 20th-century Egyptian male actors 21st-century Egyptian male actors Expatriate actors in the United States