Soumaya Akaaboune ( ar, سومية أكعبون; born 16 February 1974) is a Moroccan actress.

Biography

Akaaboune was born and raised in Tangier, Morocco. Her mother was a stylist and costume designer while her father was an art lover. She described her childhood home as a sanctuary for artists and those in need. At the age of 14, Akaaboune was spotted by the choreographer Maurice Béjart, who invited her to join his dance troupe. She accepted and trained for eight hours a day, a period in which she said was the happiest of her life. Akaaboune toured Europe, dancing in Paris, then Spain and London. During her time in London, she turned her attention to theater, performing in several musicals. She snapped her Achilles tendon in 1989, ending her dancing career. In London, Akaaboune met

Sandra Bernhard Sandra Bernhard (born June 6, 1955) is an American actress, singer, comedian and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy, where she often critiqued celebrity culture and political figures. She is perhaps b ...

, who invited her to perform on her show "Up All Night" and later the Broadway show "I'm Still Here...Damn It". Akaaboune trained in acting at the Loft Studio. In 2010, she starred opposite Matt Damon in the film '' Green Zone''. Akaaboune had roles in the romantic comedy '' Playing for Keeps'' in 2012 and the biopic '' Lovelace'' in 2013. She was one of the five housewives profiled on the 2013 French show ''

Les Vraies Housewives ''Les Vraies Housewives'' (translated ''The Real Housewives'' and abbreviated ''LVH'') was a French reality television show that aired on NT1 on March 18, 2013 until April 1, 2013. Developed as an international installment of the ''Real Housewi ...

''. Between 2015 and 2016, Akaaboune starred as Fettouma in the popular soap opera ''Wadii'', directed by Yassine Ferhanne. Her character is a bourgeois woman who refuses to accept injustice, and the show received 7 million views per episode. In 2019, she played Marcelle in the TV series '' The Spy''. Akaaboune met the film producer

Peter Rodger Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

in 1999. The pair subsequently married and had a son, Jazz. Akaaboune was the stepmother of Elliot Rodger, the perpetrator of the

2014 Isla Vista killings The 2014 Isla Vista killings were a series of misogynistic terror attacks in Isla Vista, California. On the evening of May 23, 22-year-old Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured fourteen others—by gunshot, stabbing and vehicle ramm ...

. The two had a strained relationship, and Elliot Rodger had also planned to murder Akaaboune. She returned to Morocco at the end of 2014. Akaaboune speaks French, Arabic, English and Spanish.

Filmography

;Films *1987: ''Dernier été à Tanger'' *1999: ''

Moroccan Chronicles ''Moroccan Chronicles (''French'': Chroniques marocaines,'' Arabic'':وقائع مغربية)'' is a 1999 Moroccan film directed by Moumen Smihi. Synopsis In the old medina of Fez, a mother narrates three tales to her son; the first one is abo ...

'' *1999: ''Esther'' *2010: ''When the Voices Fade'' (short film): Leila *2010: '' Green Zone'': Sanaa *2012: '' Playing for Keeps'': Aracelli *2013: '' Lovelace'' *2013: ''Djinn'' *2017: '' Catch the Wind'': Madame Saïni *2017: ''Looking for Oum Kulthum'' ;Television *2013: ''

'' *2015–2016: ''Waadi'': Fettouma *2017–2018: ''Rdat L'walida'': Faty Kenani *2019: ''EZZAIMA'' *2019: '' The Spy'': Marcelle *2020: ''Bab Al Bahar'': Zineb

References

External links

Soumaya Akaaboune
at the Internet Movie Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Akaaboune, Soumaya 1974 births Living people 20th-century Moroccan actresses 21st-century Moroccan actresses Moroccan film actresses Moroccan television actresses People from Tangier