North African Actors

1. Emmanuelle Chriqui

Emmanuelle Chriqui was born in Montreal, Quebec, to Moroccan Jewish immigrants, Liliane (Benisty) and Albert Chriqui. Her family moved to Toronto when she was two years old. At the age of 10, Chriqui appeared in a McDonald's commercial. She moved to Vancouver, guest-starring in series such as Are ...

2. Omar Sharif

Actor | Lawrence of Arabia

Omar Sharif, the Egyptian actor best known for playing Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and the title role in Doctor Zhivago (1965), was born Michel Demitri Shalhoub on April 10, 1932 in Alexandria, Egypt to Joseph Shalhoub, a lumber merchant, and his wife, Claire (Saada). Of Lebanese and ...

3. Jean Reno

Actor | Léon

Jean Reno was born Juan Moreno y Herrera-Jiménez in Casablanca, Morocco, to Spanish parents (from Andalucía) who moved to North Africa to seek work. His father was a linotypist. Reno settled in France at 17. He began studying drama and has credits in French television and theater as well as films. ...

4. Saïd Taghmaoui

Actor | Wonder Woman

Saïd Taghmaoui was born July 19th 1973 in Villepinte, Seine-Saint-Denis, France, to Moroccan immigrant parents. He has 9 siblings. He dropped out of school at a young age and became a boxer; at one point ranking number 2 in France in his category. He met Mathieu Kassovitz with whom he co-wrote the ...

5. Tahar Rahim

Actor | Un prophète

Tahar Rahim was born on July 4, 1981 in Belfort, Territoire de Belfort, France. He is an actor, known for A Prophet (2009), The Past (2013) and The Mauritanian (2021). He has been married to Leïla Bekhti since 2010.

6. Gad Elmaleh

Actor | Hors de prix

Gad was born in Morocco in April 1971. His father was a mime. He was a student at Georges Bizet school and Lycée Lyautey in Casablanca but didn't like school much. In 1988, Gad left Casablanca to go to Montreal. He stayed there for 4 years, during which he was a political science student for one ...

7. Omar Berdouni

Actor | United 93

Omar Berdouni was born on July 20, 1979 in Tangier, Morocco. He is an actor, known for United 93 (2006), The Kingdom (2007) and Green Zone (2010).

8. Sanaa Hamri

Director | Something New

Sanaa Hamri is a renowned film, television, music video, and commercial director from Tangier, Morocco. She is currently in an overall deal with Amazon Television Studios. She is directing S2 of their "Lord of the Rings" show coming off of their tentpole series S2 of "The Wheel of Time" as EP/...

9. Zineb Oukach

Actress | The Wolf of Wall Street

Zineb Oukach is known for The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Rendition (2007) and Parfum de mer (2006).

10. Touriya Haoud

Actress | Five Fingers

Touriya Haoud was born and raised in a small village in Holland of Marocain/Macedonian heritage.

Soon after graduating public education institute Schoevers, with a Communication Degree, a friend persuaded Touriya to participate in a modeling contest. Touriya not only won, but also from that moment ...

11. Jamel Debbouze

Actor | Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain

Jamel Debbouze was born on June 18, 1975 in Paris, France. He is an actor and producer, known for Amélie (2001), Angel-A (2005) and Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002). He has been married to Mélissa Theuriau since May 7, 2008. They have two children.

12. Omar Metwally

Actor | The Affair

Omar Metwally is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films and television programs. He is best known for his work on Showtime's The Affair, as well as for film roles in Steven Spielberg's Munich, Julian Schnabel's Miral and many others. He was born in Queens, New York and raised in ...

13. Leïla Bekhti

Actress | Paris, je t'aime

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 ...

14. Afef Jnifen

Actress | Il commissario Montalbano

Afef Jnifen was born on November 3, 1963 in Medenine, Tunisia. She is an actress, known for Detective Montalbano (1999), Scommettiamo che...? (1991) and Ciao Darwin (1998). She has been married to Alessandro Del Bono since October 15, 2021. She was previously married to Marco Tronchetti Provera and...

15. Morjana Alaoui

Actress | Martyrs

Morjana Alaoui (born November 30, 1982) is a Moroccan-French actress. She appeared in Marock (2005) and Pascal Laugier's horror film Martyrs (2008).

Alaoui spent her early life in the Arfa neighborhood of Casablanca, Morocco, and studied at the Casablanca American School. At 18, Alaoui moved to ...

16. Fu'ad Aït Aattou

Actor | Une vieille maîtresse

Fu'ad Aït Aattou was born on November 2, 1980 in France. He is an actor, known for The Last Mistress (2007), Horsehead (2014) and What the Day Owes the Night (2012).

17. Samy Naceri

Actor | Taxi

Samy Naceri is born in Paris from an Algerian father and a French mother. He grew up in the suburbs of Paris in a modest family of seven siblings.

Since his youngest age, Samy dreamt about making movies. After many years of struggling and hard work, he will finally have a chance to meet a famous ...

18. Karima McAdams

Actress | Deep State

Karima was born in London. Her mother is Irish and Greek, her father Berber Moroccan. She spent her youth growing up in Tanger, northern Morocco along with her two sisters. At the age of 7 her family moved to east London where she attended middle and high school. During her teens she was scouted ...

19. Natacha Amal

Actress | Napoléon

Natacha Amal was born on September 4, 1968 in Brussels, Belgium. She is an actress, known for Napoléon (2002), Gialloparma (1999) and Dans la cour des grands (1995). She has been married to Jacques Stival since September 18, 2015. She was previously married to Claude Rappe.

20. Olivier Martinez

Actor | Unfaithful

Olivier Martinez comes from a working-class family, raised in the Paris suburbs. He left school at an early age, holding various pick-up jobs such as salesman for jeans. Friends urged him to try acting, and at age 23 he enrolled in the International Conservatory of Paris. After several television ...

21. Aure Atika

Actress | The Night Manager

Aure Atika was born on July 12, 1970 in Monte Estoril, Portugal. She is an actress and director, known for The Night Manager (2016), The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005) and OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006).

22. Elyas M'Barek

Actor | Fack ju Göhte

Elyas M'Barek was born on May 29, 1982 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. He is an actor, known for Suck Me Shakespeer (2013), Who Am I (2014) and The Wave (2008).

23. Assaad Bouab

Actor | Dix pour cent

Assaad was born in July 1980 in Aurillac, France. His mother is French, and his father is Moroccan. He grew up in Rabat, Morocco, and, in 1998 he left his home town and family to go to Paris and start acting lessons in the Cours Florent. In 2006, Assaad graduated from the prestigious National ...

24. Lubna Azabal

Actress | Incendies

Lubna Azabal was born on August 15, 1973 in Brussels, Belgium. She is an actress, known for Incendies (2010), Coriolanus (2011) and Body of Lies (2008).

25. Shiri Appleby

Actress | The Thirteenth Floor

Shiri jumped in front of the lens as a youngster appearing in Norman Lear Sunday Dinner and Lawrence Kasden's I Love You To Death. At 19 she had her breakout performance on the series Roswell, playing the leading role of Liz Parker. She went on to appear in ER, Six Degrees, as well as Mike Nichols'...

26. Mourad Zaoui

Actor | The Physician

Mourad Zaoui was born on April 23, 1980 in Casablanca, Morocco. He is an actor, known for The Physician (2013), Kandisha (2008) and The Gospel of Luke (2015).

27. Nadia Farès

Actress | Les rivières pourpres

Nadia Farès was born on December 20, 1968 in Marrakech, Morocco. She is an actress and composer, known for The Crimson Rivers (2000), Wasabi (2001) and War (2007). She has been married to Steven Chasman since July 2002. They have two children.

28. Amr Waked

Actor | Lucy

Amr Waked was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1972. He studied economics and theatre in the American University in Cairo. In his early experience as an actor Amr joined the Temple Theatre Troop in 1994, and Yaaru Theatre Troop in 1999, where he trained and developed his tools as a stage performer.

With his ...

29. Sami Bouajila

Actor | The Siege

Sami Bouajila was born on May 26, 1966 in La Tronche, Isère, France. He is an actor, known for The Siege (1998), The Adventures of Felix (2000) and A Son (2019).

30. Zinedine Soualem

Actor | L'auberge espagnole

Zinedine Soualem was born on April 17, 1957 in Thiers, Puy-de-Dôme, France. He is an actor and production manager, known for The Spanish Apartment (2002), JCVD (2008) and Welcome to the Sticks (2008).

31. Roschdy Zem

Actor | The Cold Light of Day

Roschdy Zem was born on September 28, 1965 in Gennevilliers, Seine [now Hauts-de-Seine], France. He is an actor and director, known for The Cold Light of Day (2012), Chocolat (2016) and Mauvaise foi (2006).

32. Abdellatif Kechiche

Writer | La vie d'Adèle

Abdellatif Kechiche was born on December 7, 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 Poetical Refugee (2000).

33. Emmanuelle Béart

Actress | 8 femmes

Emmanuelle Béart was born August 14, 1963, in Gassin, France. She lived with her mother, brothers, and sister on a farm not far from Saint-Tropez in Provence (southern France), because her father, singer and poet Guy Béart, did not want his children to be affected by the glamour world of Paris. ...

34. Dany Boon

Actor | Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis

Dany Boon was born on June 26, 1966 in Armentières, Nord, France. He is an actor and writer, known for Welcome to the Sticks (2008), Joyeux Noel (2005) and R.A.I.D. Special Unit (2016).

35. Anthony Delon

Actor | Un été de canicule

Anthony Delon was born on September 30, 1964 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Un été de canicule (2003), The Condor Mystery (2005) and Pêcheur d'Islande (1996).

36. David Charvet

Actor | Melrose Place

David Charvet, who rose to international fame on the hit shows Baywatch (1989) and Melrose Place (1992), is now moving into the feature front, having completed production on starring roles in two films.

In the sports feature Green Flash (2008), Charvet plays "Cameron Day", a star basketball player ...

37. Agnès Jaoui

Actress | Le goût des autres

Agnès Jaoui was born on October 19, 1964 in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, France. She is an actress and writer, known for The Taste of Others (2000), Look at Me (2004) and Family Resemblances (1996). She was previously married to Jean-Pierre Bacri.

38. Claude Lelouch

Director | Un homme et une femme

He started off by making short films for television on which he was producer,screenwriter and cameraman. This was interrupted by military service in the army but only partly as he was put into the army film unit where he made over 100 films. Demobbed in 1960 he used family money for his first ...

39. Khleo Thomas

Actor | Holes

Khleo Thomas is multi-talented on and off screen from being an actor, influencer, artist and entrepreneur.

As a veteran in the entertainment industry, Khleo is widely recognized for his role as "Zero" in Holes opposite of Shia LaBeouf, where he was also nominated for a best supporting actor award. ...