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Keanu Charles Reeves, whose first name means "cool breeze over the mountains" in Hawaiian, was born September 2, 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is the son of Patric Reeves, a showgirl and costume designer, and Samuel Nowlin Reeves, a geologist. Keanu's father was born in Hawaii, of British, Portuguese, Native Hawaiian, and Chinese ancestry, and Keanu's mother is originally from Essex England. After his parents' marriage dissolved, Keanu moved with his mother and younger sister, Kim Reeves, to New York City, then Toronto. Stepfather #1 was Paul Aaron, a stage and film director - he and Patricia divorced within a year, after which she went on to marry (and divorce) rock promoter Robert Miller. Reeves never reconnected with his biological father. In high school, Reeves was lukewarm toward academics but took a keen interest in ice hockey (as team goalie, he earned the nickname "The Wall") and drama. He eventually dropped out of school to pursue an acting career.
After a few stage gigs and a handful of made-for-TV movies, he scored a supporting role in the Rob Lowe hockey flick Youngblood (1986), which was filmed in Canada. Shortly after the production wrapped, Reeves packed his bags and headed for Hollywood. Reeves popped up on critics' radar with his performance in the dark adolescent drama, River's Edge (1986), and landed a supporting role in the Oscar-nominated Dangerous Liaisons (1988) with director Stephen Frears.
His first popular success was the role of totally rad dude Ted "Theodore" Logan in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989). The wacky time-travel movie became something of a cultural phenomenon, and audiences would forever confuse Reeves's real-life persona with that of his doofy on-screen counterpart. He then joined the casts of Ron Howard's comedy, Parenthood (1989) and Lawrence Kasdan's I Love You to Death (1990).
Over the next few years, Reeves tried to shake the Ted stigma with a series of highbrow projects. He played a slumming rich boy opposite River Phoenix's narcoleptic male hustler in My Own Private Idaho (1991), an unlucky lawyer who stumbles into the vampire's lair in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), and Shakespearean party-pooper Don John in Much Ado About Nothing (1993).
In 1994, the understated actor became a big-budget action star with the release of Speed (1994). Its success heralded an era of five years in which Reeves would alternate between small films, like Feeling Minnesota (1996) and The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997), and big films like A Walk in the Clouds (1995) and The Devil's Advocate (1997). (There were a couple misfires, too: Johnny Mnemonic (1995) and Chain Reaction (1996).) After all this, Reeves did the unthinkable and passed on the Speed sequel, but he struck box-office gold again a few years later with the Wachowski siblings' cyberadventure, The Matrix (1999).
Now a bonafide box-office star, Keanu would appear in a string of smaller films -- among them The Replacements (2000), The Watcher (2000), The Gift (2000), Sweet November (2001), and Hardball (2001) - before The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003) were both released in 2003.
Since the end of The Matrix trilogy, Keanu has divided his time between mainstream and indie fare, landing hits with Something's Gotta Give (2003), The Lake House (2006), and Street Kings (2008). He's kept Matrix fans satiated with films such as Constantine (2005), A Scanner Darkly (2006), and The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008). And he's waded back into art-house territory with Ellie Parker (2005), Thumbsucker (2005), The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009), and Henry's Crime (2010).
Most recently, as post-production on the samurai epic 47 Ronin (2013) waged on, Keanu appeared in front of the camera in Side by Side (2012), a documentary on celluloid and digital filmmaking, which he also produced. He also directed another Asian-influenced project, Man of Tai Chi (2013).
In 2014, Keanu played the title role in the action revenge film John Wick (2014), which became popular with critics and audiences alike. He reprised the role in John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), taking the now-iconic character to a better opening weekend and even more enthusiastic reviews than the first go-around.- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Michael Malarkey was born on 21 June 1983 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is an actor and composer, known for Project Blue Book (2019), The Oath (2018) and The Vampire Diaries (2009). He has been married to Nadine Lewington since 6 June 2009. They have two children.- Nick Emad Tarabay is a Lebanese-American actor. He is best known for portraying Ashur on the Starz TV series Spartacus. Tarabay was born in Beirut, Lebanon to a large family. His mother and father still reside in Lebanon as does his younger brother and a large extended family of cousins, uncles and aunts. He moved to New York after high school. As a clothing salesman, he worked for Hugo Boss and Gucci, while studying acting at the T. Schreiber Studio and appearing in Off-Off-Broadway plays. He moved to Los Angeles in 2004, where he studied under Larry Moss and appeared in their studio's staging of John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.
- Actor
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Began his acting career in Sweden 2000 with the movie "Jalla! Jalla!". He has been acting in both comedies as well as action movies. He has been acting in theater as well as some TV productions.
In 2012, Mr. Fares started his Hollywood career co-starring with Denzel Washington in the movie "Safe house".- Actress
- Director
- Writer
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.- Born in Beirut, Lebanon, his family moved to Madrid, Spain, when he was three years old. His father was Armenian and his mother is Spanish (from Navarra). He became a boxer and was twice Spanish Heavyweight Champion. After quitting boxing he started a new career as stand-up comedian and writer (he has published four books, the last of them entitled Resiliente.
- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Delphine was born in Beirut on the 10th April 1932 into an intellectual Protestant family. Her Alsatian father, Henri Seyrig, was the director of the Archaeological Institute and later France's cultural attaché in New York during World War Two. Her Swiss mother, Hermine De Saussure, was an adept of Rousseau's theories, a female sailing pioneer and the niece of the universally acclaimed linguist and semiologist, Ferdinand De Saussure. Delphine also had a brother, Francis Seyrig, who would go on to become a successful composer. At the end of the war, the family relocated to Paris, although Delphine's adolescence was to be spent between her country, Greece and New York. Never a good student, she decided to quit school at age 17 to pursue a stage career. Her father gave her his approval on the condition that she would have done this with seriousness and dedication. Delphine took courses of Dramatic Arts with some illustrious teachers such as Roger Blin, Pierre Bertin and Tania Balachova. Some of her fellow students included Jean-Louis Trintignant, Michael Lonsdale, Laurent Terzieff, Bernard Fresson, Stéphane Audran, Daniel Emilfork and Antoine Vitez. Her stage debut came in 1952 in a production of Louis Ducreux's musical "L'Amour en Papier", followed by roles in "Le Jardin du Roi" (Pierre Devaux) and in Jean Giraudoux's "Tessa, la nymphe au Coeur fidèle". Stage legend Jean Dasté was the first director to offer her a couple of parts that would truly showcase her talents: Ariel in Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and Chérubin in Beaumarchais' "The Marriage of Figaro". He also had her take the title role in a production of Giraudoux's "Ondine" from Odile Versois, who had gone to England to shoot an Ealing movie. Delphine's performance was greeted with enormous critical approval. The young actress stayed in Europe for a couple years more, starring in a production of Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband" in Paris, making two guest appearances in Sherlock Holmes (1954) (which was entirely shot in France) and trying to enter the TNP (People's National Theatre). She actually wasn't admitted because the poetic, melodious voice that would become her signature mark was deemed too strange. In 1956, Delphine decided to sail for America along with her husband Jack Youngerman (a painter she had married in Paris) and son Duncan.
Delphine tried to enter the Actor's studio, but, just like in the case of many of Hollywood's finest actors, she failed the admittance test. She would still spend three years as an observer (also attending Lee Strasberg's classes) and this minor mishap didn't prevent her from going on with her stage career anyway, as she did theatre work in Connecticut and appeared in an off-Broadway production of Pirandello's "Henry IV" opposite Burgess Meredith and Alida Valli. Legend wants that the show was such a flop that the producer burned down the set designs. One year later, a single meeting would change the young actress' life forever. Delphine was starring in a production of Henrik Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People" when one very day she was approached by a very enthusiast spectator. It was the great director Alain Resnais, fresh of the huge personal triumph he had scored with his masterwork, Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959). Resnais was now trying to do a movie about the pulp magazine character Harry Dickson (an American version of Sherlock Holmes) and thought that Delphine could have played the role of the detective's nemesis, Georgette Cuvelier/The Spider. The project would never see the light of the day, but this meeting would soon lead to the genesis of an immortal cinematic partnership. Delphine's first feature film was also done the same year: it was the manifesto of the Beat Generation, the innovative Pull My Daisy (1959). The 30 minutes film was written and narrated by Jack Kerouac and featured an almost entirely non-professional cast including poets Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso and Peter Orlovsky along with painter Larry Rivers. Delphine played Rivers' wife in this well-done and interesting curio, an appropriate starting point to a very intriguing and alternative career. In 1960 she landed the role of Cara Williams and Harry Morgan's French neighbour in a new sitcom, Pete and Gladys (1960). Although she left the show after only three episodes, it is interesting to see her interact with the likes of Williams, Morgan and Cesar Romero, since they seem to belong to such different worlds. This was going to be the end of Delphine's journey in the States, although she would keep very fond memories of this period, stating in 1969 that she didn't consider herself "particularly French, but American in equal measure". In 1961 she would take her native France by storm.
Resnais had now been approached by writer Alain Robbe-Grillet- one of the main creators of the "Nouveau Roman" genre- to direct a movie based upon his script "L'anneé dernière". Having been awed by the recent Vertigo (1958), Robbe-Grillet was nourishing the hope that Kim Novak could have possibly played the mysterious female protagonist of the upcoming adaptation of his novel. Luckily, Resnais had different plans. Delphine was back in France for a holiday when the director offered her the role of the enigmatic lady nicknamed A. in his latest movie, Last Year at Marienbad (1961). Delphine accepted and finally took her rightful place in film history. The plot of the movie is apparently simple: in a baroque-looking castle, X. (Giorgio Albertazzi) tries to convince the reclusive A. that they had an affair the previous year. The movie has been interpreted in many different ways: a ghost story, a sci-fi story, an example of meta-theatre, a retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, a retelling of Pygmalion and the Statue and plenty more. Resnais proved to be very partial to Delphine and didn't want her to just stand there like a motionless mannequin like the entire supporting cast did. As X. begins to instill or awake some feelings and memories into A., Delphine subtly hints at a change happening inside the character, managing to alternatively project an image of innocence and desire in a brilliant way. With her stunning, sphinx-like beauty being particularly highlighted by raven-black hair (Resnais wanted her to look like Louise Brooks in Pandora's Box (1929)) and her warm, seductive voice completing the magical charm of the character, Delphine made A. her most iconic-looking creation and got immediately welcomed to the club of the greatest actresses of France. The movie itself received the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival and remains Resnais' masterpiece, not to mention possibly the greatest son of the French New Wave. The gothic organ music provided by Delphine's brother Francis also played an important role in the success of "Marienbad".
Like he had done a couple years before with Emmanuelle Riva, Resnais had made another invaluable gift to French cinema and one would have expected to see Delphine immediately racking a dozen film projects after "Marienbad", but for the time being she preferred to return to her first love, the theatre. She always wished to avoid the perils of celebrity and started a very turbulent relationship with reporters. She made this statement on the subject: "There is nothing to say about an actor or an actress. You just need to go and see them, that's all". She also hated the fact that, after "Marienbad", many journalists had paraphrased many of her statements in order to get meatier articles or entirely made up stories about her. Her next film project came in 1963 when she was reunited with Resnais for the superb Muriel (1963). Wearing some makeup that made her look plainer and older, Delphine gave a first sample of her chameleon-like abilities and one of her most spectacular performances ever as Hélène Aughain, an apparently absent-minded, but actually very tragic antique shop dealer who tries to reshape her squalid present in order to get even with a past made of shame and humiliation. Providing her character with a clumsy walk and an odd behavior that looks amusing on the surface, she delegated her subtlest facial expressions to hint at Hélène's grief and sense of dissatisfaction, creating a very pathetic and moving figure in the process. This incredible achievement was awarded with a Volpi cup at Venice Film Festival. Delphine felt very proud for herself and for Resnais. "Muriel" turned out to be one of the director's most divisive works, with some people considering it his finest film and others dismissing it as a product below his standard. The movie's American reception was unfortunately disastrous: having been released in New York disguised as an "even more mysterious sequel" to Marienbad, it stayed in theaters for five days only. The same year, Delphine did a TV movie called Le troisième concerto (1963) which marked her first collaboration with Marcel Cravenne. Her performance as a pianist who's seemingly losing her mind scored big with both critics and audience and made her much more popular with the French public than two rather inaccessible movies such as "Marienbad" and "Muriel" could ever do. Delphine never considered herself a star though, stating that "a star is like a racing horse a producer can place money on" and that she wasn't anything like that. In the following years she kept doing remarkable stage work. 1964 saw her first collaboration with Samuel Beckett: she invited the great author at her place in Place Des Vosges where she rehearsed for the role of the Lover in the first French production of "Play" along with Michael Lonsdale as the Husband and Eléonore Hirt as the Wife. The three of them would then bring the show to the stage and star in a film version in 1966. Delphine would team up with Beckett on other occasions in the future and even more frequently with Lonsdale, her co-star in several films and stage productions. For two consecutive times she won the "Prix Du Syndicat de la Critique" (the most ancient and illustrious award given by French theatre critics) for Best Actress: in 1967 (1966/1967 season) for her performances in "Next Time I'll Sing to You" and "To Find Oneself" and in 1969 (1968/1969 season) for her work in L'Aide-mémoire. In 1966 she did a cameo in the surreal, Monty Pythonesque Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966), which was written and directed by William Klein (her friend of about 20 years) and starred Sami Frey, who would be her partner for her entire life after her separation from Youngerman. In 1967, she had a few exquisitely acted scenes (all shot in one day and a half) with Dirk Bogarde in Joseph Losey's excellent Accident (1967). Her appearance as Bogarde's old flame seemed to echo and pay homage to "Marienbad", from the almost illusory touch of the whole sequence to the suggestive use of music by the great John Dankworth. Delphine totally enjoyed to work with Losey, although their relationship would drastically change by the time of their next adventure together. The same year would also see the release of the spellbinding The Music (1967), her first filmed collaboration with Marguerite Duras. The author had always worshiped Delphine for her exceptional screen presence and for possessing the aura of a classic goddess of the Golden Age of Hollywood. She said about her: "When Delphine Seyrig moves into the camera's field, there's a flicker of Garbo and Clara Bow and we look to see if Cary Grant is at her side". She also loved her sexy voice, stating that she always sounded like "she had just sucked a sweet fruit and her mouth was still moist" and would go on to call her "the greatest actress in France and possibly in the entire world". "La Musica" isn't the most remembered Seyrig-Duras collaboration, but nevertheless occupies a special place in history as the beginning of a beautiful friendship between two artists that would become strictly associated with each other for eternity. Delphine's performance won her the "Étoile de Cristal" (the top film award given in France by the "Académie Française" between 1955 and 1975 and later replaced by the César). The actress later made a glorious Hedda Gabler for French television, although she never much enjoyed to do work for this kind of medium. She often complained about the poverty of means and little professionalism of French TV and declined on several occasions the possibility to play the role of Mme De Mortsauf in an adaptation of Balzac's "Le lys dans la vallée". In 1968 she found one of her most famous and celebrated roles in François Truffaut's latest installment of the Antoine Doinel saga, Stolen Kisses (1968), which overall qualifies as one of her most "traditional" career choices. Delphine's new divine creature was Fabienne Tabard, the breathtakingly beautiful wife of an obnoxious shoe store owner (Michael Lonsdale) and the latest object of Antoine's attention. It is very interesting that, in the movie, Antoine reads a copy of "Le lys dans la vallée" and compares Fabienne to the novel's heroine. At one point, Delphine had almost agreed to appear in the TV production on the condition that Jean-Pierre Léaud would have played the leading male role. She later inquired with Truffaut if he knew about this by the time he had written the script, but he swore that it was just a coincidence. In 1969 she declined the leading female role in The Swimming Pool (1969) because she didn't see anything interesting about it; this despite strong soliciting from her close friend Jean Rochefort (whom she nicknamed "Mon petit Jeannot"). At the time, it was considered almost inconceivable to decline the chance of appearing in an Alain Delon movie, but Delphine really valued the power of saying "no" and the part went to Romy Schneider instead. It consequently came of great surprise when, the same year, she accepted the role of Marie-Madeleine in William Klein's rather dated, but somewhat charming Mr. Freedom (1968), where she played most of her scenes semi-naked. But Delphine, as usual, had her valid reasons to appear in this strong satire of American Imperialism. Klein's comic strip adaptation isn't without its enjoyable moments (like a scene where the Americans use a map to indicate the Latin dictatorships as the civilized, democratic world), but goes on for too long and suffers every time Delphine disappears from the screen. Still, it remains a must for Seyrig fans, as you'd never expect to see the most intellectual of actresses having a martial arts fight with the gigantic John Abbey and giving a performance of pure comic genius in the tradition of Kay Kendall. The same year she also had a cameo as the Prostitute in Luis Buñuel's masterful The Milky Way (1969). Delphine read the entire script, but eventually regretted that she hadn't watched Alain Cuny playing his scene, because, in that case, she would have played her own very differently and brought the movie to full circle, something she thought she hadn't done. She promised Buñuel to do better on the next occasion they would have worked together.
In 1970, Delphine eventually agreed to appear in Le lys dans la vallée (1970) under the direction of Marcel Cravenne, although the male protagonist wasn't played by Léaud, but by Richard Leduc. It turned out to be one of the best ever adaptations of a French classic and her performance was titanic. She then played the Lilac Fairy in Jacques Demy's lovely musical Donkey Skin (1970), which starred a young Catherine Deneuve in the title role, but boosted a superlative supporting cast including Jacques Perrin, Micheline Presle, Sacha Pitoëff and Jean Marais (who sort of provided a link with Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast (1946)). Despite all this profusion of talent, Delphine effortlessly stole the movie with her sassy smile, impeccable comedic timing and multi-colored wardrobe. Although she would go on to sing on future occasions, Demy preferred to have her musical number dubbed by Christiane Legrand. The following year, she won a new multitude of male admirers when she arguably played the sexiest and most memorable female vampire in film history in the underrated psychological horror Daughters of Darkness (1971). The choice of a niche actress like Delphine to play the lesbian, Dietrichesque Countess Bathory is considered one of the main factors that sets Harry Kümel's movie apart from the coeval products made by the likes of Jesús Franco or Jean Rollin. To see another horror movie highlighted by the presence of an unforgettable female vampire in Seyrig style, one will have to wait for the similar casting of the splendid Nina Hoss in the auteur effort We Are the Night (2010). Cravenne's Tartuffe (1971) was a delicious "Jeu à Deux" between Delphine and the immense Michel Bouquet. In 1972, Delphine would add another immortal title to her filmography, as she was cast in Luis Buñuel's surrealist masterpiece, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972). As the adulterous Simone Thévenot, always wearing a sanctimoniously polite smile, she managed to give the star turn in a flawless cast: Fernando Rey made his Rafael Acosta deliciously nasty behind his cover of unflappability, Paul Frankeur was hilariously obtuse as M.Thévenot, Jean-Pierre Cassel suitably ambiguous as M.Sénéchal, Julien Bertheau looked charmingly sinister as Mons.Dufour, Bulle Ogier got to show her formidable gifts for physical comedy as Florence and the role of Alice Sénéchal, a woman who gets annoyed at not getting coffee while a man has just confessed to have murdered his father, proved for once the perfect fit for the coldest and least emotional of actresses, Stéphane Audran. The movie won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. The next year, Delphine appeared in a couple of star-studded productions: she gave a brief, but memorably moving performance in Fred Zinnemann's The Day of the Jackal (1973) as a French woman who makes the fatal mistake of falling for Edward Fox's ruthless killer. People's memories of the movie are often associated with her scenes. She also appeared in Losey's disappointing A Doll's House (1973) opposite a badly miscast Jane Fonda as Nora. The two actresses didn't get along with the director as they both thought his vision of the story to be deeply misogynist. Many key dialogues were unskillfully butchered for the adaptation, diminishing the depth of the characters and the end result was consequently cold, although the movie has its redeeming features. The brilliant David Warner arguably remains the definitive screen Torvald and Delphine is typically impeccable in the fine role of Kristine, although one can't help but think that an accomplished Ibsenian actress like her should have played Nora in the first place. Although Losey wasn't in speaking terms with her any longer by the time the shooting ended, Delphine befriended Jane as they shared a lot of ideals and causes. Delphine Seyrig was of course a vocal feminist, although she didn't consider herself a militant: she actually believed that women should have already known their rights by then and that she didn't have to cause any consciousness raising in them. She would go on to work with more and more female directors shortly after, considering also that she had now begun to love cinema as much as theatre. In 1974 she appeared in a stage production of "La Cheuvachée sur le lac de Constance" because she dearly desired to act opposite the wonderful Jeanne Moreau, but from that moment on, most of her energies were saved for film work. She also grew more and more radical in picking up her projects: Le journal d'un suicidé (1972), Dites-le avec des fleurs (1974) and Der letzte Schrei (1975) certainly qualify as some of her oddest features, not to mention the most difficult to watch. Le cri du coeur (1974), although flawed by an inept performance by Stéphane Audran, was slightly more interesting: the director capitalized on Delphine's Marienbad image once again, casting her as a mysterious woman the crippled young protagonist gets sexually obsessed with. She made another relatively "ordinary" pick by playing villainous in Don Siegel's remarkable spy thriller The Black Windmill (1974) alongside stellar performers like Michael Caine, Donald Pleasence, John Vernon and Janet Suzman.
The following year, Delphine had two first rate roles in Le jardin qui bascule (1975) and in Liliane de Kermadec's Aloïse (1975) (where her younger self was played, quite fittingly, by an already prodigious Isabelle Huppert). But 1975 wasn't over for Delphine as the thespian would round off the year with two of her most amazing achievements. The Seyrig/Duras team did finally spring into action again with the memorable India Song (1975), another movie which lived and died entirely on Delphine's intense face. Laure Adler wrote these pertinent words in her biography of Duras: "In India Song we see nothing of Calcutta, all we see is a woman dancing in the drawing room of the French embassy and that is enough, for Delphine fills the screen". Coming next was what many people consider the actress' most monumental personal achievement: Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975). It has become a common saying that, when you have a great interest in an actor, you could watch him/her reading the phone book. Seyrig fans can experiment it almost literally in Chantal Akerman's three hour minimalist masterpiece, which meticulously follows the daily routine of widowed housewife Jeanne. Akerman chose Delphine "because she brought with her all the roles of mythical woman that she played until now. The woman in Marienbad, The woman in India Song". The movie can be considered a filmed example of "Nouveau Roman": every moment of Jeanne's day is presented almost real-time -from the act of peeling potatoes or washing dishes- and every gesture has a precise meaning, like Jeanne's incapacity of putting her life together being expressed by her inability of making a decent coffee or put buttons back on a shirt. The movie is also of course a feminist declaration: Jeanne regularly resorts to prostitution to make a living, which (according to Akerman) symbolizes that, even after the death of her husband, she's still dependant of him and always needs to have a male figure enter her life in his place. Her declaration of independence is expressed at the end of the movie through the murder of one of her clients. Delphine's approach to the role was as natural as possible and she completely disappeared into it, giving a hypnotic performance that keeps the viewer glued to his chair and prevents him to feel the sense of boredom every actress short of extraordinary would have induced. It's considered one of the greatest examples of acting ever recorded by a camera and possibly the definitive testament to Delphine's abilities. By now she was being referred as France's greatest actress with the same frequency Michel Piccoli was called the greatest actor. 1976 saw the the Césars replacing the "Étoiles de Cristal" and Delphine was nominated for "India Song", but she lost to Romy Schneider for her work in That Most Important Thing: Love (1975) by Andrzej Zulawski. The same year also saw her getting behind the camera as she directed Scum Manifesto (1976), a short where she read the Valerie Solanas text by the same name. She also starred in Duras' new version of "India Song", Her Venetian Name in Deserted Calcutta (1976) (where the setting was changed to the desert) and headlined the cast of Mario Monicelli's Caro Michele (1976). In 1977 she traveled to the UK to shoot an episode of BBC Play of the Month (1965). She stated her great admiration for British TV as opposed to French TV, congratulating BBC for its higher production values and for its major respect for the material it used to produce. Thinking retrospectively about the whole thing, these sentiments seem rather misplaced, since BBC erased tons of programs from existence in order to make room in the storage and for other reasons, but fortunately "The Ambassadors" wasn't part of the slaughter. Like Henry James's story, the cast featured some veritable cultural ambassadors as three different nations offered one of their most talented thespians ever: Paul Scofield represented England, Lee Remick represented United States and Delphine represented France as Madame De Vionnet. Baxter, Vera Baxter (1977) marked her final and most forgettable film collaboration with Duras. In Faces of Love (1977), she played the drug-addicted ex-wife of a director (a typically outstanding Jean-Louis Trintignant) who summons her along with two other actresses to shoot a film version of "The Three Sisters". She was again nominated for a César, but the sentimentality factor played in favor of Simone Signoret's performance in Moshé Mizrahi's award-friendly Madame Rosa (1977), which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film two months later. Mizrahi later cast both actresses in his subsequent feature, I Sent a Letter to My Love (1980), also starring Jean Rochefort. This bittersweet feature proved much better than the director's previous work: Signoret and Rochefort gave great performances, but, once again, Delphine was best in show as a naive, hare-brained woman so much different from her usual characters and gave another confirmation of her phenomenal range. She was nominated for another César in the supporting actress category, but lost to Nathalie Baye for Every Man for Himself (1980). It's ironic that, despite being considered the nation's top actress by so many people, Delphine never won a César. One theory is that she had alienated many voters (particularly the older ones) by often dismissing 50's French cinema and regularly comparing French actors unfavorably to American ones, just like many New Wave authors (Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol, Éric Rohmer, Jacques Rivette) had done back in the days when they worked as critics for the "Cahiérs Du Cinema" and none of them ever won a César either (or at least not a competitive one). This along with having made many enemies because of her vocally feminist attitude of course. She once stated herself that many people in France probably disliked her because she was always saying what she thought.
In the 80's, Delphine appeared in three stage plays that were later filmed: La Bête dans la Jungle (a Duras adaptation of the Henry James novel), "Letters Home" (about the poet Sylvia Plath) and "Sarah et le cri de la langouste" (where she played the legendary Sarah Bernhardt). She scored a particular success with the latter and won the "Prix Du Syndicat de la Critique" for a record third time, more than any other actress (Michel Bouquet is her male counterpart with three Best Actor wins). In 1981, she directed a feminist documentary, Sois belle et tais-toi! (1981), where she interviewed many actresses, including her friend Jane Fonda, about their role (sometimes purely decorative) in the male-dominated film industry. In 1982 she co-founded the Simone De Beauvoir audiovisual centre along with Carole Roussopoulos and Ioana Wieder. A final collaboration with Chantal Akerman, the innovative musical Golden Eighties (1986), allowed her to do what she couldn't do in "Peau d'âne" and give a very moving rendition of a beautiful song. Avant-garde German director Ulrike Ottinger provided Delphine with some unforgettable and appropriately weird roles in three of her features: multiple characters in Freak Orlando (1981), the only female incarnation of Dr.Mabuse in Dorian Gray in the Mirror of the Yellow Press (1984) (opposite Veruschka von Lehndorff, playing the title role 'en travesti') and Lady Windermere in Joan of Arc of Mongolia (1989). She gave a final, stunning TV performance in Une saison de feuilles (1989) as an actress suffering from Alzheimer's disease and won a 7 d'or (a French Emmy) for it. Her mature turn as a woman who's reaching the end of the line looks particularly poignant now, as it has the bitter taste of a tear-eyed farewell. A woman of extraordinary courage, Delphine had been secretly battling lung cancer (she had always been a chain smoker) for a few years, but, because of her supreme professionalism, she had never neglected a work commitment because of that. Only her closest friends knew. It became evident that there was no hope left when, in September 1990, she had do withdraw her participation from a production of Peter Shaffer's "Lettice and Lovage" with Jean-Louis Barrault and Madeleine Renaud's theatre company. One month later she tragically lost her battle with cancer and died in hospital, leaving an unbridgeable void in the acting world and in the lives of many. Tributes flew in torrents, with Jean-Claude Brialy hosting a particularly touching memorial where Jeanne Moreau read some very heartfelt phrases come from the pen of Marguerite Duras to honour the memory of her muse. In the decade following Delphine's death, many of her features unfortunately didn't prove to have much staying power -being so unique and destined to a very selected and elitist audience- and plenty of people began to forget about the actress. Delphine's good friend, director Jacqueline Veuve, thought this unacceptable and she saw to do something about it, shooting a documentary called Delphine Seyrig, portrait d'une comète (2000), which premiered at Locarno film festival. This partially helped to renew the actress' cult and to expand it to several other followers. Similar retrospectives at the Modern Art Museum in New York and at the La Rochelle Film Festival hopefully served the same purpose as well. One can also hope that the French Academy (Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma) would start to make amends for past sins by awarding Delphine a posthumous César: since the immortal Jean Gabin received one in 1987, who could possibly make a likelier pair with him?- Razane Jammal is a British Lebanese actress who is fluent in English, French, and Arabic and has had enormous success both at home and abroad, playing a variety of roles throughout her career and acting in several dialects.
In the Arab world, Razane is best known for her role in Marwan Hamed's KIRA & El GIN and was awarded "Best Actress in a Supporting Role" by the 49th Cairo Film Society.
She took the audiences by storm in portraying Sara in the Shahid original drama AL THAMAN, which had the highest viewership in the Arab world at the time of its release, and a guest appearance on Menna Shalaby's Ramadan 2023 drama TAGHYER GAW.
Razane also is the sole Arab star to have joined the DC comics universe in Netflix's hit adaptation of THE SANDMAN- a widely successful adaptation based on one of the best-selling DC comic novels of the same name, which featured on Netflix's top 10 English series and is one of the most popular TV shows according to IMDb.
Her other projects include A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES (2014) alongside actor Liam Neeson with THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT's director Scott Franks; the American series Berlin Station (2016) with Rhys Ifans, Richard Jenkins, and Michelle Forbes; Channel 4's mini-series CHIMERICA (2019) with actor Alessandro Nivola; and Eric and Quentin's French comedy BAD BUZZ (2016).
Shifting gears to her activities outside of her acting career, Razane is Dior's ambassador for women's collections in the Middle East and attended Cartier's Panthère de Cartier Show in Dubai alongside a group of high-profile celebrities.
Finally, the international actress was featured in two advertisements in the Ramadan 2023 season - the first for Memaar Al-Morshedy's project ZAHRA on the North Coast alongside Mahmoud El-Esseily, and the second is an ad for Zain, which broke around 10m views in its first week.
Most recently, Vanity Fair named Razane one of the six most influential women in the Middle East during a gala dinner hosted by the Red Sea International Film Festival at the 76th Cannes Film Festival.
In addition to her acting career, Razane has dedicated herself to humanitarian work, and she has recently been appointed as the ambassador for the Children's Cancer Center (CCC) in Lebanon for 2023/2024. Her role as an ambassador for CCC showcases her commitment to supporting and raising awareness for children battling cancer in Lebanon. - Amal Clooney was born on 3 February 1978 in Beirut, Lebanon. She has been married to George Clooney since 27 September 2014. They have two children.
- Irene White was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Irene is an actor, known for Superstore (2015), The 15:17 to Paris (2018) and Modern Family (2009).
- Actress
- Director
- Editor
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.- Nicolas Mouawad is a Lebanese film and TV actor, working in the United States and the Arab world. He is known for His Only Son (2023), Teleat Rohi (Drop Dead Diva) (2019), and Saabe' Gaar (2017). Nicolas has starred in some of the most-watched and critically-acclaimed drama series in Egypt, Lebanon and the UAE, including Hagar Gohanam: Black Widows (2017), Wannous (2016), and Abriaa Wa Laken: Innocent... However (2015).
Nicolas Mouawad started his career in television as a host on the daily live show, "Rotana Cafe" (2003-2009). He also hosted programs on MTV Lebanon. His debut acting role was in Marwan Najjar's television drama, Helm Athar (2006). He then starred in numerous TV movies as well as Lebanese and Pan-Arab series, such as "Zero 4" and Ruby (2012) for which he won the Murex d'Or for Best Actor in 2013. The same year, he also won the Best Lead Actor Award at the London International Film Festival for his starring role in the feature film, Takaseem El Hob (2012). He was one of the featured stars in the Pan-Arab version of "Dancing with the Stars" (2013). In 2016, he landed his first role in Egypt, starring in Wannous (2016), one of the most-watched series of 2016. Critics hailed his performance and fluency in the Egyptian dialect, which lead to more roles in Egyptian drama. Because of the success he earned in Saabe' Gaar (2017), he landed the starring role n the Arabic-language version of "Drop Dead Diva" that aired on OSN. In 2019, he starred in his first English-speaking role in the American feature film, His Only Son (2023).
Nicolas Mouawad was born in Beirut, Lebanon. In 2002, he graduated with a major in Acting & Directing from the Lebanese University, School of Fine Arts & Architecture. The following year, he completed his civil engineering degree from the School of Engineering. - Actor
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Peter Macdissi is an actor and producer who can be seen in the comedy-drama film "Uncle Frank," written and directed by Alan Ball. Macdissi produced and co-stars alongside Paul Bettany and Sophia Lillis. He portrays 'Wally' who joins a road trip with his partner 'Frank' (Bettany) and his niece 'Beth' (Lillis) from Manhattan to South Carolina to attend a funeral. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and can currently be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.
In 2017, Macdissi executive produced The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the shockingly true story of an African-American woman who becomes an unwitting pioneer for medical breakthroughs in the early 1950s. The film was written and directed by George C. Wolfe and is based on the award-winning book by author Rebecca Skloot. Fellow producers included Oprah Winfrey and Alan Ball.
Macdissi's extensive collaboration with Alan Ball consists of a vast array of film and television projects including the prolific HBO series Six Feet Under which garnered 44 Emmy Award nominations and 9 wins, 8 Golden Globe nominations, and achieved a total of 46 award wins. Macdissi won the Screen Actors Guild award for best ensemble acting for a drama television series, in addition to critical and commercial praise. Variety included him as one of their featured players for his performance as 'Olivier,' the temperamental teacher of budding artist 'Claire' (Lauren Ambrose). He also served as an executive producer of the Cinemax series Banshee, which ran for four seasons. Macdissi portrayed 'Dr. Farid Shokrani' in the 2018 series Here and Now on HBO which he also executive produced. The series starred Holly Hunter and Tim Robbins.
Macdissi appeared in many films and television series including The Losers with Jeffery Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, and Idris Elba and Burning Palms alongside Rosemund Pike and Dylan McDermott. He also starred with Aaron Eckhart, Toni Collette, and Maria Bello in Towelhead as the domineering father, 'Rifat Maroun.' The film was based on the breakout 2005 novel by Alicia Erian, and made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Additional credits include writer/director Matthew Bright's film, Tiptoes, alongside Gary Oldman, Matthew McConaughey, and Kate Beckinsale. His other roles include Three Kings, from director David O. Russell which starred George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Bad Company, from director Joel Schumacher which starred Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock. Jag, X-files and many other shows.
Macdissi was born in Beirut, Lebanon to a Lebanese father and an Armenian mother and his upbringing was influenced by both cultures. He grew up during the civil war and discovered an innate talent for performing when he would put on shows to distract the rest of his family from the gunfire and bombing taking place outside. At twelve years old, James Dean's mesmerizing performance in Rebel Without a Cause inspired Macdissi to dream about the possibility of an acting career in Hollywood. Despite living through the war and its horrors, his determination to pursue an acting career never wavered. He was accepted to the theater branch of the Institut De Beaux Arts, but the ongoing war kept shutting classes down so he left Lebanon to spend three years in Sweden where he learned Swedish and Swedish literature and embarked on a brief dancing career before being accepted to the Lee Strasberg Institute. He booked his first job three weeks after settling in Los Angeles.
Macdissi's fascination with people and cultures led him to travel extensively in Europe, South and Central America, North Africa and the Middle East. He speaks English, French, Arabic, Armenian, Swedish, and Spanish.
An avid equestrian and animal lover, Macdissi resides in Los Angeles.- Actor
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Kida Khodr Ramadan was born on 8 October 1976 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is an actor and producer, known for Man from Beirut (2019), Kanun (2018) and 4 Blocks (2017).- Actor
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- Director
Mika was born on 18 August 1983 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is an actor and composer, known for Kick-Ass (2010), Monte Carlo (2011) and Spy (2015).- Actress
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Darina Al Joundi was born on 25 February 1968 in Beirut, Lebanon. She is an actress and assistant director, known for Our River...Our Sky (2021), Athena (2022) and Tyrant (2014).- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Actor
At 18 years old, Mario Kassar made his first film. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Los Angeles in the mid 1970s to begin his career as filmmakers. Kassar quickly became known as a creative producer in the L.A. motion pictures industry; also noted as one of the inventors of the foreign market and co-pro financing.
Kassar's early efforts as an independent filmmaker began with small scale release films such as "The Amateur" and "Victory" while starting Carolco International, his own independent theatrical motion picture distribution company in 1976. Kassar began releasing a slew of independent features and first hit with the release of the Rambo franchise First Blood (1982) starring Syllvester Stallone, which was a major motion picture in 1982. Stallone was rumored to have signed a 10 picture deal with Carolco allowing the sequel "First Blood: Rambo II".
Total Recall (1990) and The "Terminator" franchise are the most memorable pictures Kassar was associated with. Both stories starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, and were produced through Carolco (excluding Part One of Terminator which was financed by Orion).
Other Carolco productions included the under-water thriller "DeepStar Six", the erotic suspenseful "Basic Instinct", "Cliffhanger" - a Stallone vehicle also a hit in 1993, the success of the Roland Emmerich sci-fi film "Stargate" established a cable series in 1997 entitled Stargate SG-1 (1997) starring Richard Dean Anderson. Worth mentioning is "Chaplin" with Robert Downey Jr. playing the life of legendary actor Charlie Chaplin.
Kassar re-opened a production company in 2002 called C-2 Pictures to produce "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," which was one of the most expensive films that year. The 2003 release allowed a window for the franchise to gain new-life.
Kassar is still making pictures, however is very family oriented and enjoys committing his time to his real-life affairs. Kassar will be most remembered for helping to create a successful business model for the international market. With the efforts of other pioneers like Dino De Laurentiis, Kassar paved the way for Hollywood foreign sales and exhibition -- his effort during the 1980s is now the 'industry standard' in today's Studio system.
His films have generated more than $3 billion dollars worldwide.- Composer
- Actor
- Music Department
Serj Tankian was born on 21 August 1967 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is a composer and actor, known for Hardcore Henry (2015), Body of Lies (2008) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019). He has been married to Angela Madatyan since 10 June 2012. They have one child.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Gabriel Yared stopped his law studies at the age of 20 to work as a professional music composer. He studied with Henri Dutilleux and Maurice Ohana. He worked as a composer, orchestrator or producer for such singers as Françoise Hardy, Charles Aznavour, Gilbert Bécaud and Mireille Mathieu. He made his film debut in 1980 with the score for Jean-Luc Godard's Every Man for Himself (1980). He has since scored a huge list of movies for such major directors as Jean-Jacques Beineix, Robert Altman and Jean-Jacques Annaud. He won an Academy Award for Anthony Minghella's The English Patient (1996) score and has been nominated for two others (Cold Mountain (2003) and The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)). He also composes ballets for Carolyn Carlson and Roland Petit. He is the founder and director of the Pléiade Academy, which welcomes and supports talented young composers in the production and promotion of their works. This biography has been made with the help of Gabriel Yared's official website.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Peter Deming was born in Beirut, Lebanon. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for Mulholland Drive (2001), The Menu (2022) and The Continental (2023).- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
Elie Samaha was born on 10 May 1955 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is a producer and actor, known for Battlefield Earth (2000), The Boondock Saints (1999) and The Art of War (2000). He was previously married to Tia Carrere.- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Writer
Ziad Doueiri (born in 1963) is a Lebanese-born cinematographer, film director and writer. He is best known for his award winning film West Beirut. At the age of 18, during the Lebanese civil war, Ziad leaves Lebanon to study in the US. He now lives in France and works in Europe and the US. Doueiri first gained notice from his work under Quentin Tarantino as camera assistant for movies that include Jackie Brown (film), From Dusk Till Dawn, Pulp Fiction, and Reservoir Dogs. Doueiri worked between Los Angeles and Beirut until not long after September 11, 2011, after which he returned to work from Beirut.- Natasha Hovey was born on 13 June 1967 in Beirut, Lebanon. She is an actress, known for Demons (1985), La piovra (1984) and Compagni di scuola (1988).
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Iván Noel was born in 1968 in Beirut, Lebanon. He was a director and writer, known for Ellos Volvieron (2015), Vuelve (2013) and Primary! (2010). He died on 19 July 2021 in Alta Gracia, Argentina.- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Arsinée Khanjian was born on 6 September 1958 in Beirut, Lebanon. She is an actress and producer, known for Ararat (2002), Exotica (1994) and The Captive (2014). She is married to Atom Egoyan. They have one child.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Antonella Lualdi was born on 6 July 1931 in Beirut, French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon [now Lebanon]. She was an actress, known for Andrea Chenier (1955), The Red and the Black (1954) and The Big Night (1959). She was married to Franco Interlenghi. She died on 10 August 2023 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.- Actress
- Music Department
- Composer
She studied accounting and at the end of the month of Nov. 1993 began working in the field of "Modelanj" she was the first fashion show she shared in was in the season of Christmas for a number of fashion designers, also appeared in the announcement of a washing powders and which was filmed in Lebanon to introduce in Saudi Arabia. At the beginning of 1998 began to appear in "the LBC" station as an actress through its participation in a number of dramas including "Mariana" and "Tomorrow is another day" .During 2002 and 2003 years" Ceren" was elected as the best model in a huge competition. In 2003 she got the first Championship through the series "Mydaughter".- Actress
With a smile that melts hearts and looks that catch all eyes, Lebanese actress Nour made quite an impression on audiences from her first roles in Egyptian films, TV series, and plays.
Her beauty might be one of the elements that initially put her in the limelight, however, it's her talent that kept her shining in the film industry for over 20 years. Presenting striking performances in comedy, drama, or thrillers, Nour has no doubt proven to be quite a skillful actress.
Nour is a graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Beirut. While studying, she started modeling in TV commercials. She first visited Egypt to audition for Chipsy Egypt's new TV commercial with Egyptian actor Hesham Selim and director Sherif Arafa. Soon after, Nour was chosen by director Saeed Hamed to star opposite Egyptian star Ahmed El Sakka in the blockbuster SHORT W FANELAH W CAP (2000).
The film was a massive success, with Nour leaving a good impression on audiences, who named her 'The Lebanese Nour.' In the following years, Nour starred in several romantic hits like IZZAY TEKHALI EL-BANAT TEHIBBAK film (2003), director Kamla Abu Zekri's first film SANA OULA NASB (2004), SAYED EL ATIFI (2005) - in which she starred opposite Egyptian singer Tamer Hosny in his first leading role - and then TISBAH ALA KHAIR (2017).
Refraining from the typecast of the sweet, nice girl, Nour took part in many drama films, including ASHAB WALA BUSINESS (2001), in which she played the role of a young TV director whose passion for the Palestinian Intifada leads her to risk her own life. In 2007, she starred in two other drama films - NUQTAT ROJOO and KASHF HESAB, the first feature film by director Amir Ramsis. Two years later she starred in the psychological drama film MEKANO (2009) by director Mahmoud Kamel, alongside actors Taim Hasan and Khaled El-Sawy, and in 2016 she starred in the drama-thriller MEN TALATEEN SANA by director Amr Arafa.
Nour also showed audiences her funny side in the comedies OKAL (2004) alongside Egyptian actor Mohammed Saad, along with ZARF TAREK (2006) and MATAB SENA'Y (2006) with Egyptian actor Ahmed Helmy.
With more talent to flaunt, Nour surprised audiences by playing complex villain characters with Ahmed Ezz in Sandra Nashaat's blockbusters MALLAKI ISKANDARIYA (2005) and AL RAHINA (2006), playing the role of an international terrorist in the latter.
Her small-screen repertoire includes many TV hits, such as AL-AMEEL 1001 (2005) with Mostafa Shaban, DOMOA AL QAMAR (2008) with Riyad Al-Kholi and Rania Farid Shawky, seasons one and two of SARAYA ABDEEN (2014-2015) - which featured a star-studded cast from Egypt and the Arab world - and EL-EXCELLANCE (2014), where she reunited with Ahmed Ezz.
In 2018, she took part in the Ramadan hit series RAHIM with Yasser Galal, for which she received the Best Actress Award at the Arab Satellite Channels Festival.
Nour also took part in the play TEHEB TESHOUF MA'SAH in 2002 and starred in radio series, including GHARAM ALA EL INSTAGRAM (2015) with Ahmed Ezz.
In Ramadan 2020, Nour starred in the TV series EL PRINCE opposite Mohamed Ramadan. Written and directed by Mohamed Samy, the TV drama received massive success among audiences and critics alike. In the same year, she also starred in the TV drama GAMAL EL HAREEM by director Manal El-Seify alongside Khaled Selim.
In 2021, Nour reunited with Egyptian star Yasser Galal in the TV series DEL RAGEL (MAN'S SHADOW). She was also featured in the TV prank show KHAMAS NAGOUM (Five Stars), which brought together Ghada Adel, Mostafa Amar, Karim Fahmy, and Mohamed Al-Sharnuby as TV show presenters for the first time.
Nour was also featured in the music video MET'ALA BEEKY which was released during the closing ceremony of the fifth El-Gouna Film Festival. Alongside her, the video starred 10 actresses from five Arab countries - Yousra, Hend Sabri, Shereen Reda, Saba Mubarak, Tara Emad, Huda El-Mufti, Fatima Al-Banawi, Mayan El-Sayed, Sarrah Abdelrahman, and TV presenter Raya Abirached.
In Ramadan 2022, Nour starred in the series RAGEEN YA HAWA alongside Egyptian star Khaled El-Nabaw under the direction of Mohamed Salama and based on a story by the late renowned writer Osama Anwar Okasha, featuring a screenplay adapted by Mohamed Soliman Abdel-Malek.
Furthermore, Nour joined the cast of seasons two and three of the TV series MAWDOO AAELY (Family Matter) starring Maged El-Kedwany, Shereen Reda, Mohamed Shahin, Enass Kamel, and Rana Raeis. The TV series, which is directed by Ahmed El-Gendy, is now available on Shahid VIP.
Also, in 2022, Nour co-starred with comedy actor Mohamed Henedy in NABIL EL GAMEEL PLASTIC SURGEON, which is directed by Khaled Marei.
Nour was part of the Best Arab Film Award's Jury in the 2022 Cairo International Film Festival.
In 2023, Nour was featured as a guest of honor in EL KEBEER AWI season seven aired during the 2023 Ramadan season. Her most recent work is Beit El Ruby with Kareem abdel aziz which topped the box office with more than 70 million EGP revenue.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Alek Keshishian was born on 30 July 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is a director and writer, known for Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022), Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991) and Selena Gomez: Hands to Myself (2015).- Sirine trained at The Royal Academy Of Dramatic Art . Most recent film and television credits include the leading role of Maggie in the feature film The Black Forest (nominated for the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film at the Edinburgh International Festival) and semi-regular character Patricia Ghraoui in Holby City.
- Rita Hayek is graduate of the National Institute of Fine Arts of the Lebanese University. She also attended the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in Los Angeles California. She made her screen debut in 2006. In 2011, At the Byblos International Festival, she made her stage debut in Don Quixote, directed by the Rahbani Brothers. Followed by the play "Ka3eb 3ale", an adaptation of "Spike Heels" by Theresa Rebeck directed by Jacques Maroun and produced by The Actors Workshop Beirut. Then came Venus an adaptation of David Yves' Broadway play "Venus in Fur". Venus opened March 2015 at the Monot Theatre in Beirut and played through April 2016. Venus performed in Paris at the Theatre Adyar Avenue Rapp. Rita resumed filming her first Feature "The Insult" in August 2016 with the director Ziad Doueiry (West Beirut-Baron Noir) and the movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars in 2018. Her second feature was "Beirut Hold'em" by Michel Kammoun, Followed by "La Regola d'Oro" by Italian director Alessandro Lunardelli and the Cypriot movie "IMAN" by Corinna Avraamadou and Kyriacos Tofarides, which premiered at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. Rita recently won Best Actress for IMAN at the London Greek International Film Festival. Rita has also won best actress for her role in Matthieu Haag's short movies "Un parfum de Liban" in 2012 and "l'Heritage" in 2019. She just resumed filming her first French movie: "Les Barbares" by Julie Delpy alongside Sandrine Kiberlain and Mathieu Demy.
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- Actress
Born in Lebanon in 1970, Danielle Arbid has been directing films since 1997. Selected for numerous festivals in France and the rest of the world (Cannes, New York, San Francisco, Locarno, Pusan, Tokyo, etc.), Danielle Arbid's first two features, Dans les champs de bataille and Un homme perdu, were screened at the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Festival in 2004 and in 2007, as well as in around thirty other festivals, picking up numerous awards, including the Directors' Fortnight Prize and the Milan Grand Prize.
Interested in different narrative forms, her work alternates between; fiction, first person documentaries and video essays; with an experimentation of the intersecting of genres. Her documentaries and other filmed essays have been given an excellent reception and won dozens of awards including the Gold Leopard for Conversations de salon at the Locarno Festival and the Silver Leopard for video for Seule avec la guerre in 2001 and 2004 respectively, as well as the Prix Albert Londres and the Villa Medicis hors les murs Award for Aux Frontieres. Four retrospectives have been held around Danielle Arbid's films at the Bastia Festival in 2007, Paris cinema in 2007, the Gijon Festival in 2007 and the La Rochelle Festival in 2008.
Her third fiction feature, Peur de rien (Parisienne), had its theatrical release in France on February 10, 2016. It won the Academie Lumiere foreign press prize as well as other awards including the Best Actress prize at Les Arcs. The film had rave reviews from the French press. Peur de rien had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.- Georgina Rizk was born on 3 January 1953 in Beirut, Lebanon. She is an actress, known for Abtal Wo Nesaa (1968), Almaleka Wa Ana (1975) and Miss Universe 1971 (1971). She has been married to Walid Tawfik since 1991. They have two children. She was previously married to Ali Hassan Salameh and Muharram Fuad.
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Malek Rahbani is an actor and a writer. At an early age he plunged into his love of movies being inspired by his artistic family. Malek has starred in numerous TV series, short films, and theatrical plays throughout Lebanon and the Middle East, as well as writing for TV and Film.
One of his biggest achievements was in 2016, when he published his first book " IMAGES A Personal Evolution of the Mind". Malek has completed courses at the "Guildhall School of Music and Drama" and the " London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts" in London England in 2011. He has also had the opportunity to study under renowned acting coaches Elizabeth Kemp and Bernard Hiller.
In 2019 he relocated to Los Angeles, and so far has participated in TV commercials for "Park MGM" & "Apple", in addition to starring in the main role in the movie "Jacir" alongside Academy Award nominee Lorraine Bracco, for which he was awarded the "Special Jury Prize" for outstanding performance at the Bend Film Festival.
Furthermore Malek as a volunteering performer, has provided his improvisational and acting skills as part of the Mental Health Intervention Training (MHIT) at the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Basic Crisis Negotiation Course.- Producer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Jean-Pierre Rassam was born on 14 October 1941 in Beirut, Lebanon. He was a producer and actor, known for Tess (1979), The Big Feast (1973) and Lancelot of the Lake (1974). He died on 28 January 1985 in Paris, France.- Writer
- Producer
Gad Saad was born on 13 October 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is a writer and producer, known for American Troll, S&M: Short and Male (2008) and PBD Podcast (2020).- Ramzi Khalaf was born on 17 January 1982 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is an actor, known for The Blacklist (2013).
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Sam Kalidi is a multilingual actor based in Los Angeles.
Sam holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Boston University and a Bachelors in Communication Arts from the American University of Paris and has trained at New York's HB Studio.
He guest starred on CBS' The Unit and Hulu's East Los High.
He was featured in several Jimmy Kimmel Live sketches and MTV's Acting Out.
He worked on Iron Man, X-Men, 300, and the upcoming Mummy remake starring Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe.
Kalidi played the lead in the award winning Rajam, Broadway Bound and Peace After Marriage which were screened at various international film festivals.
Sam's extensive Voice Over work includes hundreds of video games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto.- Fiona Gaunt was born on 25 May 1947 in Beirut, Lebanon. She is an actress, known for Moonbase 3 (1973), War & Peace (1972) and A Picture of Katherine Mansfield (1973).
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Dom Joly was born on 15 November 1968 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is an actor and director, known for Trigger Happy TV (2000), Trigger Happy TV (2003) and Earworm (2018). He is married to Stacey Joly. They have two children.- Director
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Maroun Bagdadi was born on 21 January 1950 in Beirut, Lebanon. He was a director and writer, known for Out of Life (1991), L'homme voilé (1987) and Little Wars (1982). He died on 10 December 1993 in Beirut, Lebanon.- Actor
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Vincent Heneine was born on February 9, 1987 in Beirut (Lebanon). Actor, director, producer, he directed his first short film "Talion" in 2001. Vincent Heneine has also played in pieces from the classical repertoire to the theater. In the cinema, he played for Julien Leclerc's "Assaut", "L'Ordre et la morale" by Mathieu Kassovitz. On television, he plays a recurring role in season 4 of "Mafiosa" (Canal +, NDR). In 2016, he played Albert 'Bébert' Falco, the faithful companion of Commander Cousteau, in Jérome Salle's film, alongside Lambert Wilson and Pierre Niney.- Natasha Beidoun was born on 4 June 1993 in Beirut, Lebanon. She is an actress, known for Fire on Fire (2023), Saad Ramadan: Nsitik Walla (2023) and Echoes (2013).
- Producer
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Sylvio Tabet was born on 11 August 1938 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is a producer and director, known for Dead Ringers (1988), Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time (1991) and The Beastmaster (1982).- Director
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- Producer
She was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon. Her first job was hosting a pop music program on the national Lebanese radio station called "Marsipulami got blue eyes." Then she became a television newsreader. Once civil war broke out in Lebanon, Saab started working on documentary films. That led to a job as second unit director for "Circle of Deceit" directed by Volker Schlondorff in 1981, which happened to be about the Lebanese civil war. She continued to report and document on the war, but moved to Paris, France after having lost so much due to the war.
2005 - She splits her time between Paris and Cairo.- Steve Kerr was born on 27 September 1965 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is an actor, known for Thunderstruck (2012), HERO Inspired by the Extraordinary Life & Times of Mr. Ulric Cross (2019) and The Second City Presents: The Last Show Left on Earth (2020). He has been married to Margot Brennan since 15 September 1990. They have three children.
- Anne-Marie Rassam was born on 7 September 1944 in Beirut, Lebanon. She was a producer, known for Zig-Zag (1975) and The World of Jacques Demy (1995). She was married to Claude Berri. She died on 8 August 1997 in Paris, France.
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Cyril Aris was born on 27 November 1987 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is a director and writer, known for Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano (2023), The President's Visit (2017) and The Swing (2018).- Actor
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From Down and Out in Beverly Hills to his Bio Single Person Show, "What are The Odds?", Joseph Makkar continues to see the value of story telling. Joseph received a scholarship to acting school at the ripe age of ten, and he continued on to perform in the theatre as well as in films. Joseph's education was sponsored by the three prolific aerospace and research firms (McDonald Douglas, Howard Hughes and TRW) from grade school to his freshman year in high school until he was advised by his high school teacher that he might be a good fit for The Los Angeles County High School Of the Arts (LACHSA).
He received coaching from his mentor Chip Fields and auditioned for LACHSA and was accepted. After Graduating from LACHSA's rigorous theatre department, Joseph shifted gears again to support his love for animals, by continuing his education to consult for and staff veterinary hospitals. (Veterinary Staff Unlimited, located in Los Angeles is one of the largest veterinary-specific staffing and consulting firms in the country).
Joseph completed his undergraduate degree in management and MBA degree from Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business.
His love for the arts and his desire to leave the world a better place is only topped by his love for family. Joseph has been married for over 20 years and has 3 beautiful daughters.- Director
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Philippe Aractingi: Author, director, producer and photographer
Who is Philippe? Philippe Aractingi is a renowned artist in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Although he was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1964, Philippe is Franco-Lebanese.
Achievements: In the late 70's and early 80's and with no available audio-visual programs in a war-ridden country, Philippe taught himself the art of filmmaking.
Two of his films "Bosta" and "Under The Bombs" were the only Lebanese entries in the 2006 and 2008 Oscar ceremonies, respectively.
His other releases have been praised and awarded over 40 times at various international festivals, in Venice, Dubai, Thessaloniki, Rotterdam, and at the Sundance Film festival, among other key events in the industry.
Passionate about the arts and dedicated to defending the Lebanese Film Industry, Philippe is also the co-founder of the Lebanese Cinema Foundation (FLC) and the vice-chairman of the Beirut Screen Institute committee.
In 2018, Aractingi was appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.
How it all started... Born in a war-ridden country, Aractingi was raised in Beirut. At the early age of 8, his father gifted him his first camera. Seeing as he lived right on the demarcation line, at the heart of the gut-wrenching action, he put his photography skills to the test and started capturing scenes through his lens that went on to be published in various international magazines and news publications around the world.
Around that time, film was not yet a discipline taught in schools. So naturally, Philippe didn't let that stop him and decided to teach himself. At the age of 20 he goes out to film his first war documentary, in his very own hometown, Beirut.
Recognizing his knack for the audiovisual world, he moved to Paris in 1989 where he continued writing, directing and occasionally producing over 40 documentaries and short films in the following years. He shot most of his works in various countries such as France, Morocco, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Egypt and Mongolia, among many more of the world's most captivating locations.
Documentaries (1984-2005): At the age of 25, Aractingi leaves for Paris. He dedicated the following 12 years of his career to directing, producing and co-producing over 40 short-films and documentaries, including "Vol Libre au Liban" in 1991 that won the Best Short Film Award at the Saint-Hilary Film Festival; "Par le Regard des Meres" in 1992 that competed in the Lyon Film Festival and "Beyrouth de Pierre et de Mémoires in 1992 that won the gold medal of the games of La Francophonie. In 1995, he also released "Le Rêve de l'Enfant Acrobat" and it won the Grand Jury Prize at the Beirut Film Festival.
Films (2005-2019) In 2005, Philippe Aractingi released his first feature film "Bosta". The movie was critically acclaimed and broke audience records in Lebanon with more than 140,000 box office admissions. 100% Produced and financed by Lebanese contributors, this playful and realistic musical breaks the traditional depiction of war in movies. "Bosta" also went on to reconcile the Lebanese public with the cinema and opened the door to a new generation of Lebanese films. The movie received 8 awards including Best Screenplay at the Carthage Film Festival (JCC), the Golden Murex in Beirut in 2006, and the Best First Work Award at the Arab Film Festival in Rotterdam.
In 2006, when another war broke out in Lebanon, Philippe Aractingi was driven to relate the story through the eyes of two fictional characters, filmed at the very heart of the drama. That's when he filmed "Under the Bombs", which was later released in 2008. The story accompanies two professional actors throughout the turmoil and they later come face to face with real players who partook in the 2006 Lebanese-Israeli war. "Under The Bombs" was distributed in 30 countries and was nominated at the Venice, BAFTA, Dubai and at the Sundance Film Festival. It also won 23 awards, including the Best Actress Award and the Golden Muhr at the International Film Festival. The Audience Award at the Dubai Film Festival (DIFF); the Best Music and the Jury's Choice at the Luchon Festival in 2008, the Netpac and Critic's Awards in Antalya in 2007 and the Fipresci Prize at the Bratislava International Film Festival.
In 2014, Philippe Aractingi went on a limb and decided to write and produce an autobiography, "Heritages". This autobiography was a revamped documentary with a hint of fiction that helped Aractingi tell his story. It recounted the various exiles that he and his family had to go through over the past 4 generations, summing up to 100 years of history. The movie was nominated at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and the International Festival of Audiovisual Programs (FIPA), the film is used as a subject of study in more than 30 schools and universities around the world including Boston University.
In 2017, Philippe released "Listen". The movie was about a modern-day love story that defied the well-defined social norms. The story is focused on the senses, how they are linked to one's sensuality and how they trigger one's feelings. When it aired for the first time at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), "Listen" moved and shocked audiences. The authorities prohibited its distribution in the rest of the Arab world but the film still went on to win the Best Sound, Best Picture and Best Director awards at the Lebanese Movie Awards (LMA) and represented Lebanon at the Golden Globes in 2017.
Production House: In 1989, Aractingi founded his own production company, Fantascope, which allowed him to direct his feature films in a country where cinema was virtually non-existent. Fantascope Production has produced to date more than a hundred films broadcasted on international TV channels such as the Discovery Channel, France 2, France 3 or Arte. Aractingi also produces many films on commission, notably for museums, among which are the movies about the American University of Beirut's 150th Anniversary, the museum of the Central Bank of Lebanon and the in-flight safety regulations instructions for Lebanon's Middle East Airlines (MEA). In 2019, he also directed "Sur les pas du Christ" ("On The Footsteps of Christ"), a film co-produced with the Maronite Foundation. The movie retraces the journey of Christ in Southern Lebanon.
Photography and Videography: From the early age of 8, Philippe Aractingi gets behind the camera. When the war broke out, he went out on the streets to capture the scenes. Horrified by what he saw, Philippe decided to stop taking pictures for quite some time. In 2010, he finally decided to get back behind the camera and develop a series for an exhibit in Paris. The exhibit "Nuit sur Beyrouth" displayed a wide array of shots of Beirut by night. Some of the shots also showed a patchwork of colour where the city could be seen, fully lit up on one side but on the other side, it was overcome by darkness due to its infamously frequent power cuts.
His second exhibit "Obsession" took place in Beirut in 2018 and depicted the city's evolution over time. On one hand, you can clearly see the peaceful care-free days before the war but on the other hand, you can also see how the city was ravaged and disfigured by the war and how today, it's almost unrecognizable and lies bare for all to see. The exhibition was accompanied by an installation called "Beirut Through Time". The installation was a setup of three screens that each broadcast a picture of the same places and the evolution of these spaces over the past 100 years.
Writing Métier de femme, métier de mère: Book was co-written with Lela Chikhani-Nacouz, an essay that tells the strength and suffering of Lebanese mothers put in pictures in 1992 Through Mother's Eyes Nabil le petit étranger (Script) Price Maroun Baghdadi of the Best Script at the International Beirut Festival, 1998 Lauréat de la Bourse Beaumarchais, 1995 Scriptwriting contribution by « la commission de l'avance sur recette du CNC », 1996
Awards and Recognition: Par le Regard des Mères, 1992 (Documentary 52') Official selection at the Festival du Film de Nyons
Beyrouth the Pierre et de Mémoire, 1992 (Essay-18') Gold medal at the « jeux de la Francophonie » - Paris, 1994 Jury recognition at « Journées du Cinéma Africain et Créole » - Montréal, 1995
Vol Libre au Liban, 1993 (Short film 18') Jury price at the "festival international de Saint-Hilaire", 1991 Lauréat de l'Académie Carat, 1992
Le Rêve de l'Enfant Acrobate, 1995 (Maroc, Documentary 52') Grand Jury price at the Beirut Film Festival, 1997
Listen (2017) Nominations: DIFF - Dubai International Film Festival LFF - Lebanese Film Festival Australia AFF - Arab film festival in Minnesota AFF - Arab film festival in Germany (Tubingen) Awards: Lebanese Movie Awards (LMA) - best sound, best cinematography, best director Alexandria Official Critic Award (Egypt)
Heritages (Mirath) (2014) Nominations: DIFF 2013, FIPA and Thessaloniki Festivals Awards: The Silver HAMBRA award: Granada Cines del Sur Film Festival The Audience Award: Arab Film Festival - San Francisco Best Director and Best Editing in the Lebanese Movie Guide Awards 2015 Under the Bombs (2007/8) 23 prizes, amongst which are: The Golden Muhr Award and the Best Film and Best Actress Award at the Festival of Dubai (2007) EIUC Human Rights Film Award at the Venice Film Festival (2007) Critics Award and NETPAC Award Festival in Antalya (2007) Sundance FF 2008 FIPRESCI International Critics Award Festival Bratislava (2008) Best feature film in the One World Media Award in London (2009)
Bosta (2005/6) Awards: Best Scenario Award at Carthage Festival in 2002 Murex D'Or in Lebanon Best First Work Award at the Arab Film Festival Rotterdam IMA Award for First Feature Film Audience Award at the Queens International Festival Young Audience Award at Artemare Festival of Corsica.