Amr Waked

Amr Waked was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1972. He pursued his education at the American University in Cairo, studying economics and theatre. Waked began his acting career in theatre, joining the Temple Theatre Troop in 1994 and the Yaaru Theatre Troop in 1999, which helped him develop his skills as a performer. His transition to film occurred in 1998 with Ossama Fawzy’s “Gannet El Shayateen,” a role that earned him an award and established him as a versatile actor known for his impactful performances.

Waked’s international presence began in 2003 with Stephen Gegan’s film “Syriana.” His performance was well-received and led to further opportunities in international productions including “House Of Saddam” and “Salmon Fishing In The Yemen.” In 2005, Waked co-founded “zad communication & production llc,” a company focused on developmental and social issues in Egypt and the Middle East. This venture expanded into film production, with “zad” producing its first feature film, “Winter Of Discontent,” in 2012, which premiered at the 69th Venice Film Festival.

Throughout his career, Waked has taken on a variety of significant roles. He played Gehad in “Ashab wallah business” (2002) and Ahmed in “Deil el Samaka” (2003), earning him a Best Actor Award at the Alexandria International Film Festival. His work in “Syriana” (2005) led to a ‘Special Award for Arabs in The International Cinema’ at the Cairo International Film Festival. Later roles include Hussein Kamel in the BBC/HBO series “House of Saddam” (2008), Rafik in “Contagion” (2011), Sheikh Muhammed in “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” (2012), Pierre Del Rio in Luc Besson’s “Lucy” (2014) alongside Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman, and Ray Dussette in “Geostorm” (2017). He also portrayed Emir Said Bin Abydos in “Wonder Woman 1984” (2020) and Farouk Hassan in the Hulu series “Ramy” (2019–2022).