Marwan Kenzari

Marwan Kenzari was born on January 16, 1983, in The Hague, Netherlands, to a Tunisian family. His early life was primarily focused on football until a girlfriend encouraged him to audition for a local production of the musical “Chicago.” This experience led him to pursue acting, and he later graduated from the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2009. Following his graduation, Kenzari joined the Toneelgroep Amsterdam, a prestigious theatre group, which provided him with opportunities to perform internationally in cities such as Moscow, London, Vienna, and New York City.

Kenzari’s acting career began in 2008 with appearances in Dutch films and TV series. His breakthrough came in 2013 with his role in the crime drama “Wolf,” where he portrayed a recently paroled Moroccan immigrant, balancing aspirations as a boxer with involvement in criminal activities. His dedicated performance, which included 18 months of specialized training to play a kickboxer, earned him the Golden Calf for Best Actor at the Netherlands Film Festival. This critical recognition led to international exposure, with Variety naming him an ‘International Talent to Watch’ in 2014 and The Hollywood Reporter listing him among their ’15 International Break Out Talents of 2016′.

Transitioning to English-language films in 2016, Kenzari has taken on significant roles in various prominent productions. He appeared in Timur Bekmambetov’s “Ben Hur” and Terry George’s “The Promise” in 2016. The following year, he featured alongside Tom Cruise in “The Mummy,” Noomi Rapace and Glenn Close in “What Happened to Monday,” and a star-studded cast including Anthony Hopkins and Ben Kingsley in “Collide.” Kenzari gained widespread international recognition for his portrayal of Jafar in Disney’s live-action “Aladdin” (2019) and later appeared in Netflix’s “The Old Guard” (2020) and “Black Adam” (2022), continuing to expand his presence in global cinema. He is set to appear in “The Night Agent” season 2 in 2025 and “The Old Guard 2” in 2025.