Sharif Afifi is an English stage actor. For his performance in ''

The Band's Visit ''The Band's Visit'' () is a 2007 comedy-drama film written and directed by Eran Kolirin, and starring Saleh Bakri, Ronit Elkabetz, Sasson Gabai and Uri Gavriel. It is an international co-production between Israel, France and the United Sta ...

'', he was nominated for a

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...

. Was also in the "Cats Musical".

Early life

Afifi grew up in

Lytham St Annes Lytham St Annes () is a seaside town in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England. It is on the The Fylde, Fylde coast, directly south of Blackpool on the Ribble Estuary. The population of the built-up area at the 2021 United Kingdom census, ...

, Lancashire. He is of Egyptian descent. He trained in Professional Musical Theatre at

the Hammond School The Hammond School is a specialist performing arts school in Chester, England. History In 1917, Irene Hammond, a dance teacher and performer from Cheltenham, moved to Chester where she began teaching dance for Amy Broom, née Webster, who was k ...

in Chester.

Career

Afifi's early work from 2012 to 2017 included a minor role in ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'' at

Greenwich Theatre Greenwich Theatre is a local theatre located in Croom's Hill close to the centre of Greenwich in south-east London. Theatre first came to Greenwich at the beginning of the 19th century during the famous Eastertide Greenwich Fair at which the Ri ...

, ensemble and understudy roles in ''The 8th Fold'' at the

Duchess Theatre The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street near Aldwych. The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest West End theatres with a proscenium arch. It has 494 ...

and on the UK tour of ''Wonderland'', and as Munkustrap in the Royal Caribbean production of ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

''. In 2018, he appeared in ''The Toy Boy Diaries'' at the

Hope Mill Theatre The Hope Mill Theatre is an independent theatre in Ancoats, Manchester, England that performs original and revival plays, musicals and other events. The theatre is located in the Hope Mill building, a Grade II* listed converted textile mill. It ...

in Manchester and ''

Hadestown ''Hadestown'' is a musical with music, lyrics, and a book by Anaïs Mitchell. It tells a version of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Eurydice, a young girl looking for something to eat, goes to work in a hellish industrial vers ...

'' at the National Theatre in London. In 2019, he made his U.S. stage debut as Karim in '' We Live in Cairo'' at the

American Repertory Theater The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to ne ...

. He also went on the UK tour of ''On Your Feet!'' as a cover and in the ensemble. In 2021, Afifi appeared in the

Royal Shakespeare Theatre The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) (originally called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) is a Grade II* listed 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the English playwright and poet William Shakespea ...

production of ''

The Magician's Elephant ''The Magician's Elephant'' is a children's novel by American author Kate DiCamillo. It was released on September 8, 2009, and illustrated by Yoko Tanaka. Synopsis Orphan Peter Augustus Duchene has one question for the fortuneteller: If his ...

'' and the ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...

'' concert at

Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is an entertainment and sports venue in North London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. A listed building, Grade II listed building, it is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and th ...

, and originated the roles of Sultan Valed on the '' Rumi: The Musical'' concept album and Osman in ''You Bury Me'' at

Edinburgh Fringe Festival The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

respectively. For his performance in ''

'' at

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit Off-West End theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage, Josie Rourke and Michael Longhurst have all served as artistic direc ...

in 2022, Afifi was nominated for the 2023 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. Also in 2022, he played Freddy Eynsford-Hill in the

London Coliseum The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, City of Westminster, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the Lond ...

production of ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' and on the Pygmalion (1938 film), 1938 film ...

'' and starred in

Omar Baroud Omar Baroud (born 1991/1992) is a Dutch actor and writer based in London. He is known for his theatre work and his role in the Star series ''Wedding Season'' (2022). Early life Baroud was born in Lelystad, Netherlands to a Curaçaoan mother and ...

's presentation of ''After Elijah'' at

The Other Palace The Other Palace is a theatre in London's Off West End which opened on 18 September 2012 as the St. James Theatre. It features a 312-seat main theatre and a 120-seat studio theatre. It was built on the site of the former Westminster Theatre, ...

. He reunited with

Amara Okereke Amarachi Weruche A. Okereke (born 27 November 1996) is a Nigerian English actress. She is known for her work in theatre. Early life and education Okereke was born in North Tyneside in 1996, the only daughter of two Nigerian medical professionals ...

from ''My Fair Lady'' for '' The Light in the Piazza'' concert at Alexandra Palace.

Stage

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Sharif Afifi
at Spotlight {{DEFAULTSORT:afifi, sharif Living people Actors from Lytham St Annes English male musical theatre actors English people of Egyptian descent Male actors from Lancashire Year of birth missing (living people)