Saïd Taghmaoui (born 19 July 1973) is a French-American actor and screenwriter. One of his major screen roles was that of Saïd in the 1995

French film French cinema consists of the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe; with primary influ ...

La Haine ''La Haine'' (, ; released in the United States as ''Hate'') is a 1995 French crime drama film written, co-edited, and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. Starring Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé and Saïd Taghmaoui, the film chronicles a day and nig ...

'', directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. Taghmaoui has also appeared in a number of English-language films, with roles such as Captain Said in ''

Three Kings The biblical Magi from Middle Persian ''moɣ''(''mard'') from Old Persian ''magu-'' 'Zoroastrian clergyman' ( or ; singular: ), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the ...

'' (1999), Sameer in ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

'' (2017), and The Elder in '' John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum'' (2019).

Early life

Saïd Taghmaoui was born in

Villepinte, Seine-Saint-Denis Villepinte () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is near the Charles de Gaulle Airport. The Parc des Expositions de Villepinte is located in the city. , the city had a popu ...

, into a large family comprising eight children; he had four brothers and three sisters. His parents were Moroccan immigrants of Berber ancestry from Essaouira. Taghmaoui grew up in the Rose des Vents ''quartier'' of the Aulnay-sous-Bois ''commune''.''

Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly news magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. History and profile A sports news magazine, ''Match l'intran'' (a play on '' L'Intransigeant ...

'' 3118, 19–25 February 2009. He dropped out of school to become a boxer, rising as high as No. 2 in his weight class in France.

Career

He later met actor and director Mathieu Kassovitz; together, they appeared in Kassovitz's film ''

'' (1995), whose plot concerns race and violence in the ghettoized '' banlieues'' of Paris. The following year, Taghmaoui was nominated for a César Award (in the Most Promising Actor category) for his performance. He has since pursued an international career, appearing in films in Germany, Italy, Morocco and the United States (''

'', 1999). Taghmaoui starred in '' Vantage Point'' (2008) as the leader of a terrorist group plotting to kidnap the U.S. president. In Morocco, he appeared in '' Djinns'' (2010), a film about the Algerian War, alongside Thierry Fremont. Taghmaoui's television work includes '' Lost'', ''

House of Saddam ''House of Saddam'' is a 2008 British docudrama television miniseries that charted the rise and fall of Saddam Hussein. A co-production between BBC Television and HBO Films, the series was first broadcast on BBC Two (in the United Kingdom) in fo ...

'' and ''

Touch In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch ( haptic perception), as well as temperature ( thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It ...

''. He appeared in the British film '' My Brother the Devil'', which was released globally in 2013.

Personal life

Taghmaoui is a practising Muslim. He moved to the United States in 1999, and in 2008, obtained American citizenship.

Filmography

References

External links