Dhafer L'Abidine (, also spelt Dhaffer L'Abidine, Zafer El-Abedin and Dhafer El Abidine; born 26 November 1972) is a

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

n actor, director,

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

, producer and former professional

football player A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

Biography

Dhafer made his acting debut in the UK after graduating from the

Birmingham School of Acting Birmingham School of Acting (BSA), previously known as Birmingham School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art (BSSTDA) and then as Birmingham School of Speech and Drama (BSSD) is a drama school located in Birmingham, England and is a part of the R ...

. He starred in Sky One's '' Dream Team'', BBC's ''Spooks'' and ITV's ''The Bill''. He also starred in '' "The Mark of Cain"'' as Omar Abdullah and in A Hologram for the King. He became famous in

after playing the role of "Dali" in a Tunisian series called "Maktoub". He later went on to participate in dramas in the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

, notably in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

, and

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, including shows and series such as "''Taht Al Saytara"'', ''" Prince of Poets"'', and "''Arous Beirut"'' He was voted Best Actor in the

Arab World The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

for 2017 by Sayidaty magazine. In November 2018, he was part of the jury led by

Bille August Bille August (; born 9 November 1948) is a Danish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer of film and television. August's 1987 film ''Pelle the Conqueror'' won the , Academy Awards, Academy Award and Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Awar ...

at the 40th

Cairo International Film Festival The Cairo International Film Festival is an annual internationally accredited film festival held in Cairo Opera House. It was established in 1976 and has taken place every year since its inception, except for 2011 and 2013, when it was cancelled ...

Filmography

Films

*''

Mark of Cain The curse of Cain and the mark of Cain are phrases that originated in the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis. In the stories, if someone harmed Cain, the damage would come back sevenfold. Some interpretations view this as a physical ...

'' *''

Children of Men ''Children of Men'' is a 2006 dystopian action thriller film directed and co-written by Alfonso Cuarón. The screenplay, based on P. D. James' 1992 novel '' The Children of Men'', was credited to five writers, with Clive Owen making uncredite ...

'' (2006) *''

The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is “the best-selling American novel of all time.” Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon—the first was his 2000 novel '' Angels & Demons''� ...

'' (2006) *''The Gems Merchant'' *''The Hunt Feast'' *''Marie la Fille de Son'' *''Le Rendez-Vous'' *''

31 North 62 East ''31 North 62 East'' is an independent psychological thriller film released in September 2009. The title refers to a point in southwestern Afghanistan near Zaranj and the Iranian border. It was written by brothers Leofwine Loraine and Tristan ...

'' (2009) *''

Sex and the City 2 ''Sex and the City 2'' is a 2010 American romantic comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by Michael Patrick King. It is the sequel to the 2008 film ''Sex and the City','' which was based on the 1998–2004 HBO television series of ...

'' (2010) *'' A Hologram for the King'' (2016) *''Abu Shanab'' *''Habet Caramel'' * ''

The Spider The Spider is an American pulp-magazine hero of the 1930s and 1940s. The character was created by publisher Harry Steeger and written by a variety of authors for 118 monthly issues of '' The Spider'' from 1933 to 1943. ''The Spider'' sold well ...

'' (2022) *''asbet alf lila wa lila''

Television

* ''Hunted'' (2012) *''Benidorm'' (as Mohammed) (from Series 5, March 2012) *''Casualty'' (from Series 26, September 2011) *''Spooks 5'' (episode 6&7) *'' Prince of Poets'' (presenter, 2007) *''Voyages of Discovery'' *''The Message'' *''The Bill'' *''Doctors'' (BBC, 2005) *''Bombshell'' Ramon Jim Loach Shed Productions *''Brothers'' Kais (Regular) Hamadi Arafa RTT Tunisia * 2009 - 2013 : '' Tunis 2050'' : Bilel *'' Dream Team'' (2 series) Marcel Sabatier (Regular) Various Sky Television *''Wire in the Blood 2'' *''First Love'' *''Maktoub'' (4 Saisons) (as Dali Naji) (Prod. Cactus Of Sami Fehri RTT Tunisia) *''Vertigo'' (Egyptian Ramadan 2012 series) *''

The Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writte ...

'' -

Uriah the Hittite Uriah the Hittite ( ''ʾŪrīyyā haḤīttī'') is a minor figure in the Hebrew Bible, mentioned in the Books of Samuel, an elite soldier in the army of David, king of Israel and Judah, and the husband of Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam. While ...

*''Niran Sadiqa'' (Egyptian ... Ramadan 2013 series) * ''The Cube'' (Dubai TV, 2014) * Transporter: The Series *'' Elsaytara'' (Egyptian Ramadan 2015 series) *''Al khourouj'' - The Exit (Egyptian Ramadan 2016 series) *''Halawet el Donia'' (Egyptian Ramadan 2017 series) *''Caramel'' (Ramadan 2017 series) *''eugenie nights'' (Ramadan 2018 series) *'' The Looming Tower (miniseries)'' (2018 Hulu Network) *''Arous Beirut'' (2019 series) *''Finding Ola'' (Netflix series, Season 2, 2024)

Awards

* Best Arab Actor Award for ''Halawet El Donia'' at the

Murex d'Or The Murex d'Or (also known as the Golden Murex award) is a Lebanon, Lebanese award created by two Lebanon, Lebanese physicians, Zahi and Fadi Helou to recognize achievements in the domain of art in Lebanon, the Arab world, Arab region and the wor ...

in 2018 * Best Actor Award at the

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

Arab Film Festival for his performance in ''Ghodwa''

References

External links

* * Living people 1972 births Tunisian men's footballers Tunisian male television actors Tunisian male film actors 20th-century Tunisian male actors 21st-century Tunisian male actors Male actors from Tunis Men's association football players not categorized by position {{Tunisia-actor-stub