May El Calamawy
(,
; born October 28, 1986) is an
Egyptian
''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt.
Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to:
Nations and ethnic groups
* Egyptians, a national group in North Africa
** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...
-
Palestinian
Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine.
*: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...
actress who has worked and resided in the United States since 2015. She is known for her roles in the American television series ''
Ramy'' (2019–present) as Dena Hassan, and ''
Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, the character first appeared in ''Werewolf by Night'' #32 (August 1975).
The son of a rabbi, Marc S ...
'' (2022) as
Layla El-Faouly
"Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded with their band Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'' (1970). Its contrasting movements ...
/
Scarlet Scarab
Scarlet Scarab is the name of three characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas, Archie Goodwin, and Frank Robbins, Abdul Faoul, the first Scarlet Scarab, made his first appearance in '' The Inv ...
, the first Egyptian and first Arab superhero in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
.
Early life
Calamawy was born in
Bahrain
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
on October 28, 1986,
to an Egyptian father who worked as a
banker
A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
and a
Palestinian-Jordanian
Palestinians in Jordan refers mainly to those with Palestinian refugee status currently residing there. Sometimes the definition includes Jordanian citizens with full Palestinian origin. Most Palestinian ancestors came to Jordan as Palestinian ...
mother.
She has an older brother.
Raised mostly in Bahrain, she also spent six years living between
Doha
Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...
, Qatar, and
Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, Texas, before she was twelve years old.
Calamawy speaks English and Arabic
and also plays the piano.
Calamawy has stated that she was inspired to become an actress after watching the film ''
Death Becomes Her
''Death Becomes Her'' is a 1992 American satirical surrealistic black comedy fantasy film directed and produced by Robert Zemeckis and written by David Koepp and Martin Donovan. The film stars Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis, a ...
'' (1992) when she was a child.
She completed high school in Bahrain,
and at 17 she moved to
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, Massachusetts, to study
industrial design
Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical Product (business), products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in adva ...
at her father's request,
because he wanted her to study something other than acting.
At first, her parents did not feel comfortable about sending her to the United States to study acting, because they wanted a degree that was more specialized and would guarantee a career.
She applied to
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private college in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It also maintains campuses in Los Angeles and Well, Limburg, Netherlands (Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of Public Speaking, o ...
and told her parents, "If I get in, I'm going."
She was accepted and earned a
B.A.
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...
in theatre studies.
Calamawy's mother started accepting the idea of her acting career after college and became her main champion.
She moved to Dubai in 2009
to help care for her mother,
who was sick with stage 4
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...
.
Her hair started falling out due to stress at the same time as her mother's hair fell out due to
chemotherapy
Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...
.
Following her mother's death when Calamawy was 25,
her father suggested her to focus on a more stable job, which she tried for two years.
From 2013 to 2014, she was the manager of the coffee shop The Magazine Shop in Dubai. Her mother's death inspired her to focus on acting.
After living in Dubai for five years, she moved back to the United States in 2015 to pursue an acting career and enrolled at the
William Esper Studio
The William Esper Studio was founded in 1965 as a school for the performing arts in Manhattan, New York. The school is dedicated to the acting technique of Sanford Meisner. Its founder, William "Bill" Esper, is occasionally referred to as the bes ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
Career
Calamawy started her career acting in short films and used to be credited with her full name, May El Calamawy.
She later changed it to May Calamawy.
After attending college, she participated in the New York Arab American Comedy Festival.
In 2006, she made her feature film debut in ''Thursday'', directed by Thadd Williams. From 2009 to 2014, she was dividing her time between Dubai and
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
, acting in shorts and a TV pilot.
Her first major film role was in
Tobe Hooper
Willard Tobe Hooper (; January 25, 1943 – August 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker, best known for his work in the horror film, horror genre. The British Film Institute cited Hooper as one of the most influential horror filmmakers of al ...
's 2013 supernatural horror film ''
Djinn
Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam.
Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...
'', the first horror film to be produced in the
United Arab Emirates
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 monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
.
In 2017, she had a recurring role in the
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
miniseries ''
The Long Road Home'', and guest-starring roles in ''
The Brave'' and ''
Madam Secretary''.
The following year, she guest-starred in the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
crime drama
Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...
television series ''
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
''.
In October 2018, it was announced that she would have a recurring role in the
Hulu
Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
comedy-drama
Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
series ''
Ramy'', playing Ramy's sister, Dena Hassan.
In 2020, she voiced Ellie Malik in the video game ''
NBA 2K21
''NBA 2K21'' is a 2020 basketball video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. Based on the National Basketball Association (NBA), it is the 22nd installment in the ''NBA 2K'' franchise, the successor to ''NBA 2K20'' and the p ...
''. In 2021, she appeared in the comedy film ''
Together Together
''Together Together'' is a 2021 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Nikole Beckwith. The film stars Ed Helms and Patti Harrison. It follows the friendship between a single man and the surrogate pregnant with his child. The fil ...
'', with
Ed Helms
Edward Parker Helms (born January 24, 1974) is an American actor, musician and comedian. From 2002 to 2006, he was a correspondent on Comedy Central's '' The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sit ...
and
Patti Harrison
Patti Harrison (born October 31, 1990) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her roles in comedy series such as '' Shrill'' (2019–2021) and ''I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson'' (2019–present), as well as the c ...
.
In 2022, Calamawy starred in the
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
miniseries
In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
''
Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, the character first appeared in ''Werewolf by Night'' #32 (August 1975).
The son of a rabbi, Marc S ...
'', based on the
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
featuring the character of
the same name,
where she portrayed
Layla El-Faouly
"Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded with their band Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'' (1970). Its contrasting movements ...
, an Egyptian archeologist and estranged wife of Marc Spector (portrayed by
Oscar Isaac
Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is an American actor. Recognized for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latino characters in Cinema of the United States, H ...
), who later becomes the
Scarlet Scarab
Scarlet Scarab is the name of three characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas, Archie Goodwin, and Frank Robbins, Abdul Faoul, the first Scarlet Scarab, made his first appearance in '' The Inv ...
, the first Egyptian and first Arab superhero in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
. Her character made her comic debut in September 2023 as the new Scarlet Scarab on ''Moon Knight'' Vol. 9 #25.
In July 2022, she joined the voice cast of the animated television series ''
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
''Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' (or simply ''Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'') is an American animated superhero television series developed by Steve Loter, Jeffrey M. Howard, and Kate Kondell for Disney Channel. Based on '' Moon Girl A ...
'' as a guest star. The show premiered on
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
and Disney+ in 2023. In May 2023, Calamawy joined the cast of
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...
's ''
Gladiator II
''Gladiator II'' is a 2024 historical drama, historical epic film directed and produced by Ridley Scott that is a sequel to Gladiator (2000 film), ''Gladiator'' (2000). Written by David Scarpa based on a story he wrote with Peter Craig, the fi ...
'' and it was originally announced that she would play an important character, but her scenes were cut and she only appeared in an uncredited non-speaking
background role as a companion of
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...
's character in a few scenes.
In 2025, Calamawy played five different characters in
Duke Johnson
Randy "Duke" Johnson Jr. (born September 23, 1993) is an American former professional football running back who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the third round (77th overall) ...
's thriller ''
The Actor''.
In April 2025, she joined the cast of
Lee Cronin's supernatural horror film ''
The Mummy
A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse.
Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to:
Places
* Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States
* Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in P ...
''.
Personal life
Since 2015, Calamawy has resided in the United States.
She was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease
alopecia areata
Alopecia areata (AA), also known as spot baldness, is a condition in which hair loss, hair is lost from some or all areas of the body. It often results in a few Baldness, bald spots on the scalp, each about the size of a coin. Psychological st ...
at the age of 22.
Her alopecia was incorporated into the storyline of her character Dena Hassan in ''
Ramy'' during the show's second season.
In October 2023, she signed an open letter for the ''
Artists4Ceasefire
Artists4Ceasefire is a collective of actors, filmmakers, and other artists calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire during the Gaza war in Gaza, the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians, and the release of all hostages. The collec ...
'' campaign calling for a ceasefire in the
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...
during the
Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
.
Filmography
Films
Television
Video games
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calamawy, May
1986 births
Living people
Egyptian film actresses
Palestinian film actresses
Egyptian television actresses
Palestinian television actresses
21st-century Egyptian actresses
21st-century Palestinian actresses
Emerson College alumni
Egyptian expatriates in the United States
Palestinian expatriates in the United States
Egyptian people of Palestinian descent
Palestinian people of Egyptian descent