Ramy Youssef (, ; born March 26, 1991) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer, and director. He is known for his role as Ramy Hassan on the

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comedy series '' Ramy'' (2019–2022), for which he won a

Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall * Golden Cap, Dorset * Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucesters ...

and a

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in 2020. He was also nominated for two

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

: Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Early life and education

Ramy Youssef was born in 1991 in the

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

borough of

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 ...

, to

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 ...

ian parents, and raised in

Rutherford, New Jersey Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 18,834, an increase of 773 (+4.3%) from the 2010 census count of 18,061, which in turn reflected a de ...

. Ten years after emigrating from Egypt, his father became a manager at the

Plaza Hotel The Plaza Hotel (also known as The Plaza) is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, ...

in New York City. He was raised in a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

household, observing Islamic holidays, and remains a practicing Muslim. Youssef attended Rutherford High School. In high school, he and his friend Steve Way appeared on their high school television program. He went on to study political science and economics at Rutgers University, Newark, but he left before graduating to enroll at William Esper Studio to focus on acting. Youssef speaks Arabic and English. His maternal grandfather was a French and Arabic interpreter at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Career

Youssef made his acting debut on the

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sitcom '' See Dad Run'' in which he had a main role. During the run of the show, Youssef shadowed the writers' room, an experience Youssef would bring to his own show in 2019. In 2017, Youssef appeared on ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night news satire, news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Stephen Colbert, Spartin ...

'' where he performed his stand-up routine. His television series '' Ramy'' debuted on

on April 19, 2019, with 10 episodes. The show, in which Youssef plays the title character, tells the story of a

millennial Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ...

first-generation Muslim-American born to immigrant parents in the United States. Soon after its first season debuted, Hulu renewed it for a second season. He received a

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in January 2020 for this role, and was also nominated for two

, as both an actor and director. In June 2019, Youssef starred in his first

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stand-up comedy special, ''Ramy Youssef: Feelings''. Along with Mo Amer, Youssef is the co-creator of '' Mo'', an American comedy-drama streaming television series that premiered on August 24, 2022, on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. After the debut of ''Ramy'', Youssef signed an overall television production deal with

A24 A24 Films LLC, commonly referred to as A24, is an American Privately held company, independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. The studio is based in Manhattan. The company ...

. As of December 2019, he had two shows in development, one for

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...

and one for

. In 2021, he was nominated for another Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy for ''Ramy''. ''Ramy'' season three premiered in the United States on 30 September 2022. In a February 2024 interview, Youssef told '' Vanity Fair'' that his art has often taken him to

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

, including to perform stand-up comedy in 2014 and in the aforementioned third season of ''Ramy''. In 2023, Youssef toured his comedy show "More Feelings" and announced that proceeds from the final 12 nights would raise funds for Gaza through American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA). On December 8, 2023, Youssef's "More Feelings" show at the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a multi-arts center in Brooklyn, New York City. It hosts progressive and avant-garde performances, with theater, dance, music, opera, film programming across multiple nearby venues. BAM was chartered in 18 ...

(BAM), which donated all proceeds from ticket sales to ANERA, drew headlines when celebrities including

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

and

Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, and businesswoman. Gomez began her career as a child actress, appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), a ...

attended. Youssef had his first major movie role in the 2023 film '' Poor Things'', directed by

Yorgos Lanthimos Yorgos Lanthimos (; ; born 23 September 1973) is a Greek filmmaker. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Lion, as well as nominations for five Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Lanthimos started hi ...

. On March 30, 2024, Youssef hosted ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

''. In August 2024, it was announced that Youssef was entering into a partnership with Netflix to develop serialized first-look projects through his production company Cairo Cowboy. In 2025, Youssef co-created alongside Pam Brady, '' #1 Happy Family USA'' for

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

Personal life

Youssef has been married to a visual artist from Saudi Arabia since 2022. He met his wife through May Calamawy, his co-star in '' Ramy''. He is private about his personal life, and has chosen not to disclose his wife's personal details publicly. He signed an open letter to

President Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 and re ...

on October 20, 2023 by 55 prominent artists and advocates in the entertainment industry calling for a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza during the Israeli invasion . Youssef also wore an "Artists for Ceasefire" pin at the 2024 Academy Awards. Youssef prayed for God to "Please free the people of Palestine. And please free the hostages” during his ''

'' monologue on March 30, 2024.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Youssef, Ramy Living people 1991 births 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American comedians American male film actors American male comedians American male television actors American male voice actors Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Comedians from Queens, New York Comedians from Bergen County, New Jersey Male actors from New Jersey Male actors from Queens, New York Muslim male comedians Rutgers University alumni Rutherford High School (New Jersey) alumni Entertainers from Rutherford, New Jersey American sketch comedians American stand-up comedians American people of Egyptian descent American television directors Muslims from New York (state) Muslims from New Jersey Actors from Bergen County, New Jersey