Rosaline Elbay

Rosaline Elbay (; ) is an Egyptian stage and screen actress, producer and writer. She is known for her roles as Judy Goodwin on the Netflix series ''Kaleidoscope,'' Amani on the Hulu/A24 Films series ''Ramy'', and Sara on the MBC Masr series ''Qabeel''. She is currently starring as Nora Koriem on ''The Diplomat''.

Early life

Elbay was born and raised in Egypt to Egyptian parents. She attended a British school in Cairo and grew up speaking English, Arabic and French.

Elbay performed in a production of The Sound Of Music at the age of 11. As a child, she watched The Mummy and "wanted to be Evie", later choosing to pursue archaeology.

She read Classics and Archaeology at Oxford University before completing a master's in Political Science and Colonial History. She then studied at the Actors Studio New York City with Elizabeth Kemp before going on to complete the two-year MFA in Acting at LAMDA.

Career

Elbay’s early career was in UK theatre. She was predominantly trained in Shakespeare before attending drama school.

In 2018 she appeared in her first Egyptian feature film, ''Diamond Dust,'' an adaptation of Ahmed Mourad's bestselling novel starring Asser Yassin and Menna Shalabi. She then starred alongside Shalabi and Eyad Nassar in '' Fork & Knife'', which premiered at that year's El Gouna Film Festival. Also in 2018, Elbay was the subject of the music video for "Fakra" by Massar Egbari, a band that rose to prominence during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, appearing as the love interest of lead singer Hany Dakkak. The Cairo International Film Festival appointed her as its first face for young filmmakers, a role she reprised in 2019.

Since 2019, Elbay has starred as Amani in A24 series '' Ramy'', Ramy Youssef's eponymous Golden Globe and Peabody Award-winning show, alongside Youssef, Hiam Abbass, May Calamawy, and Mahershala Ali. Also in 2019, she received critical acclaim for her MENA region television debut as Sara opposite Mohamed Mamdouh on MBC Masr's '' Qabeel'' directed by Karim El Shenawy, a role for which she won two Al-Wafd Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best New Face.

Elbay hosted the opening ceremony of the 2019 El Gouna Film Festival alongside Aly Kassem. Her screenplay, "Garlic", was selected for the festival's TV Development Workshop.

In 2020, Elbay was due to star in MBC Masr’s ''Forgetfulness (Luebet Al Nesyan)'' directed by Hani Khalifa. However, she left the show mid-filming for health reasons owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. The role was reshot, with Elbay stating that she was pleased to have been replaced by her friend Asmaa Galal.

In September 2021, Elbay was announced as a principal cast member of Netflix heist series ''Kaleidoscope'' alongside Giancarlo Esposito, Paz Vega, Rufus Sewell, Tati Gabrielle, Peter Mark Kendall and Jai Courtney. Her character, Judy Goodwin, was described as “the crew's demolitions specialist, headstrong and independent — an eccentric spitfire.” The series shot in New York and debuted on January 1, 2023, claiming the number one spot on Netflix's most-watched list.

In October 2022, Elbay starred as Diana, Princess of Wales in the off-Broadway world premiere of ''Dodi & Diana'' opposite her ''Kaleidoscope'' co-star Peter Mark Kendall, stating that she felt a lot of empathy for Diana as "a woman who was discovering her own agency and carving out her place in the world." In 2023, she starred in ''Let Liv (2023 film), Let Liv'' alongside Christine Taylor and Jordan Carlos, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival, Tribeca film festival, and in Hulu, Hulu's ''Jagged Mind'' alongside Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Shannon Woodward. She was also a special guest star on director Karim El Shenawy's
Seventh-Year Itch
'' appearing as the voice of Aly Kassem's ex-partner Emma.

In 2024, Elbay joined season 2 of Netflix’s multi-award-winning series ''The Diplomat'' as Nora Koriem, Chief of Staff to the Vice President of the United States, Chief of staff to Vice President of the United States, Vice President Grace Penn (Allison Janney). The show has been renewed for seasons 3 and 4, with Elbay set to appear.

In 2025, Elbay starred in ''Do No Harm (2025 film), Do No Harm'' alongside Harry Shum Jr. The film, also featuring Ronny Chieng, premiered at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, LA on the opening night of the Dances With Films, Dances With Films Festival. Also in 2025, Elbay was announced to lead Anton Sigurðsson's ''A Better Place (2026), A Better Place'' alongside Theo Rossi and Billy Campbell as "a disgraced deputy, his anxious partner, and a sharp-tongued female prisoner who cover up a hit-and-run."

In October 2021, Elbay revealed that she is starring in an animated role and executive producing an unnamed project, both not yet announced.

Personal life and advocacy

Elbay lives in New York. She has a younger brother and describes herself as "still 40 percent archaeologist." She is also a painter.

In 2019, she hosted the opening ceremony of the 2019 El Gouna Film Festival, during which she wore a dress made of recycled plastic hand-worked by refugee women and sponsored by the UNHCR. She has since continued advocating for the organization, participating in the first MENA-region roundtable on The Role of Art and Culture in Addressing Displacement. In 2024, Elbay co-produced a 20-track fundraising album alongside Blood Cultures (band), Blood Cultures entitled "The Olive Tape". Featured artists included Nick Hakim, Narcy (rapper), Vansire, and Jordana (musician), Jordana, with proceeds going to Anera.

Elbay is described in MENA publications as an activist and an advocate for women's rights. She contributed to the cancellation of a concert by Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred due to his history of rape and assault. In 2020, Mada Masr published an op-ed by Elbay in response to the Egyptian MeToo movement, MeToo movement, in which she stated that she had experienced domestic violence in a previous relationship. She has also advocated for increased diversity and accessibility in the film industry, telling GQ, "There are as many seats at the table as you want there to be.” She stated her support for the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, 2023 SAG-AFTRA Strike.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Elbay announced her departure from a lead role in MBC Masr series ''Forgetfulness (Luebet Al Nesyan)'' due to a preexisting heart condition.

Awards and nominations

Elbay was awarded the 2019 Al-Wafd Critics' Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best New Face for her role in ''Qabeel''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Theatre

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Elbay, Rosaline
Living people
1990 births
Actresses from London
Actresses from Cairo
Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Actors Studio alumni
21st-century Egyptian actresses
British film actresses
Egyptian film actresses
Egyptian television actresses
British television actresses
Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford
21st-century English actresses