Soumaya Akaaboune (; born 16 February 1974) is a Moroccan actress.

Early life

Akaaboune was born and raised in

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

, Morocco. Her mother was a stylist and costume designer while her father was an art lover. She described her childhood home as a sanctuary for artists and those in need. At the age of 14, Akaaboune was spotted by the choreographer

Maurice Béjart Maurice Béjart (; 1 January 1927 – 22 November 2007) was a French dancer, choreographer and Theatre director, opera director who ran the Béjart Ballet Lausanne in Switzerland. He developed a popular expressionistic form of modern ballet, tac ...

, who invited her to join his dance troupe. She accepted and trained for eight hours a day, a period in which she said was the happiest of her life. Akaaboune toured Europe, dancing in Paris, then Spain and London. During her time in London, she turned her attention to theater, performing in several musicals. She snapped her Achilles tendon in 1989, ending her dancing career. In London, Akaaboune met

Sandra Bernhard Sandra Bernhard (born June 6, 1955) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy, where she often critiqued celebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is also well kn ...

, who invited her to perform on her show "Up All Night" and later the Broadway show "I'm Still Here...Damn It".

Career

Akaaboune trained in acting at the Loft Studio. In 2010, she starred opposite

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon ( ; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received va ...

in the film ''

Green Zone The Green Zone () is the most common name for the International Zone of Baghdad. It is a area in the Karkh, Karkh district of central Baghdad, Iraq. It is the chief government precinct and the seat of the Iraqi government. History Pre-200 ...

''. Akaaboune had roles in the romantic comedy '' Playing for Keeps'' in 2012 and the biopic '' Lovelace'' in 2013. She was one of the five housewives profiled on the 2013 French show '' Les Vraies Housewives''. Between 2015 and 2016, Akaaboune starred as Fettouma in the popular soap opera ''Wadii'', directed by Yassine Ferhanne. Her character is a bourgeois woman who refuses to accept injustice, and the show received 7 million views per episode. In 2019, she played Marcelle in the TV series '' The Spy''.

Personal life

Akaaboune met film producer

Peter Rodger Peter Anthony Rodger (born 6 April 1965) is a British filmmaker, photographer, and commercial director. Rodger is known for his 2009 documentary film '' Oh My God'', as well as for his work as a second unit director on ''The Hunger Games'' (20 ...

in 1999. The pair subsequently married and had a son, Jazz. Akaaboune was the stepmother of

Elliot Rodger Elliot Oliver Robertson Rodger (July 24, 1991 – May 23, 2014) was a British and American mass murderer who is known for killing six people and injuring fourteen others during the 2014 Isla Vista killings. The murders he committed, his suicid ...

, the perpetrator of the

2014 Isla Vista killings Two misogynistic terror, misogynistic terrorist attacks occurred in Isla Vista, California, United States on the evening of May 23, 2014. 22-year-old Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured fourteen others by gunshot, stabbing and vehicle ...

. The two had a strained relationship, and Elliot had planned to murder Akaaboune shortly before the killings. She returned to Morocco at the end of 2014. Akaaboune speaks French, Arabic, English and Spanish.

Filmography

;Films *1987: ''Dernier été à Tanger'' *1999: '' Moroccan Chronicles'' *1999: ''Esther'' *2010: ''When the Voices Fade'' (short film): Leila *2010: ''

'': Sanaa *2012: '' Playing for Keeps'': Aracelli *2013: '' Lovelace'' *2013: ''Djinn'' *2017: ''

Catch the Wind "Catch the Wind" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. Pye Records released "Catch the Wind" backed with "Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do?" as Donovan's debut release (Pye 7N.15801) in the United Kingdom on 28 ...

'': Madame Saïni *2017: ''Looking for Oum Kulthum'' ;Television *2013: '' Les Vraies Housewives'' *2015–2016: ''Waadi'': Fettouma *2017–2018: ''Rdat L'walida'': Faty Kenani *2019: ''EZZAIMA'' *2019: '' The Spy'': Marcelle *2020: ''Bab Al Bahar'': Zineb

References

External links

Soumaya Akaaboune
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akaaboune, Soumaya 1974 births Living people 20th-century Moroccan actresses 21st-century Moroccan actresses Moroccan film actresses Moroccan television actresses People from Tangier Rodger family