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Khalid Abdalla

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Khalid Abdalla
Born (1980-10-26) 26 October 1980 (age 44)
Glasgow, Scotland,
EducationKing's College School
Alma materQueens' College, Cambridge
Occupations
  • Actor
  • activist
Years active1998–present
Spouse
Cressida Trew
​
(m. 2011)​

Khalid Abdalla (Arabic: خالد عبد الله, romanized: Khālid ‘Abd Allāh; born 26 October 1980) is a British actor and activist. He came to international prominence after starring in the 2006 Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA-winning film United 93. Written and directed by Paul Greengrass, it chronicles events aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked as part of the 11 September attacks. Abdalla played Ziad Jarrah, the pilot and leader of the four hijackers on board the flight.

Abdalla starred as Amir in The Kite Runner (2007) and acted with Matt Damon in Green Zone (2010), his second film with director Paul Greengrass. Abdalla appears as himself in Jehane Noujaim's documentary on the 2011 Egyptian revolution, The Square, which won the Audience Award at Sundance Festival in 2013.[1][2] In 2022 and 2023, he starred as Dodi Fayed in seasons 5 and 6 of the historical drama series The Crown, for which he received a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

Abdalla is on the board of the National Student Drama Festival. In 2011, he became one of the founding members of the Mosireen ("We Insist") Collective in Cairo: a group of revolutionary filmmakers and activists dedicated to supporting citizen media across Egypt in the wake of Hosni Mubarak's fall.[3] Three months after it began, Mosireen became the most watched non-profit YouTube channel in Egypt of all time, and in the whole world in January 2012.[4]

Early life

Abdalla was born in Glasgow, Scotland, to Egyptian parents, and was brought up in London.[5][6] Abdalla's father and grandfather were well-known anti-regime activists in Egypt. His parents were both physicians who immigrated to the UK before he was born.[7]

Abdalla was educated at King's College School, an independent school for boys in Wimbledon in south-west London and his classmates included actor Ben Barnes and comedian Tom Basden.[8] He became interested in acting after becoming involved in his school's thriving drama scene. In 1998, he directed a production of Someone Who'll Watch Over Me by Frank McGuinness, which ended up having a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival and earned five stars in The Scotsman newspaper,[9] making him the youngest director to receive this accolade.

After spending a gap year travelling around the Middle East, Abdalla went on to Queens' College, Cambridge, where he read English.[10] He was active in the student drama scene alongside the likes of contemporaries Rebecca Hall and Dan Stevens.[11] He was a joint winner with Cressida Trew, his future wife, of the Judges' Award for Acting at the National Student Drama Festival for his performance in Bedbound by Enda Walsh.[12]

Career

In 2003, Abdalla played the title role in Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine the Great at the Rose Theatrein Kingston, London. This was the inaugural production of Peter Hall's Canon's Mouth Theatre Company, composed of "young actors intent on discovering a new voice for the great metaphorical dramas of the Renaissance".[13]

Abdalla's first screen role was in a 2005 episode of Spooks entitled Infiltration of a New Threat.

In 2006, Abdalla made his Hollywood debut in United 93, a film about the 11 September attacks, and garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of Ziad Jarrah.[14] He was cast in the lead role of the film The Kite Runner. In preparation for that role, he spent time in Kabul learning Dari Persian and kite-flying.[15]

In 2008, Abdalla appeared as Guy Pringle in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Fortunes of War. He starred as Freddy in Green Zone with Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass.[16]

In 2009–10, Abdalla produced and acted in the independent Egyptian film In the Last Days of the City, directed by Tamer El Said.

In November 2010, Abdalla was awarded special recognition for achievements in cinema at the Cairo International Film Festival.

In 2011, he narrated the documentary film East to West, also known as The River Flows Westward.[17][18][19]

In 2016, he appeared as Muhammad XII of Granada in the film Assassin's Creed.

In 2022–23, Abdalla played Dodi Fayed, the lover of Diana, Princess of Wales, in the fifth and sixth seasons of The Crown.[20] His performance in the sixth season earned his nomination for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.[21]

In 2024, Nowhere, a solo play written and performed by Abdalla, premiered at Battersea Arts Centre and was published by Salamander Street.

Personal life

In January–February 2011, Abdalla was among protesters in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt in the major protests against the Hosni Mubarak regime.[22] He also appeared on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer show on CNN on 9 February 2011 and Anderson Cooper[23] to reflect his views on the protest. He continues to be active in Egypt.[24]

In 2011 Abdalla became one of the founding members of the Mosireen Collective in Cairo: a group of revolutionary filmmakers and activists dedicated to supporting citizen media across Egypt in the wake of Mubarak's fall.[3] Mosireen films the ongoing revolution, publishes videos that challenge state media narratives, provides training sessions and equipment and screenings and holds an extensive library of footage. At three months old, Mosireen became the most watched non-profit YouTube channel in Egypt of all time, and in the whole world in January 2012.[3][25]

Support of Palestine

Khalid Abdalla supports South Africa's genocide charges against Israel. He contributed to a video series, published by the Palestine Festival of Literature, in support of South Africa's motion that Israel is guilty of genocide in Palestine.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2006 United 93 Ziad Jarrah
2007 Hush Your Mouth JJ Farouk
The Kite Runner Amir Qadiri
2010 Green Zone Farid Yusuf "Freddy" Abdurrahman
Maydoum Sharif Short
2012 Predella Magid Short
Al Alamayn Mahmoud Short
Une arme de choix Himself Documentary short
2013 The Square Himself Documentary
2014 Tigers Nadeem
Narrow Frame of Midnight Zacaria
2015 1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham Ibn Al-Haytham Voice
2016 In the Last Days of the City Khalid El-Said
Our Kind of Traitor Luke
Assassin's Creed Muhammad XII of Granada
2017 Birds Like Us Bat Voice
2020 Undergods Octavius

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2005 Spooks Yazdi Episode: "Road Trip"
2007 Secret's Out Himself Episode: "The Kite Runner"
2011 East To West Narrator Voice, 7 episodes
2019–2020 Hanna Jerome Sawyer 6 episodes
2022 Moon Knight Selim / Osiris 3 episodes
2022–2023 The Crown Dodi Fayed 7 episodes
Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
2024 The Day of the Jackal Ulle Dag Charles

References

  1. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (24 January 2013). "Sundance 2013: In Egypt doc 'The Square,' a new kind of muckraking". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  2. ^ Felperin, Leslie (23 February 2013). "Variety Default Web Image 640×360 (16:9) | Variety". Varietyarabia.com. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "About Mosireen |". Mosireen.org. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Egyptian citizen journalism 'Mosireen' tops YouTube - Media - Egypt - Ahram Online". English.ahram.org.eg. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "Welcome to nginx". www.newsday.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  7. ^ Barkham, Patrick (10 December 2007). "Patrick Barkham - talks to actor Khalid Abdalla - 'To screw it up would be offensive'". The Guardian. London.
  8. ^ "KCS Newsletter - Khalid Abdalla returns to King's" (PDF). kcs.org.uk. 2011. p. 13.[permanent dead link‍]
  9. ^ "Island". Philipswan.homestead.com. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  10. ^ "Thinking the unthinkable wins accolades" (PDF). Cambridge Alumni News. 2006. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 July 2013.
  11. ^ "Rebecca Hall takes the lead". Daily Telegraph. London. 29 October 2011. Archived from the original on 29 October 2011.
  12. ^ Wilkinson, Chris (16 December 2007). "Why student theatre matters". The Guardian. London.
  13. ^ Terri Paddock (11 September 2003). "Great Tamburlaine 'Reopens' Rose After 400 Years". Archived from the original on 3 July 2012.
  14. ^ Horn, John (26 April 2006). "Do they really want the part?". Los Angeles Times.
  15. ^ Fanning, Evan (23 December 2007). "Thirty years of kites, weddings and funerals in Afghanistan". Irish Independent. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Khalid Abdalla: My acts of defiance - Features, Film & TV". The Independent. London.[dead link‍]
  17. ^ "Cast - East to West: Series". instantwatcher.com. instantwatcher.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  18. ^ "The River Flowing Westward Exhibition". MEDAM | CIVILIZATION STUDIES CENTER. medam.org.tr. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  19. ^ "East to West". SBS: Documentary. sbs.com.au. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  20. ^ Hibbs, James (16 November 2023). "Who is Khalid Abdalla? Meet Dodi Fayed actor in The Crown". Radio Times. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  21. ^ "TELEVISION NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 29TH ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS – Critics Choice Awards". Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  22. ^ "Khalid Abdalla: 'Fight for noble ideals will continue'". BBC News. 3 February 2011.
  23. ^ "Lies & Brutality of Mubarak's Regime: Anderson Cooper & Egyptian Actor Khalid Abdalla Discuss". YouTube. 8 February 2011. Archived from the original on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  24. ^ "Revolution is the only way to save Egypt | Khalid Abdalla | Comment is free". The Guardian. London. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  25. ^ Mackey, Robert (4 November 2012). "Crowdfunding Citizen Journalism in Cairo". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
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