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1-50 of 139
- Actor
- Producer
Dar Salim was born on 18 August 1977 in Baghdad, Iraq. He is an actor and producer, known for Guy Ritchie's the Covenant (2023), Game of Thrones (2011) and The Devil's Double (2011).- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Amrou Al-Kadhi was born on June 23, 1990, in London. They are a writer/director/performer, known for Little America (2020), The Watch (2020), Anemone (2018), Hollyoaks (1995), and Christopher Robin (2018) .
As a screenwriter, Amrou co-write the much lauded finale of Apple's Little America (2020), and is a writer on the BBC America adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, The Watch (2020).
Amrou is the writer/creator of "Targets," a horror in development with BBC Drama and Public Dreams Ltd. Amrou has other TV series in development, alongside ABC & FX Productions, NBC Universal and Playground / Endeavour Content. Amrou Al-Kadhi has two feature films in development - as writer/director, "Layla", with Film 4 & Fox Cub Films and "Oh, Molly" with BBC Films & Sarah Brocklehurst Productions. Amrou is also the author of "Life as a Unicorn: A Journey From Shame to Pride and Everything in Between," (Harper Collins), which is currently being adapted for screen.
Amrou is the writer/director of four short films that all share a focus on queer intersectional people of colour. The latest is Anemone (2018), created with BBC Films and Film London, a film about a non-binary teenager who expresses their non-binary identity through the magic of marine life. The second, [title=tt7140218], is a commission for Nowness, an exploration of how female-bodied drag queen Victoria Sin transforms social space through their drag - this gained official entry into the BFI London Film Festival. The third is an autobiographical short film, [title=tt6884552] - which explores the relationship between drag culture and Middle-Eastern femininity, and a genderqueer Arab boy's memory of their Muslim mother (screened at The London Short Film Festival, BFI Flare, LA Outfest, and distributed by Peccadillo Pictures). The fourth is an experimental short documentary commissioned by the BFI & BBC4, Clash (2017) , critiquing how period dramas erase the diverse reality of Britain. It is told through candid interviews with queer people of colour, alongside staged parodic period drama sequences. It was broadcast on BBC 4 on the 24th of September to 125k viewers, and is now available on BFI-player.
Amrou wrote and starred in the short film Nightstand (2015), executive produced by Stephen Fry and distributed by Peccadillo Pictures theatrically and on DVD. The film has screened at festivals globally, including the BAFTA recognised LSFF and Oscar qualifying Athens International Film and Video Festival, and LGBT Festivals from Paris to Melbourne.
As a performer, Amrou has been acting professional since the age of 13, and recent credits include the upcoming Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), The Souvenir: Part II (2021), Christopher Robin (2018), and The Cleansing Hour (2019). Their solo drag show, Glamrou: From Quran to Queen, premieres at the Soho Theatre later this year.- Sasson Gabay was born in Baghdad, Iraq. He is an actor, known for Rambo III (1988), The Band's Visit (2007) and Karaoke (2022).
- Nadhim Zahawi is an Iraqi-born British politician who served as a cabinet minister under four prime ministers from 2018 to 2023. He is currently the Member of Parliament for Stratford-on-Avon, a seat he has held since 2010. Before entering politics, he was a co-founder and chief executive of YouGov, an international market research firm. He also has a background in chemical engineering and the oil industry. He was born in Baghdad in to a Kurdish family and came to the UK as a child refugee.
Zahawi has appeared in topical news programmes and played himself in the Docudrama "Mr. Bates vs. the Post Office" - Kanan Awni was born in Baghdad, Iraq as Kanan Abdullah Awni. He is an actor, known for The Wild Wild West (1965), The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (1966), The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze (1963), and Mission: Impossible (1967). Currently married to Erin O'Brien.
- Professor Jameel Sadik "Jim" Al-Khalili OBE is a British theoretical physicist, Author, respected BBC presenter and frequent commentator about science in British media. He holds the position of Professor of Theoretical Physics and Chair in the Public Engagement in Science at the University of Surrey, and previously held the position as President of the British Humanist Association (promoting Humanism) between January 2013 and January 2016.
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Howard holds his Master of Arts in Cinema from the University of Southern California. He was one of the top students in the cinema department, winning the coveted George Cukor Award. Howard is also a graduate of the London School of Film Technique and has a Bachelor of Arts with honors in English literature. He speaks several languages, including French.
Avedis made his mark writing and directing many motion picture box office hits, including a French-style romantic thriller that received an Academy Award nomination for best theme song. Avedis is a member of the Writers Guild of America West.
He and his wife, Marlene, presently divide their time between Southern California and Paris, France. Hotel Paradise is his first novel, and he is now working on his second.- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Madan Mohan was one of the most respected Hindi film composers. He was also one of the most overlooked - in a career spanning 25 years, he composed music for only over around 100 films, out of which only 25 became box-office hits. This was due to his extremely fastidious nature and the number of tunes he composed for his films that were never used. Born Madan Kohli in 1924, he was the son of Raj Bahadur Chunilal, who worked in famous studios like Bombay Talkies and Filmistan. From his childhood he was seen as musically inclined and talented. In fact, during his lifetime, he amassed an amazing record of compositions, the majority of which were either unutilized for lack of appropriate films or were alternate tunes composed for his films.
He began working in Bollywood as an assistant to music director C. Ramchandra, and got his first major film with Aankhen (1950), a love triangle. The film was a success. Subsequently, a fair amount of work came to Mohan. Among his earlier films was a trilogy of movies with his childhood friend Raj Kapoor - _Aashiana (1952)_, _Dhoon (1952)_ and Papi (1953). Unfortunately for Mohan, the films he chose to compose for did not create much impact, and it was only with Bhai Bhai (1956), which starred the legendary Kumar brothers, Ashok Kumar and Kishore Kumar, that he got some success. But from then on, things got rough; Railway Platform (1955), Gateway of India (1957), while with excellent music, weren't huge hits. And to make matters worse, all of the top stars had already chosen a particular composer to work with (e.g. Dilip Kumar with Naushad the great composer), which left no room for a débutant, however talented.
Then, in the late 1950s and the 1960s, things changed for the better. His scores for Dekh Kabira Roya (1957) and Adalat (1958) showed that. And in the 1960s, he really began to be noticed with Anpadh (1962), with his songs becoming the rage all over India. It was with this film that he became to be known as the Ghazal King, even though he had already established his reputation for gossamer melodies with Adalat (1958). He acquired further commercial success with two films by Raj Khosla - _Woh Kaun Thi (1964)_ and Mera Saaya (1966). He also began to work with filmmaker Chetan Anand, for which he produced his most outstanding score in Haqeeqat (1964), a war film.
Although he brought out the best in his singers, special mention must be made of his work with Lata Mangeshkar, which showed both of them at their very best. This legendary combination was established in 1951 with Adaa (1951) and continued right up to (and after) his death. Mohan had this special talent of bringing out the best in Lata's voice - she could sound seductive in Sanjog (1961), jaunty in Neela Akash (1965) and perky in Mera Saaya (1966). However, it was in sentimental songs that they were at their best.
In the 1970s, when Western songs from films like _Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971)_, Mohan still composed poetic melodies. His strict aesthetic sense caused him to be in great demand with sensitive if not commercially successful filmmakers, and he collaborated with respected names like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Sampooran Singh Gulzar and Rajinder Singh Bedi, his collaboration with Bedi particularly standing out as it was with Dastak (1970) that he got the National Award for best music director - it was the only major award he got during his lifetime.
In 1975, at the age of 51, Mohan died from cirrhosis of the liver. Ironically, two films released soon afterwards - The Season (1975) and _Laila Majnu (1975)_ - became resounding musical successes. However, three decades later, two films paid their tribute to Mohan. One was Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo (2004), a war film which, interestingly, took its title from one of his songs from Haqeeqat (1964). The film, however, didn't do well at the box-office. The other film, a romance called Veer-Zaara (2004), paid a more fitting tribute for a composer - the director, Yash Chopra, took some of his unused compositions and used them in the film.
The spectacular success of Veer-Zaara (2004), especially its soundtrack (with a 75-year-old Lata Mangeshkar still as melodious as ever), established Madan Mohan as one of the elite composers of all time...- Actress
Farhat (also sometimes known as Florence) Ezekiel Nadira, born on December 5, 1932, was a Baghdadi Jew, hailing from Nagpada, South Mumbai, a predominantly Muslim and Jewish locality. At the tender age of 19, she literally stormed her way into Bollywood with the movie The Savage Princess (1952) opposite Dilip Kumar, the reigning heart-throb of the times.
Nadira was chosen mostly for her glowing skin, sharp features, European looks as Khan wanted to dub The Savage Princess (1952) into English as well.
The feisty and boisterous Nadira not only took leading roles, but also went on to accept negative roles, for example the one in "Elaan", and the one in Shree 420 (1955) containing the song "Mud mud ke na dekh mud mud ke...", which continues to be popular even now. And who can forget "Ajeeb dastaan hai yeb..." from Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960), picturized on Nadira, Raaj Kumar and Meena Kumari.
Nadira thus reigned supreme in the 1950s and 1960s, usually as a vamp. Thereafter, she appeared in character roles where she played the mother, an aunt, or older woman, adding poise and dignity to these roles. And it was in Julie (1975), in which she played the leading lady's (Laxmi) Anglo-Indian mother that she bagged the award for "Best Supporting Actress".
She went on to play character roles even in Tele-serials, amongst which "Thoda Sa Aasman" has been rated as one of the best television performances ever, in which she plays the wife of Bollywood veteran actor, Shreeram Lagoo.
Despite of her success and popularity, she led a lonely life. Two marriages ended in divorce. Her two siblings, both brothers, had migrated to the United States and Israeli respectively, and she lived alone in her South Mumbai flat in Vasundhara building.
She was known for a small but well maintained library of books ranging from the works of Shakespeare, Adolf Hitler, Vivekananda, World War II, Judaism, and Philosophy, which friends and neighbors used to borrow from time to time.
Shobha, her maid, was the one who took care of her, especially when she entertained friends like Tanuja, Nimmi, Shyama, Deepti Naval, and model-turned-actor Milind Soman, who acted with her in a tele-serial "Margaritta", visited her frequently.
She always celebrated her Birthday on December 5 with mostly children from the neighborhood and served them biryani and cakes.
Nadira suffered from a variety of illnesses, including tubercular meningitis, & paralysis. Her bout with heavy alcoholic drinking also resulted in alcoholic liver disorder.
She was hospitalized on January 2nd and following a cardiac seizure died on Wednesday January 8th at Bhatia Hospital in Mumbai. She was 74. She will always be remembered by her fans worldwide.- Uday Hussein was born on 18 June 1964 in Baghdad, Iraq. He died on 22 July 2003 in Mosul, Iraq.
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Visual Effects
- Writer
Shero was born in Baghdad on May 15, 1979. After a year the family came back to his homeland Sulaimaniya (Kurdistan - North of Iraq).
After 20 years living and learning in Sulaimaniya and Arbil he decide to take his dream out of Iraq and begin to realize it and make it become true ...
His first step was in 2002 when he met Jean-Claude Van Damme ... later Steven Seagal....And there was a big step when he had the chance to stay in front of the camera for his first character role....in the movie Epoch: Evolution (2003) with David Keith and Billy Dee Williams...
In the same year he had been chosen as a Stunt actor for the movie Troy (2004), as a Trojan Archer facing Brad Pitt...in Mexico.
From 2004 he began to work like a Digital Effects Artist [ Animation ,Particles ,Dynamic ,Modeling ]...for several movies. Waiting for another chance to return back in front of the Camera again, as an Actor or a Stunt Actor!!!
In 2006 he had the chance to work like a 3D Digital Artist in the movie 88 Minutes (2007) with his favorite Actor Al Pacino
In 2007 Jean-Claude Van Damme introduced him to J.J. Perry (fight choreographer) and (stunt coordinator),And he had his first real training to become a Stuntman ,Later he had the chance to be face to face in the same scene with Jean-Claude Van Damme in the movie The Shepherd (2008) .- Alexander Zale (aka J. Zakkai) has performed a variety of compelling roles while working with cutting-edge theatre ensembles, playwrights, and directors. He began his acting career in the role of Solly in 1959 with the Living Theatre's international hit, The Connection, by Jack Gelber, and went on to play George Garga in Brecht's In the Jungle of Cities and Rico Veri in Pirandello's Tonight We Improvise. Following two European tours with the Living Theatre, he stayed in Italy to work with Vittorio Gassman's company, Teatro Popolare Italiano, and traveled with it to the Aldwych Theatre in London. After returning to the U.S., he got involved with the off-off-Broadway movement, then in its infancy, at the Judson Poet's Theater and La Mama. During this time, he wrote his first play, Vapors, which was presented at the O'Neill Playwrights Conference. He went on to perform at several regional theaters, including The Arena Stage, in Washington, D.C. Back in New York, he was cast as Beaujo in Sam Shepard's Geography of a Horse Dreamer at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Ellen Stewart, founder of La Mama, introduced him to director Andrei Serban. So began an artistic collaboration that led to his appearance as Jason in Serban's highly successful production of Medea, which, after a run in New York, toured Europe. He then took on the title role in Serban's Agamemnon at Lincoln Center, which was also presented at the Delacorte. Following that he appeared as Sender in The Dybbuk, directed by Joe Chaikin at Joseph Papp's Public Theatre. Back at La Mama, he was Azdak in Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle, then the title role in Goethe's Faust, Part 1, both directed by German director, Fritz Bennewitz. He then went to Los Angeles for the first time to work in film and television, and returned to New York to appear as Burgandy in Henry V, as well as Tanchum in The Golem, both at the Delacorte. At the Center Stage in Baltimore, he played the lead role of Victor Mehta in David Hare's A Map of the World, then worked with director Daniel Sullivan at the Seattle Rep in Red Square as Roosevelt Weinglass. Alexander moved to Los Angeles, where he continues to perform in theatre (Morocco, Ondine, The Disputation, Taking Sides, Flags, The Cherry Orchard) as well as film and television.
- Cinematographer
- Producer
- Writer
Ousama Rawi was born on 3 March 1939 in Baghdad, Iraq. He is a cinematographer and producer, known for The Tudors (2007), Killing Jesus (2015) and Borgia (2011). He was previously married to Rita Tushingham.- Gheed is a young Iraqi/Dutch actress. Staring in several Iraqi series and short films Drama series: Stories of Jaber 2020 (alforat production) Tasjeel Khorouj 2020 (TenTime production) Joury 2021 ( Al Sharqia TV) Heera (first iraqi soap opera) 2022 (MBC Drama, Shahid)
Films: The Last Dispatched Directed by : Muhanned al Sudani Produced by: Ishtar film production
Happy Hour inBaghdad Directed by: Ayman al Shatri Produced by : Ishtar film production - Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Tamara Dhia is an actress and TV host best known for Total Request Live (2017), Summer in the City (2017) and E! Live from the Red Carpet (2019). She starred in the film The Party is Over (2015) opposite SNL star Kyle Mooney.
She is an active social media personality as well having been an ambassador for companies like Nike, Evian, T-Mobile and many more.- Jawad Al Shakarji was born in 1951 in Baghdad, Iraq. He is an actor, known for Al Hajjaj (2003), Theyab Al-Lail (1992) and Hanging Gardens (2022). He was previously married to Ghazwh Al-Khalidi.
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Mohamed Al Daradji was born in 1978 in Baghdad, Iraq. He is a producer and director, known for Son of Babylon (2009), Ahlaam (2006) and In the Sands of Babylon (2013).- Kaysar Ridha was born on 10 August 1980 in Baghdad, Iraq. He is an actor, known for The Young and the Restless (1973), Half & Half (2002) and Reality Chat (2005).
- Martin Budny was born in Baghdad, Iraq to Polish-Bulgarian parents. He is an actor and artist who grew up in Europe, Egypt and Canada. He has exhibited internationally and made a return to performing in 2015 after a 10-year break where he traveled the world and got an MFA in Creative Practice from Transart Institute (Berlin/New York).
- Qusay Hussein was born on 17 May 1966 in Baghdad, Iraq. He died on 22 July 2003 in Mosul, Iraq.
- Sound Department
- Writer
- Director
Ahmed Al-Daradji was born in 1986 in Baghdad, Iraq. He was involved as a sound recordist on the feature film Ahlaam made after the American invasion of Iraq in 2004. After graduating with a Bachelors in Audio & Visual from the University of Baghdad, he then worked as a director of photography, writer and director for satellite stations and companies based in Baghdad.
Ahmed was involved as a script writer, editor & sound recordist on the short film My Name is Mohammed then worked as production assistant & sound recordist in a second feature film Son of Babylon.
He moved to London to study the MA filmmaking at London Film School. Whilst in London he shot his third short film Between the Two Banks. Recently he worked as part of the Iraq 35mm short film workshop, writing and directing the short film Children of God.- The family had to flee Iraq together with his brother Maurice and his parents, who were separatist Jews. Saatchi grew up in London as an immigrant child. He left school early and earned his living in various jobs until he discovered art and advertising. His passion for collecting began in 1968. The collector's first names were artists such as Andy Warhol, Carl Andre, Donald Judd and other minimalists. Together with his brother, Charles Saatchi founded the advertising agency "Saatchi & Saatchi" in the Soho district of London in 1970.
Charles took on the creative role while Maurice was responsible for the economic tasks. Charles Saatchi, however, managed to convey advertising messages in the simplest form. This concept gave the young agency a meteoric rise. "Saatchi & Saatchi" became internationally popular thanks to accurate and funny campaigns that brought the young entrepreneurs stardom. From 1978 onwards, numerous expansions followed through the acquisition of various competing agencies and communications consulting agencies.
In 1985 the brothers opened the Saatchi Private Museum in London. By the end of the 1980s, the group of companies had become one of the largest advertising groups in the world. In addition to numerous retail and luxury brands, the British Labor Party also relied on the talents of advertisers, which meant that Margaret Thatcher was also a customer and was able to win three election campaigns with the slogan "Labour isn't working". During this time, Charles Saatchi acquired around 3,000 works by young artists, which he promoted and marketed under the label "YBA" Young British Artists.
In 1989, an attempt to set up a management consultancy together failed. In 1993, Charles Saatchi withdrew from the advertising industry, which from then on was only managed by his brother. After financial problems in the mid-1990s, the Saatschi brothers gradually sold large shares of the company, down to 1 percent of the shares. In 1995, after selling the company, Maurice Saatschi founded the "New Saatchi Agency". From then on, Charles concentrated on the international art trade.
The media-shy collector made a name for himself by buying up entire openings and champagne receptions with over a thousand guests at which he himself was not present. In 2003, Charles Saatchi opened the "Saatchi Gallery" not far from the "Tate Modern" in the former London City Parliament on the Thames, which attracted worldwide attention and is now one of the largest private collections in the world. The Saatchi Gallery had to leave its building in October 2005. The art collector's rental agreement with the Japanese owners of the house next to Westminster Bridge has been terminated by a court in London.
Shortly after the gallery opened, Saatchi and his gallery director Nigel Hurst began, without permission, to display art in parts of the property for which they had not paid rent. Saatchi had already announced in September 2005 that he would be moving his gallery to a former barracks in London's Chelsea district. Charles Saatchi is married to celebrity chef Nigella Lawson for the third time and lives in London. - Ahmed Hussein Alabdi was born on February 25, 2001 in Baghdad, Iraq. He is the Eldest of 4 siblings. He is an American actor and a businessman. He is best known for his roles as Archeologist On Stranded 3, alongside Terry Crews and Zach King. Jail inmate on Athena Saves Christmas starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and detective on What It Is (Block boy) music video and cover by Doechii and Kodak Black.
Ahmed appears on the movie " Athena Saves Christmas" directed by Josh Webber and Produced by Christina Copper, as it will be projected to be released later in December of 2023 featuring the academy award winner Cuba Gooding Jr., Glenn Plummer etc.
Furthermore, Ahmed appears on Stranded 3 as 'Archeologist' which is projected to release in 2023 along with Zach King,Terry Crews, Nate Norell and Lauren Buckley.
He also appears in Doechii and Kodak Blacks music video and song cover " What it is (block boy)". - Director
- Writer
- Actress
Khairiya A-Mansour was born on 28 March 1958 in Baghdad, Iraq. She is a director and writer, known for 100% (1993), 6/6 (1988) and Al-ayyam al-tawila (1980).- Abd al-Karim Qasim was born in 1914 in Baghdad, Iraq. He died on 9 February 1963.